Happy Anniversary!

Sunday was mine and Devin's 1 year wedding anniversary. I remember how after he proposed to me it felt like the four months until we got married was years away, and it literally just creeped along. Though the past year that Devin and I have been married has seemed to go by extremely fast. It feels like yesterday when we were in Hawaii celebrating our marriage. So weird how time seems to just bend at it's own convenience. Hahah. A year ago today Devin and I were in Kona, Hawaii, where I saw the ocean for the first time, where we saw multiple huge sea turtles, went kayaking in the ocean, and hiked around a volcano! It was such a great trip and all the while with my cute husband.

It feels like yesterday we were married, but at the same time it feels like we've been married for like 5 years. It seriously blows my mind how time works like that.

So Devin and I celebrated the whole weekend for our anniversary. First, we celebrated on Thursday by doing lots of service in the area that we live in because of the crazy storms and floods. Okay, so we didn't plan to celebrate that way, but we always grow closer together when we serve together, so I feel like that is celebration in its own way :)

Second, on Friday night, I met Devin at his office in Downers Grove, and we drove to the temple together. It was the greatest night ever. Truly, we both needed to go to the temple and both missed it so much. Though it was such a change from all the Utah temples that I've been to! :) Satan knew very well how much we needed to go, and did his best to keep us from getting there. Like I mentioned, there was lots of flooding around the area the day before, so as I was trying to get to Devin's work, I was turned around by two giant rivers flowing over the roads in the direction that I needed to go. I have only been to Devin's work a few times, and each time it was the same route, so that threw me off really bad not being able to go the usual route. Then, right during rush hour, I got stuck at two different intersections with broken stop lights, and hundreds of cars in each direction. I still don't know how I got through there alive. But finally, I made it to my sweetheart with tears running down both my cheeks, my makeup messed up, and my stomach sick from the stress determined that we weren't going to make it to the temple in time for our session. But of course, we kept our decision to go to the temple and finally made it there in one piece. It was a terribly stressful drive, but oh my goodness, the temple was absolutely the best thing ever and oh how we needed it. It was incredible - and I have now been in a new temple, the Chicago Temple is small, but oh so beautiful and such a great experience :) I can't wait to go back again!

Isn't it beautiful? :D

Third, on Saturday we rode the train into downtown Chicago (where they also had to reroute the train system right through the GHETTO to avoid flooded tracks) .. to celebrate for real. First we went to lunch at Panera Bread Co.  - I know, I know, not terribly exciting, but we were hungry and that's the first thing we found, and it was delicious :) Then we caught a cab and went to The Field Museum. We spent about 4 1/2 hours at The Field Museum and loved every single second of it. It was so much fun! We sound like lamos because we spend so much time at the museum, but seriously, it was great. They have the worlds largest and most complete T-Rex, lots of mummies, TONS of dinosaur skeletons, and all kinds of stuff that kept us busy forever. We went through every single attraction with the determination to have fun. I actually learned all kinds of cool stuff - like how the mummification process works. It's some crazy stuff, believe me.

                           

Then we went to Water Tower Place and picked out Devin's anniversary present. :) He got me the most beautiful Opal ring (my birthstone), and he picked it out all by himself! My husband is the greatest :) So I took him to Fossil because he needed a new watch, and I didn't want to pick it out, because I am NOT watch savvy and didn't want to get him something he didn't want. hahah. So on our way, we went to the Lego store, and a few other places just to have fun window shopping :) 

So here's what I got him

Here's what he got me

And this is me with lego woody :)

Basically - we had a blast. But it's not over yet! :)

Then Devin took me to the nicest restaurant in Chicago, The Signature Room :) It was seriously so nice. He had to make reservations two months ahead in order to get us in! Whoa! So it's on the 95th floor of the second tallest building in Chicago, the John Hancock Center, and oh my goodness it was awesome. There was a line about the size of the lines you'd see at the most popular roller coaster at Disney World. Seriously - that long, and we got to skip the whole line because we had reservations - but all of those people were still there waiting when we came back down from dinner - weirdos are going to starve to death before they get up there. Haha. So we went up there, he had requested a window seat, so we were on the corner that had Lake Michigan, Lake Shore Drive, and the White Sox Stadium. It was an absolutely beautiful view, even looking straight down! We had great service, delicious food, and so much fun :) It was so nice we weren't even allowed to wear jeans. ( So we wore our dress clothes everywhere the entire day - we had a 'fancy day' ) :D I even tried duck for the first time, it was absolutely delicious - but I felt guilty when we pulled into our subdivision and there were duckies on our pond, I felt bad that I had eaten one of their friends (not really, but it was a funny conversation)

The beautiful view

 

So basically, we had the greatest anniversary weekend ever :) 

On our actual anniversary we went to church, came home early because Devin's tummy was sick, and just relaxed together and had a great time. I'm very grateful for my sweetheart, and I am so grateful to be sealed to him for time and all eternity. I know that Heavenly Father sent him to me for a reason and that reason being that he is my perfect match. We may not agree all the time, and I may think that I'm always right, (but who doesn't?) We are truly a great match and I am grateful for the example he sets for me every single day and the absolute love and joy we have in our marriage. Not everyone can say that they are purely happy - and I am blessed enough to say that my husband is the greatest husband in the history of mankind :) 

So here's to many more years by your side through thick and thin and never wavering! 

You're my best friend, I love you to the moon and back for eternity. 

Our Real Anniversary Picture - At Church, where it all started. :)