All picture descriptions will be top to bottom, left to right, if needed.
1. Just friends
2. Our 2nd date, where we said "I love you" overlooking the city of Birmingham (cue "Awww")
3. This one is from WAY before #2, the summer of 2001, when I was totally in love with Brad and trying to get him to come visit me at beach project in PCB. I sent him a package for his birthday and a bunch of pictures (mostly of me!) and put this one in there, too!
4. Chilling at my grandparent's house with my sister, Mere.
Dating! And being goofy!
Dating, still. The middle one is from Brad's baseball banquet at Montevallo. Yep, I was a baseball girlfriend! :)
1. He DID come see me at Beach Project! (But we were still friends here, not dating)
2. Up in the press box at the UM baseball field.
3. One of my favorite pictures of us of all time!
June 15, 2002 - He proposed around 11:30 that night at a park!
This was the next day.
(These two are chronologically out of order...Yes, that does bug me some)
Left, Brad's graduation May 10, 2003. We were already married at that point. Please excuse his flip flops and bare legs. At least I got him to wear a collared shirt!
Right, My graduation May 8, 2002. Not married, but soon to be engaged!
It was BLAZES hot on both days!
Trip to Sanibel Island in 2002, right after my graduation and before we got engaged.
Yep, that's a "gator" between us.
(Still in Sanibel)
Engagement Pictures
(It's funny to look at ours and see the age in them. Nowadays, engagement picture sessions are outside and all adventurous. We're in a tie and pearls! Wow. And this was only 2003!)
Oh yeah, see that hand placed just so...
YAY! Married! March 22, 2003!
Honeymoon on St. George Island, FL
For our 1 month wedding anniversary, we up and went to Atlanta to see the Cardinals play the Braves. We bought tickets from a man on the side of the road once we got there. Yep, we were all spontaneous like that!
First church trip as a couple to Ireland and England with the adult choir. Brad was the sound guy.
We spent a some time in VA...
At Colonial Williamsburg. Love.
Then we up and decided to move to TZ!
Our last Sunday at SMBC in 2005.
Then, back to VA.
Then to Tanzania for 2 amazing years!
After the Christmas show in 2005. See how sunburned and hot we are? Remember, TZ is in the Southern Hemisphere!
We took a trip to India in 2006.
That's the Himalayas behind us!
That's a real live snake charmer!
This was in June or July 2006. My dad and sister, Emily, came to TZ and we went on an amazing safari!
This was our last Thanksgiving in TZ. Brad and I were in charge of the mashed potatoes.
For Christmas 2006, we took a vacation to Dubai. We went on a desert safari on Christmas Eve and I got to share the Good News with the lady who did my henna on my hands that night. It was a very special night, and the closest to Bethlehem we'd ever been, which made it that much more special.
Little did we know that this desert background would be our home a few years after this!
Back in TZ.
Before going out for my birthday in 2007. We had 2 precious doggies, Maggie & Kili. And I had fancy hair!
Then at the very end of June 2007 we moved back to AL. This is our first Christmas back in the US, 2007.
By January 2008, Brad and I were both working at Apple. Yay! I would finish a 6 month teaching gig at my Alma Mater in February. Then in May we found out we were preggo! Double Yay!
In June 2008, we went on a cruise with my family up to Boston, Maine, and Canada. I was seasick almost the whole time and had vertigo issues. I guess the rocking of the boat and the pregnancy were a double whammy!
June 11, 2008 on Prince Edward Island, Canada. We went to the Anne of Green Gables house. I was very excited!
You know, those cheesy poses you make when you're at dinner on the cruise ship...
On January 2 or 3 or 4, 2009, (I don't remember the exact date, sorry Andy!) at my cousin Andy's wedding. I sang in the wedding. It was such a blessing to be there, but man, I was HUGE! I just remember that I had to wear flip flops, in January with my fancy outfit, because my feet were so hugely swollen!
On January 15, 2009, my last day working at Apple, right before my maternity leave started.
January 28, 2009
Introducing Lucy Elizabeth Haynes
7 lb 12 oz, 20 inches long
February 2009, our first photo shoot
It snowed at some point in that first month.
Maybe late February or March 2009, our first trip with Lucy, and appropriately enough, it was to IKEA in Atlanta!
In April of 2009, we headed back to VA for some more training time.
Then in July 2009, we moved back across the ocean to our current home in the Middle East.
This was before we went on our very first visit into a local home.
(And I'm noticing that I wore that green shirt A LOT...)
Our First date as a family.
On a trip to a wadi
Lucy's First Thanksgiving
At a big festival in the Big D
Lucy's First Christmas
Visiting a local date farm
In August 2010 we moved to our current, village-like town, where we've been for the last almost 2 years.
This was our First local wedding to go to as a family.
Christmas 2010
Lucy's 2nd Birthday, 2011
At the Top of the World's Tallest Tower, Burj Khalifa
Resurrection Sunday 2011
Family Vacation to Jordan 2011
Floating in the Dead Sea. So. Cool.
For Christmas, we visited friends in Bahrain.
"Snow" in one of the malls
Celebrating Lucy's 3rd Birthday, January 28, 2012
At "Dr. Fish" on a date in January 2012
At an aquarium in the Big D, March 2012
And finally, yesterday, our 9th Anniversary, March 22, 2012.
What a blessing to be married to this man! He makes me a better person and blesses me daily! He makes me laugh more than anyone I know and is the greatest father to our daughter! I couldn't ask for a better partner in life!
We saw The Hunger Games
And had a wonderful Indian dinner
Every year on our anniversary, we try to think back on what we've done for each anniversary. Last night, we succeeded in remembering them all - for the first time ever! And I'm certain it's because of this little "walk down memory lane" I've been doing. Here's the highlights:
2003 - Wedding! Spent our first night at the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham.
2004 - spent the night at the Tutwiler and had steak dinner at Shula's.
2005 - Stone Mountain, Georgia, stayed at a bed and breakfast
2006 - In Tanzania, dinner at Mediterranos, came home to the power out in our house (which remained out for 7 days following!)
2007 - In Tanzania, went to a resort in Zanzibar, our first time to Zan by ourselves. I got malaria!
2008 - Atlanta, Georgia, stayed at a bed and breakfast
2009 - spendt he night at the Tutwiler, found out it had been turned into a Hampton Inn. Amazing company, but the hotel was not as special as before. Was our first night away from Lucy.
2010 - In Middle East, went to a nice beach hotel for the night. Got massages, Brad's first!
2011 - In Middle East, friends babysat and we had a steak dinner at a nice restaurant
2012 - In Middle East, (celebrated twice!) 1st, spent the night at a fancy hotel in the Big D. 2nd, went to highest mountain across the border, saw The Hunger Games, had Indian food for dinner.
I love you, Brad! Thank you for 9 amazing years of wedded bliss! (And for over 10 years as your girlfriend!) You're my best friend and the greatest earthly blessing I have.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11
What a fun post! So sweet and I love all the "old" pics of y'all!
ReplyDeleteLove this post!!! Maybe the longest post filled with pics I've ever read, but I loved seeing all the pics of your lives together and this journey you both are on. I love that we are a part of your journey and live life together (as much as we can with an ocean in between us) :)
ReplyDeleteLove you both, all 3 of you! :)