5 Years- a Perfectly "Us" Kind of Day

5 years of marriage today. Rico and I have been lucky enough to be partners in life, and love, for a very long time. We started at 14 and we've loved each other through a lot of happy moments and some really, really bad ones.

From relying on our moms and siblings to drive us to movies, football games, and in my case, to catch a ride home from school. 

Through being introduced to the extended families and spending our first Christmas together trapped in "Girl Land"

Through 16th birthdays and FINALLY getting our own cars (I think our families were just as excited as we were)

Through our first road trip to Kansas City, our future home, to see my first concert

Through High School graduation

 Through 4 years of date parties...

and football games

Through 21st Birthdays

Through College Graduation

Through a wedding full of friends, family, and some VERY memorable moments: 

The best man figures out he lost the rings AS I am walking down the aisle....eh, who cares- we get to get married

The message during the ceremony somehow involved the mention of rape, murder, incest AND robbery- it's ok as long as we get to say our vows.

The cake cutter broke mid-cut...don't care- he is my husband

The DJ doesn't have our first dance song... we'll figure it out now that I'm a Mrs.

Through a move to Kansas City as newlyweds, neither of us with jobs, just because my sister told us to.

Through year after year of Rico supporting me as a teacher: including those little extras like being my date to endless football games, basketball games, soccer games, "Mr. Bronco" competitions, talent shows, and plays. 

Through becoming first time home owners...and remodeling fools.

Through yearly wedding anniversary trips to Mexico to relax and let loose. 

Through watching our siblings and friends tie the knot. 

I would always cry. 

We would always dance. 

And, at the end of the night, we would always look back on our wedding, our marriage, and our life together with a smile and kiss.

And through ALL those date nights, events, and "exciting opportunities" that Rico did with me, just because he knew I wanted to do it. I. Love. An. Event. 

And, most recently, through being upgraded to Aunt Alli and Uncle Rico.

So, now to celebrate 5 years of marriage: 

It started at 7am, where I apparently high fived Rico while mumbling "Happy Anniversary" all while still asleep. I do these kinds of things. He went to work and I slept in.

Eventually, I woke up about an hour later to a trail of love notes that led around the house

I was FAR too sore from the torture workout he put us through the day before to squat down each time- so I army crawled, in pj's, through the house. Max, our dog, thought this was one of the most amusing things he had ever seen, so we did it together, both on all 4's. He brought mini-Max with him.

 I stopped to read each note. Some made me laugh, some made me cry- but they were a perfect anniversary good morning present. I am a very lucky woman. 

I hit up garage sales all afternoon, and met Rico for happy hour at Houlihan's to give him HIS gifts. 

These are VERY "Rico" gifts. I had been waiting MONTHS to give him the pocket hose. This man has talked about that thing EVERY time he saw it, and would even stop the DVR to watch the infomercial. To say I was excited to give it to him would be an understatement. The children's book was just something funny I found at a garage sale...for the man that CAN NOT LEAVE HIS SCABS ALONE. Gross. 

I also ordered my first official mock-tail at Houli's- it was very exciting. We had a surreal discussion about how at that exact moment, "an egg could be landing" (the Rico-friendly version of "blastocyst embedding") in my uterus. Whoa.

After the "ultimate gift" of a pocket hose (I know my man well- he practically got giddy), we went for z-men at Oklahoma Joe's for dinner. This was my choice. Rico said I could go "wherever I wanted, as fancy as you want", and while the Melting Pot was tempting (we've STILL never been there), I had to go with my gut. My gut said, "Mama wants a Z-Man". 
We finished off the night at the Lee's Summit Jamaican Jam concert outside city hall (our honeymoon was in Jamaica). The people watching was AMAZING- we were not disappointed. 

Jamaican Jam

Blizzards capped the whole night off....remember that time that I thought I was going to not eat ice cream and other bad for me things- well, I give myself a pass for special occasions. Fine, fine, count that as the first grandiose idea about pregnancy that I was wrong about. 

It was a perfectly "us" kind of day- a little odd, but full of love and fun.