Today, August 30, 2013, marks 10 years that Chantale and I have been married. 10 years of wedded bliss and also (from back in May) 10 years of living in our first home. As anniversaries go, it’s both such a big and little number. Considering we expect to be married (on earth) ’till death do us part’ it’s a small number. Comparing it to so many other things in life, it’s pretty big.
Every year, we celebrate this day as a family, especially since 6 years ago also marked Charlize’s re-birth at the repair of her heart. This year, I had originally wanted to do something “bigger” and had been kicking around the idea of taking Chantale back to Paris for a non-rushed vacation. But then, several months ago, we started thinking about everything we’ve lived through and where we’re at in our lives and decided that instead of spending money on a lavish vacation, we would reorganize our finances and invest into our home. True enough, with all the saving and planning we’d been doing these last 10 years, we were able to make this new dream possible and completely revamped our backyard.
The first step of committing to purchasing a spa gave us the oomph to tackle this project. Taking inspiration from the many “Decking” shows we’ve been immersed in for the last couple of months, we went ahead and designed the kind of deck we wanted to have. And then, all the special tweaks and specific items we wanted incorporated!
What began as a great idea took shape during August in amazing fashion! Chantale’s design ideas were fantastic and we now have an absolutely stunning 3-level deck with some pretty cool triangular gazebos, with a spa as a nice separator 🙂 We also (finally) installed a large shed in the yard so we can get stuff out of garage and store it there (leaving more space for the car in the winter!). And, with the small crack in the foundation fixed just last week, it’s clear to say that we’re good and ready to enjoy our backyard again!
Not only have we reclaimed the yard, but we feel we’ve extending our living space (in a way) because it “draws” us outside now and is comfortable to be on 🙂 We’ve all gotten more reasons to go outside now, especially with Kyle getting that Basketball net he wanted for his birthday, and Charlize getting swings like she wanted 🙂 So, you see, 10 years is definitely a big deal and I love that we’ve been able to celebrate it in such a way as to last many more years (as opposed to a trip that, however nice, would still only last in memories after a short period).
So, best friends for over 15 years, dating for over 13, living together for over 12, and now married for 10 years! What a wonderful, wonderful, life! I’m so blessed and grateful for the beauty of it all 🙂
Happy, happy, anniversary, my love! To the future! 🙂