6 years!

Six years, my oh my. It's hard to believe that we've been married for six whole years. Well, as of tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. we will have been married for six years, it is totally and completely amazing where our life has taken us over the last six years.

We love our "how we met story!" (What couple doesn't!) It was quick, it was painless, and it was perfect.

We went on our first day on August 14, we decided to get married in January on the night before labor day, we went ring shopping on labor day, two weeks later I suggested a November wedding. November 16 to be exact, my cousin was getting married on the 18th so all of our family would already be in town. September 16 Cody asked my Dad if he was down with the whole plan, Sunday, October 8 we were engaged, the following Sunday, I made encouraged Cody to put his resume online and find a job with insurance, in fact I took a copy of my Dad's resume and filled it in with all of Cody's info!  Thanks Dad, I don't know if you knew that, your resume layout was A+. November 16, we were married. Three months and two days from hello. We lived in the most perfect city of South East Idaho, where we were sure we would build our futures and live happily ever after!

January 16th-ish Cody was contacted by Harley-Davidson to apply for a job in their technical department. Cody called me immediately and asked if I wanted to move to Milwaukee. My exact words were "Where is Milwaukee?!" I immediately hung up and called my Mom, and we both got on google maps to find out where exactly this kid she had only known for 5 months was taking me! 

Cody interviewed on the phone two or three times and on February 19 and 20th he flew out for the "real" interview. We were still considering this to be "such a good opportunity to interview with such a big company." The last week of January we closed on our house in Idaho Falls. Not even two days later, it fell through, and the first week of March Harley contacted Cody and offered him the job. We were told that he would need to be relocated and ready to start within the next six months. We had a couple of family trips coming up along with my brothers wedding so we called back and put July 1 as our start day. A few days later, we were standing in my Dad's "play house" (his shop) when Cody got a call from Harley Davidson asking him to start on April 2. As in 2 1/2 weeks away. Of course we said yes. We both quit our jobs that day. Cody had snowmobiles, jet skis, and dirt bikes coming out our ears at home that needed to be fixed and returned to their rightful owners. The following day we learned that there was a "muffin in the oven!" (Yay for finally having that good job with good insurance!) We spent the next two weeks working like mad, moving things from our house to Cody's parents shop (we were down sizing to an apartment) we purchased a new car, sold two of our trucks, and then kissed our families good bye and started our trek to the Mid west. I SLEPT THE ENTIRE WAY HERE!  Thank you pregnancy! 

We arrived in down town Milwaukee late on a Thursday night and I was SCARED TO DEATH! We found our hotel, slept awful, and woke up first thing the next morning for a tour with a Realtor to find an apartment.

We lived for 8 or so days in a hotel, then for 2 weeks an an apartment with nothing but the stuff we had packed in our car. We settled in quickly, Cody loved his job and I had to call and beg him at night to come home and take me somewhere. We went for a "drive" every weekend to visit something new and to have a picnic lunch.

The day after Thanksgiving that year I went in for a final doctors appointment to learn that I was in labor and was told to go home, get my stuff at come back. A LONG 13 1/2 hours with 3 hours of pushing we welcomed our first born child, Kevin Robert into our family. 

Nine months later we were SURPRISED to find out we would be welcoming our 2nd child into our family. A few months before Julia was born we decided we had out grown our little apartment and started house hunting. After several unaccepted offers and a few accepted offers but unfortunate findings in the home we went to the hospital unexpectedly 10 days early and after a very quick, almost fun delivery we had our sweet, yet Spunky Julia in our arms. Just a few days later we found the PERFECT home for our family and we made an offer and low and behold it was accepted. We spent 12 or more hours a day for 17 days (minus the Sundays) gutting the inside and redoing as much as we could before moving in. And after two years of working like crazy people on our house we welcomed our Lacey Baby to the family, an awful-lets-not-go-there kind of birth story. (NEVER HAVE A BABY NATURALLY BY YOUR OWN FREE WILL AND CHOICE!)

We spent the next year applying and interviewing for jobs all over within the Harley Davidson Co. In June we were offered a job in Miami and said, "No Thanks!"  In August we learned we would be welcoming our fourth and final child into our family and in October after a whirlwind of events we were offered a job with Harley-Davidson in the New England area. And for our sixth anniversary we will prepare to move our family the rest of the way across this great country. 

It is amazing to look back on the last six years. The trials, though mountains while we were in them, seem so ity-bitty compared to the MOUNTAINS, and MOUNTAINS, and MOUNTAINS of blessings we have received over the last six years. Not only have we grown a lot as individuals, as a couple, and as a family, we have had so dang much fun doing it together. I LOVE being married to Cody. 

For our anniversary this year, we are not exchanging gifts (we never have) we are exchanging our six most favorite memories. I've had a great time reminiscing and a hard time choosing my six most favorites. Glad I'll get to choose seven next year! 

We are blessed and we know it!