Wedding date: Around sunset in a vineyard on September 2, 2006.
When did you know he was the one? I knew early on, probably before he knew. I was in college at Texas Tech, 6-7 hours away from him, depending who’s driving. We were having one of our nightly chats as I walked home through a parking lot to my dormitory and I was just struck with this overwhelming feeling ( I don’t even remember what we were discussing) of utter and complete love. At the time, I didn’t really want to scare him, I mean he was a high school senior, I told him that I really hoped he was “the one.” But what I was really saying was that I knew he was. His response was “I hope so too.” Advanced for a high school boy don’t you think?
What is one of your favorite things to do together? We love traveling. We are addicted to wandering the world, which drives certain members of our families a little crazy. We are in our mid-twenties and so far we have been to over 25 countries. We studied abroad in Italy, we volunteered teaching ESL in Chile, and we are currently teaching in South Korea. It’s funny though because when living abroad, life turns to normal as usual. We cook together frequently, although my family credits him for any dishes that are outstanding (no bitterness). And we both love photography. Our new computer, less than a year after we purchased it, is FULL with photos.
What is something new you learned about your husband after you were married? Well, this is a new development, after four years, but I believe he is auditioning for the role of house husband and he has recently become a cleaning machine. He was never a clean freak before- and he isn’t really now, but he has developed the cleaning bug. It’s odd and good simultaneously.
What do you do to stay connected during everyday stresses of life? Our work place currently is pretty stressful. The work itself is pretty easy, but it is run by crazies. We work out, cook together and cuddle a lot. I need a lot of attention, especially when I am feeling stressed, and Kyle is soooo wonderful with giving me the attention and affection I crave.
What is your best piece of marriage advice? Remembering to love each other. Seriously, it is so easy to forget to love the person you live with day in and day out. Not just love, but act out of love. Being sweet to each other, being considerate, kissing, not out of habit but out of desire. We get so accustomed to each other, it takes a lot of work to remember to actively love each other. We went through, not a rough period, but a period of blah-ness, where we fell into this routine of just living together not too long ago. I actually wrote a blog post about it, and it is honestly one of my favorite posts. http://vanessayrogers.blogspot.com/2010/04/marriage-that-keeps-going-and-going-and.html I think it is something that all married couples go through, and the ones that pick up a shovel and start to dig, the ones that put in the blood and sweat, those are the ones that in the end will make it. One last piece of advice I have which is along the same lines has to do with fighting. I think most people can relate to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because we all have a Mr. Hyde hidden away from the rest of the world. Some of us hide him better than others. When Kyle and I argue, Mr. Hyde rears his vicious head and has a tendency to fight with an uncalled for fierceness just out of pleasure. Pleasure really isn’t the right word, but I can’t think of how to describe it properly. One way I find to bonk Mr. Hyde back into hiding is to look at a picture of the two of us together or recall a moment in time in which I really felt “in love” with my husband. Magically my tongue untwists and the claws retract as I remember that I am not fighting an enemy but the man I love.
What is your favorite quirk about your husband? He’s a pacifist who LOVES weaponry. Seriously in just about any movie, he can name the type of sword, gun, knife, if it is deadly, he knows what it is. But he doesn’t like war and he isn’t a hunter. Go figure.
What is something special you do just for your husband? Scratch his back. Is it a guy thing to want your back scratched all the time. We read out loud to each other at night and the deal was that he would read, if I scratched his back. But he especially likes the game where I draw something on his back and he guesses what it is. I personally find the game exhausting because I am not very good at drawing, and it takes lots of time for him to figure out what it is, but he LOVES IT so I’ll play until I fall asleep.
How did he propose? When traveling in Europe after our Italy study abroad program, Kyle and I stayed in a cute hostel in Paris. Outside was a quaint white gazebo. After five and a half years of dating, I wasn't under any misconceptions. I knew what was happening. We were in Paris. He hadn't proposed in Italy and we had only one stop left before flying home for Christmas, and London just wasn't as romantic as Paris. He took me to the gazebo, got down on one knee and told me, "I will love you forever and if you agree to marry me I will work everyday at making you happy." The pink plastic 7 Euro ring he gave me didn't even fit my thumb. He hadn't wanted to have a ring sent to Europe only to have it lost at sea so the pink ring was a temporary replacement. Of course I said "YES!"
Posts about marriage, love, and wedding. I am sure some of these overlap, so just be aware.
Here are some pictures of our wedding day:
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| Our flowers |
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| My aunt as a wedding present made both of our wedding cakes. The one below is the TREE OF LIFE from Disney world. Kyle worked in Animal Kingdom and loved this tree. The recipe was his favorite chocolate cake. And the making of the animals around the tree was a family effort. |
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| mom and Dad |
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| My grandmother and cousin |
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| My puppy was the ring bearer and was walked down by Kyle's youngest cousin. |
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| The ceremony took place in a gazebo overlooking the vineyard in the Texas hill country. It was a warm day in September, but it was beautiful. |
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| My bridesmaids |
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| Another special wedding gift, given by long time neighbors and friends, were dancing lessons for our first dance. |
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| A toast by the Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor |
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| Tossing the garter. Kyle had fun with that! |
