Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary!

Wow, it was fun looking back at these pictures (and the hundreds more I don't have the time/energy to post)!

Anyway, today, our actual anniversary, has been very normal.  The girls and I went to Walmart this morning, and I'm still waiting for the medal for getting us all out of there alive (why do the girls insist on acting like juvie candidates when we have to go shopping???).

But, I digress...

Chet and I had more of an anniversary celebration on Saturday evening.  The base Chapel was hosting free childcare for Chet's battalion (because they are deploying soon) from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., no questions asked.  We dropped the girls off after their naps, around 4:00 p.m., and headed to a work function that was being held at a local restaurant.  Our original plan was to go to the mandatory function from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., then out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary.  Instead, we were at the work function (which was quite fun) from about 4:15 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.  They fed us there, so instead of going out to eat, we decided to run errands, sans children.  It was SO much better than going out to eat!  We went to Academy, Pier One, Hallmark, and Barnes and Noble.  We relished every moment of the evening, and the peace and quiet.

Chet arrived home from work today armed with gifts for me:

Obviously, we'll be together forever.  I don't need much more than flowers, Flaming Hot Cheetos, and Junior Mints and/or York Peppermint Patties.

Don't worry, we don't just buy each other junk food for our anniversaries (although we really don't go all out).  I got Chet a few magazines he had been wanting, and he bought me a journal (of sorts...it's really cool) that I found in Barnes and Noble on Saturday.

A funny thing about the cards we exchanged: Years ago, Chet bought me an anniversary card that he never actually gave to me.  I think it was in 2010, when he left for Djibouti shortly before our anniversary.  He must have bought a card when he got there, planning to send it to me, but realized it would never arrive in time.  So he returned home in December 2010 with the blank card, and I stored it away.  Every year since then, I had stumbled upon it after our anniversary, kicking myself for not remembering to pull it out.  This year I remembered!

I had also bought a card a few years ago that I never gave him (perhaps it was the same year, 2010).  It was a musical card that played "Unchained Melody."  I gave it to him this year...but the "Melody" no longer works.  Oops.  I guess those things poop out after a while.

Happy anniversary, honey!