Five Years.

Five years! Five years I've been married to this wonderful human being. We celebrated our fifth year in wine country. We missed the kids like......no words can describe how much we missed them, actually. But our time together, just us, where our story began, was very much needed. 

We flew into San Fran. I had visited the city when I was a little girl, and to be honest, it didn't really meet my expectations. It was cloudy and a bit dingy. I realized more than ever, that my heart will always be a little bit "country," maybe even more than I previously knew. We escaped toward the hills and visited the golden gate bridge as much as possible. We liked it out there.  We also loved Sausasilito, which is the town across the bay. Not as crazy, much cleaner and overall, more relaxing. 

After a two days and a night in San Fran, we headed for Sonoma. Sonoma and Napa are valleys that are side by side in northern Cali. Sonoma was more laid back, more rustic, and more of a small town-which we loved! Wine makers would spend one on one time with you and go into detail in educating you on each of their wines. Napa was a little more commercialized and built up. Wineries seemed to try to get you in and out-but still worth the visit. The landscape in both were nothing short of breathtaking. 

Before we arrived in Cali, we knew almost 90% of the wineries we wanted to visit, thanks to the research and recommendations of the sweetest friend a girl could ever ask for (S.Pillerette). If you ever venture to Sonoma/Napa...I highly recommend you find a best friend to guide you before you go. ;-)

The days with just Ryan were perfect. It reminded me of the years leading up to our marriage. We always lived apart in different cities, but whenever we would meet up, we would make an adventure out of it in whatever location we were in...St. Louis, Nashville Tennessee, Columbus Georgia, Memphis, Barbados or right in our backyard. We eat where the locals eat, we soak up the culture, make friends with the townies and listen to their stories. We are both sometimes a little too "go with the flow" so if we want to accomplish a lot the next day, we really have to force ourselves to make plans and goals. But this is us. It what makes us tick.  He balances my drama, crazy dreams and multitasking overload and I would like to think I add a little adventure to his calm collectiveness. 

Thank you, my beloved, for five wonderful years. There's no one else I would rather be doing life with than you. You are my soulmate, my confidant and my partner in this incredible journey. You are everything that is love to me. 

One of my favorite bloggers, Soul Scripts said something that really resonated with me when she and her fiance got engaged. She wrote "Standing here today, we don't have it all figured out. But one thing is certain. God has intricately woven paths together for a beautiful purpose. With Christ at the center, we know that He will provide & equip us each day to bring glory to His name in our lives together"

Happy five years, to the greatest person I've ever known.

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)