10th Anniversary!

It's hard to beleive that today, Aug. 7th, we've made it 10 years. We dated almost 2 years before getting engaged, and then got married a year after that. 10 years later we feel pretty good about our life together. We've been through life's up and downs and come out on the other side better for it. We have 2 precious little boys to share our lives with now. Sorry for all the pictures, but I thought we'd go down memory lane of our life together. We met in the spring of 1996 while in orchestra at Butler University, but didn't start dating until October of that year (mostly because I kept saying no to Mike asking me out). He wrote me letters all summer, some of which I responded to, some I did not I have to say (I know, how could I ignore them, so cruel). When we came back to Butler that fall Mike was still trying to get me to go out with him so I finally said yes just to get him to stop and the rest is history. I found out that I really liked him. Here are several pictures from when we were dating:

attending a wedding (above)

By the river at Butler (above 2). This is where he would later propose to me.

This was from a canoeing trip we took in Ohio.

Above is our first dance at Butler that we attended together. Probably 97

Another dance 97 or 98

Christmas one of our first years dating.

Above 2...Mike's graduation from Butler. 1998

1998 we took a trip to Disney World together.

This trip to Disney taught us alot about each other. It was our first vacation together and we found that we vacationed VERY differently! We both have fond memories of the trip to Disney, but not really fond memories of each other. We were upset at each other for most of the trip. I found out that he liked to see EVERYTHING, and you must have a definate plan in place. Everything was boom, boom, boom. We had to be here at a certain time so we could go there at a certain time. On the other hand, I was used to a more laid back vacation time. If something looked like fun, that wasn't on the itinerary, then I wanted to go check it out. Mike did not like this at all! Like I said, we learned alot about each other here and both thought about breaking up after this trip for a short period of time, but we got over it. And 2 months later....

GOT ENGAGED!...On July 17th, 1998

Above was our offical engagement picture.

This was taken at my senior recital. May 1999

Here he's trying to teach me trumpet. I don't play trumpet!! It was aweful!

Then came my graduation from Butler. May 1999

Above picture was taken 3 days before our wedding! We were exhausted!



AND THEN THE BIG DAY
AUGUST 7, 1999

My mom made my dress! It was exactly what I wanted and so beautiful!
Thanks again Mom!

Above: This is our "main" wedding picture we have hanging above our fireplace now.

This was such a beautiful cake. Made by a lady in Mike's home church and a friend of their family. She wouldn't take any money for making it for us and transporting it from cinci to greenwood either. It was amazing!

We were nice to each other here.
I think I threatened him within an inch of his life if he got cake on that dress!

Best Man: Tim Manuel, Maid of Honor: Candy

The only thing that didn't really go as planned at our wedding was the DJ. She was aweful, not only did she mess up alot of the songs we wanted played...(including the song we danced our first dance to!), but she didn't "DJ" either. Mike's best man, Tim, did alot of that for us when he saw how badly this lady was doing. He did a great job!

above: I love this picture!

On of the only regrets I have from that day is that my brother, Kenny (above right), somehow got left out of all the group pictures with the rest of the wedding party. He was an usher so he should have been in them. I have no idea why we didn't get him in them, but I didn't realize this until we looked at the pictures a couple weeks after the wedding.
Above picture is my dad (left), Tess & Kenny, and their kids; Keith, Heather, Kyle, Kody (Kyle was also in the wedding as ring bearer)

Tim is no doubt giving Mike valuable marriage advice. :)

above: I'm pretty sure Mike's sister Julie took this and I was giving her the look of "Don't take anymore pictures of my today....I've had enough!"

I could not believe what they did to my car!!!!!! It took weeks for us to get some of that stuff off! (Man I loved that car!, Mike totalled it about 2 years later) :(

Just after getting back from the honeymoon.

At our 1st apartment.

Above: Schladming, Austria, just outside our hotel-summer 2000
We were so lucky to get invited back to Butler by the wind ensemble to go on a European tour as alumni! Luckily we could afford it and jumped at the chance. We went to Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary. It was a once in a life time experience. We got to play with the wind enseble in many different settings.

Christmas 2001

Candy & Ken's wedding November 2003 (Mike DJ'd their reception)

Above: Christmas 2003

2004- Our first trip to the Brickyard 400 together.

Above: Christmas picutre 2004

This is the last picture taken of us before adding kids. About 2 1/2 hours before Gabe was born on July 30th 2005!

I hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with us. This was alot of fun to dig up old photos of us and scan them in (most of them weren't digitally taken).