8 Years Later...

Yesterday was our 8th wedding anniversary!! Looking back at these pictures, for one--I can't believe how YOUNG (and skinny) we look! It's amazing how time flies. For those who don't know, Nick and I ran off and got married when I was 16 and he was 21 (don't judge!). For that, we went to the courthouse with my mom and his parents. Then, on our 1 year anniversary, we had a "reaffirmation of vows" ceremony at our church and a reception afterwards. I am so glad we ended up doing that because I love having the pictures to look back on, and it is priceless to have your friends and family there to witness your love.

We look back on our years together and remember all of the good and bad times that we have gone through. We started off with NOTHING in a shanty house sleeping on the floor with no fridge, and now we have a beautiful house, a miracle baby, and college educations! God had blessed us and we are thankful for what we have been given. We have EACH had our share of bad jobs, bad family, and bad friends, but we persevered and lean on each other in hard times!

Now for the celebrations! On January 16 was my brother Eric's 31st birthday. We all met at my mom's house for a big homecooked Mexican dinner! I brought a chocolate cake, and I think that was Brad's favorite food!

We snuck off for a bit at 6:30pm to go downtown for our horse-drawn carriage ride. It was so relaxing, and romantic! The driver was so kind and remembered every little detail I had emailed him about. The horse was very well trained, and the weather was perfect. For a moment we pretended we were back in downtown Chicago!

When we got back, I found my little cherub like this:

Isn't he the cutest?? The next day, Monday, was our actual anniversary. For lunch we all met my brother, sis-in-law, and my dad in MWC to eat at Poblanos. After we got home, Nick's sister Sarah came up and took care of Brad for the evening while we left on the second half of our celebrations.

First we went downtown to see "The Dilemma" at the Harkins Theater. It was a funny movie with some drama mixed in, but we both loved it and laughed hard throughout. We both love Kevin James.

After the movie we headed off to the north side to eat at a little Italian restaurant called Vitos. We had never been there, but we heard it was good. It was very small on the inside, but cozy and authentic! It is an Italian family-run little hole in the wall with great food and big servings! I got the eggplant parmigiana, and Nick got chicken parmigiana.

When we got done eating there, we grabbed a bottle of Moscato wine and some gourmet cheesecake to relax with at home for the evening!