Third Time Is A Charm!

Three years ago something truly significant took place in my life. It was a beautiful blessing. It was a day like none other, filled with anticipation, pure joy, laughter, creativity, the gift of friendship, the deep connection and support of family, and the overwhelming love and devotion of the man that on that day became my husband. December 27, 2006 was the day I was joined in marriage with Michael Gregory, my beloved best friend.

Since that day I have had the unspeakable joy of living life as a married woman. I never would have imagined how much fun it would be to grow into an adult with someone you love so much at your side. It brings such peace to know that Michael loves me tremendously, wants to see me happy, and has worked so hard to become the man he is today. Marriage is a joyful journey, full of shortcomings that you can work on together through the love of God. It's hard work, yes, but it's definitely worth every bit of effort.

Since our anniversary is so close to Christmas, Michael and I have basically come to the understanding that we will most likely be with family every year to celebrate. I can honestly say that we are both quite alright with the notion. After all, don't people say that it's not just your spouse that you marry? It's the whole family! It's a good thing we love our families so much.

December 27 of this year marked our third wedding anniversary. To celebrate, Michael and I packed ourselves in the back seat of my parents' car with Jared and Jodi and we all drove to San Fransisco for the day. Our first stop: Home

Home was a quiet little restaurant that we decided to eat breakfast at. Someone special to me must have dropped a line to our server that it was our anniversary because with our meal came an extra platter piled high with some delicious looking french toast and "Happy Anniversary" written in decorative chocolate on the plate. How fun! I love Michael so much!

Next on the list of the day was the California Academy of Sciences. The museum covered a wealth of subjects from tropical fish and African animals to stars and a garden of thousands upon thousands of native CA plants growing on the roof. Though we had to battle the holiday crowds there, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the variety of natural wonder with my family.



Since Jodi had never seen the San Fransisco sights, we made sure to get across town a ways to visit Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, and eventually the Golden Gate Bridge. I don't have much to say about all that so I will let Jared's stunning photography do the talking.

We ended our day in San Fransisco by going out for dinner at a restaurant I have been wanting to visit ever since I heard of it. If you enjoy eating garlic as much as we do then you need to go there too. It's called the Stinking Rose and it is pure delight for the savor-loving taste buds! Everything they serve has very generous amounts of garlic in it. And I do mean everything. From the dipping oil for your bread at the beginning all the way to garlic ice cream at the end, it's all garlic and it's all wonderfully tasty!


Though our breath was packed with garlic, Michael and I still enjoyed a peaceful, snuggly night up in a tree house on his Grandpa's property that night. The weather was perfect for a night out and after a beautiful night of rest we were greeted the next morning with the gleeful gobble of wild turkeys. It's so much fun to wake up with a smile on your face and laughter in your heart.

I can't get over how many things I have to be thankful for. I am deeply in love with Michael and am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my sweet husband.