2011 = 11 magical years

The last 11 years have seemed like 60.....but they've been the best.   I just asked J this week, "remember that first night we met and I kissed you at the Ramada hot tub (it was a dare...and the first time I had kissed a boy, and we both agreed, best kiss ever, so, yea, whatever)???  Did you ever think that we'd get married 2 years later??"  We would have never thought.  We had so much fun dating each other's friends, and hanging out a few times a month, and then eventually working together, and slowly falling in love, and then bam!  without dating, getting engaged.  It's my favorite of all the courtship/engagement stories out there.  Probably because I don't have very many vivid memories of anything before the wreck except my time with Jase.  Our hikes together, our conversations, our trips in the glass truck and him staying at my parents house across the hall from me so he would be an hour closer to his Sedona/Flagstaff jobs.   As much as I LOVE LOVE and miss those days of just the two of us, 100% focused on each other, I couldn't imagine life without the 4 mini me's we've had in the meantime to consume all our time, energy and patience.  ha!  We've had an awesome 11 years.  Here's my top 11 for our 11 years.

11. 14 insane moves...both dance and moving houses....and not done, with either.

10. The day our big ole baby, Boston was born...it was an intense day for all.

(my favorite Jase picture ever)

9. Watching Jase build up so many amazing successful clinics, as well as a multi million dollar business that sadly got stolen by the most corrupt person IN THE WORLD!

(pregnant with Kamryn...2003)

8. The baptisms of our older 2 kids.

7. Every December...I LOVE Decembers with kids.  All the baking, gift wrapping, Christmas movies, Christmas music, secret santa deliveries and teaching the kids more about Christ and his example.

6.  early early mornings together in Dallas since we didn't get much time together during his 34 credit hour trimesters for 3 years.

5. The wreck...crappy day, and did some crappy damage physically, but emotionally and maritally  (is that a word...guess so, spell check left it) it was EXACTLY what we needed.

4.  Christmas 2010.  Probably my favorite Christmas in my entire life so far.  We were in our nice comfy home, it was JUST us,  Jase actually remembered to get me something...which WE STILL LOVE (wii), and the kids got their big ole playset.  The togetherness of the morning was so warm, and then the excitement when they took the headlamps out back to see what the big thing out there was was AWESOME!

3.  Oregon trip 2009. It was a long long trip, especially for an 8 month pregnant me, but we saw so much on that trip, and it was so great to be able to make that kind of a trip as a family.  I believe it was either 8 days or 2 weeks, but we drove up highway 1 (our favorite) all the way to Oregon for a Mulder family reunion, then down through Idaho to see friends and Utah to see more family then home.

(toothless Jaden, I LOVE IT!)

2. our 10 state road trip in 2005 with just the older 2.  We were able to go to Virginia and see the Jones family and see all the fun historical stuff in DC, and go through 9 other states on our way...camping out in Missisippi at a KOA which was kinda scary, and going to the scariest hotel ever in Memphis Tennessee.  It was a memorable trip.

1. The last 3 months.  Probably haven't cried as much in the whole 11 years as I have in the last 3 months, and things defaintely aren't how I would want them to be (tiny house, ONE tiny car that we don't fit in, in the city, and fat and pregnant...love the pregnant, but come on, who ENJOYS it??), but this change is defaintely unplanned and memorable.  the kids are loving being by their cousins, and I LOVE being able to see my sisters and nieces every week.  Jase's new clinic is going better than planned and I'm thinking this CHristmas will be on my top #3 as well.  Can't wait!

All in all it's been a fantastic 11 years.  More amazing, memorable and awesome things have happened than I would have ever guessed.  It's had it's lows, but it's had so many more highs.  I don't know anyone that has more fun in their home than the Mulder family.  Love you Jase, thanks for building the Mulder home with me!!!!!