Linny and Aaron Swinging by a Tree, Smiling so Very Happily!

10/18/11

This photo was taken nearly three years ago.
Not much has changed.
Aaron's parents still have that swing in their front yard.
My husband is still in desperate need of a hair cut.
I still have those shoes. (I actually wore them with my wedding dress last October.)

One thing has changed.
See those smiles?
We don't smile like that anymore.
My face is pure joy. I can barely contain myself.
My husband's face is similar.

This was at the beginning of our relationship.
Aaron's mother was actually relieved that we had started dating. She had to document it.

Is the change in our smiles good or bad?
I'm not quite sure.
I've been reflecting a lot about how much our lives have changed in the last three years.
It's bittersweet, really.
I miss the giddiness, the flutterbys in my tummy, the thrill of a new relationship.
I thought he'd never stop looking at me like I was new.
We were so excited to get to be with each other.

Like all relationships, the newness wears off.
I don't get all school-girly when I think of him.
All those feeling have been replaced by a much deeper and richer love.
Aaron is my family now. We're a team. He's my best friend.
I can't live without him.
But we also don't appreciate each other the way we should.
There's far too much bickering over the kids, housework, getting out of the door on time.

Our one year anniversary is coming around the corner. It's less than two weeks away.
I've been trying to figure out what to plan.
I don't think he's going to plan anything, and I'm determined to have a fantastic time.
I've decided to be proactive--don't let myself be disappointed if I find something and plan it myself.
Dracula dinner theater?
Wine tasting in Door County?
A trip to Wisconsin Dells?
Hmmm... decisions, decisions.