eight years {October 9, 2018}

eight years of marriage. it's a blink of an eye compared to my grandparents, who just celebrated their 64th anniversary. but in some ways, since we dated for six years (and two days!) before tying the knot, i feel like we've been married far longer than eight years. we've known each other since the first weekend of freshman year in college. we've wrestled with the big questions, debated theology, and owned a home together. we have two beautiful girls here and three babies in heaven. we love visiting beautiful churches, drinking Jim Beam & Diet Coke at ethnic clubs, poring over every sign and plaque in obscure museums, and watching Portlandia or Trailer Park Boys on Netflix. and our wedding day was such a perfect reflection of our personalities: a Latin high mass with choral music, followed by a huge party with almost two hundred of our families and friends. huge thanks to our photographer, Christina Garber, for capturing all of it! 

my brother James, Uncle Scott, Auntie Kim, Grandpa Bill, Dad, Grandma Jo, and Mom
at Grandpa and Grandma's 64th anniversary dinner this year

since Greta was born, we've always made a point to go away for a night or two to celebrate our anniversary -- and of course we end up talking about the kids while we're away, but it's still so crucial to spend uninterrupted time together. this year, an overnight trip wasn't in the cards, but Sabrina and Rebecca graciously offered to watch the girls so we could go out for dinner. and it was just perfect. we had heard about a Tirolean restaurant not far from the college, and were excited to indulge in some proper beer and wurst. the Tirol is the alpine region comprised of western Austria and northern Italy, so the culture is essentially the best of both worlds.

we were lucky enough to get the last table in the cozy downstairs room, and immediately settled in for a relaxing night. the decor is snug and dark, with embroidered cushions on the seats. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI used to dine here, and in fact, you can sit at his preferred table on a red upholstered bench.

along with our beers, we ordered a charcuterie plate to start, which could have been our meal in itself. the pickles! the mustard! the pate! the cheese!

our server noticed our little photo shoot and offered to take our picture. as we smiled, so many emotions and thoughts were swirling in my mind: so thankful for this man and our marriage, so excited to see what this next year has in store for us, so hungry for good quality sausage, still in disbelief that we are here, in Rome, together with our family.

and then he told us to "kiss! kiss!" and so of course we did!

the whole evening was delightful. my platter of sausages, bratwurst, kartoffelsalat and sauerkraut was the perfect foil to two months of pizza and pasta. the beer was like the nectar of the gods (the first half-liter creamy and dark, the second half-liter bursting with sunlit flavor). to top it all off, we were seated right by the kitchen window where we could see all manner of other Tirolean delicacies being prepared.

pretzels!

we finished the evening with a buttery apple strudel, and then the manager brought over complimentary shots of grappa. as we walked back, our bellies and hearts were full to the brim. happy eight years, sweetheart! marrying you is the best choice i've ever made. ich liebe dich!!