20 years. It's gone by so quickly. Before John I never "liked" a boy for more than a few weeks. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact sometimes that I truly love this man and have loved him for 20 years. You might think this is weird, but remember I'm not mature so it's still an awesome thing for me.
Fred created this visual display of the last 20 years.
Arnold was the master mind behind the party, she loves to plan and execute parties. I love black and white, stripes, polka-dots, and lemons (such a delicious fruit). So lemon was the theme. The meats for the kabobs were marinated in a lemon seasoning. John loves meat so the menu was centered more for him, which by the way was delicious!
Gus was the photographer, so it was fun to see the images that she was able to take before the battery died. She has a great eye! A few of the cousins and party goers.
It was such a lovely evening there was a gentle breeze, the children played and the food was delicious. Part of the fun for me was seeing how everything came together. The girls had been planning the part for months and unfortunately for them (but fortunately for me) a few of the details slipped and I was able to figure out the plans. I adored hearing the whispers, teasing them about the details and having them shoo me away. It was more fun than the actual surprise.
Gus made Loaf's dress that morning. She's amazing like that!
Tank loves his suit! He would wear a suit everyday if I let him, of course he's not very careful and usually gets quite dirty, but it makes him so happy it's hard not to let him wear it.
My Dad took care of the grill. I love my dad. I know I might get in trouble for talking about him, but he is the greatest. His birthday is the same day as our anniversary. He's always been so kind about sharing the day with us. He helped the girls set up, after they kicked us out of the house where we spent a lovely afternoon in the temple. He helped the boys crank the ice cream maker. Thanks Dad for all you did.
Arnold and Spencer made the most delicious lemon gelato, it was wonderful! I will have to post the recipe after we make it again. There is something magical about hand cranked ice cream on a lovely summer evening. Definitely something we will do more often this summer.
Fred and Gus made these darling party favors filled with lemon drops. It made me smile to see them cutting out the circles and then to find the end result I was touched. Stamped accents, chalked edges, and sewn together, these girls really made an effort to make this a special day for John and I. How did we get to be so lucky!
The beautiful roses were a lovely surprise from my sweetie. He knows I love this deep red color and I love seeing his expression when he brings them home. An anniversary I will not soon forget! Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible!
(PS. all my proof readers are out of town so you are stuck with just me. It's not pretty I know, but they will be back soon. We missed you Munch!)
Congratulations on 20 years together. You truly have some amazing children.
Posted by: Eileen | June 20, 2012 at 02:18 PM
Congrats! Has it really been that long? Why does it seem like you have been married so much longer than I have? Reading this post made me realize that's only 2 1/2 years away for us. Yikes!
Posted by: Chocolate on my Cranium | June 20, 2012 at 04:18 PM
That looks like a beautiful day. Lucky (blessed) you!
Congrats on 20, here's to 20 more!
Posted by: JRoberts | June 20, 2012 at 05:17 PM
Every single time I read your blog I think to myself, "now that's a beautiful and rich life". Today was no exception. Happy Anniversary!
Posted by: Elizabeth Rosemond | June 20, 2012 at 07:02 PM
How beautiful!!!!
Posted by: wendy | June 20, 2012 at 11:10 PM
That is so awesome! They did a great job! Happy anniversary!
Posted by: Jayna | June 21, 2012 at 08:06 AM
Congratulations on your 20th anniversary. May you be blessed with 30 more!
Posted by: Kait | June 21, 2012 at 02:41 PM
Wow! That's amazing! How heart warming to see how much those kids adore you. Congratulations!
Posted by: Rita Merrick | June 21, 2012 at 08:00 PM
What a wonderful and sweet not so surprise! Congrats on 20 years!!!! Sending hugs from down under!!!
Posted by: Jen | June 22, 2012 at 06:53 AM