Lucky number seven

Seven years ago today, Chad and I began our lives together as husband and wife. On our fifth anniversary, I posted pictures of our wedding, and today, I thought I'd go back a bit further. Nothing makes you feel older than scanning pictures of yourself. Oh, and looking at the pictures, and seeing how young you were.

This picture was one of the first we ever took together. Summer of 2000, age 18. I love this picture...we worked together as potwashers that summer and that's how we met. Chad asked me to buy him an alarm at wal-mart (which he still uses today), and he taught me how to sweep.
Fast forward to 2002. We had lost touch, and became counselors together at Blue Haven.

We were brother and sister cabin most sessions, so we did a lot of hiking together. Below, your fearless leaders. I actually don't think we ever got lost on a hike that summer. Can you believe that Vance Crowe hired us? Such goofs. (Still are) I love that the dates are on these pictures, because I would have never known when exactly they were taken, and it's fun to look at them and think that almost exactly 7 years later (well, and one week), I was giving birth to our first-born child. God is so good!Stopping at the Bullok's cabin on a hike. It must have been raining that day.
On the porch of the Bent Nail, 4th session 2002. Wasn't my hair so cool, with the pigtail knots at the bandana? I thought you would say that. But let's talk about Chad's hair instead.
Another fave. This was before Chad let me chop off all his hair.
We never did officially date during that summer, one, because camp rules say staff can't date (and nobody EVER breaks that rule, right guys?) but mostly because Chad was leaving to go to school in Arizona that fall. Well, he decided he couldn't live without me, moved back to Texas, and it all went from there. (We would move back to AZ for him to finish his bachelor's less than a year after we got married).

After 3 months of dating, we were all googly-eyed.
July 17, 2003...we're ENGAGED! This is at "The Rocks" at camp. Chad set the self-timer on the camera and ran over to get in the picture, tripped, almost poked his eye out with a stick, and still got there in time to take the picture. I yelled, "Hurry!" I've never been known for my sympathetic tendencies.
And less than 6 months after that, we were married. We were looking at how young we are in these pictures, and I'm sure our parents had their reservations, but they were very gracious. Today, I thank God for putting Chad in my life. He is a servant, a leader to our family, an awesome dad to Ezra, and a Godly man that I am proud to call my husband.

Here's to 77 more years.