Mostly good times...

most of our wedding pictures are the cheesiest poses of us looking into the distance!

At our wedding reception almost 5 years ago, we were blessed to have many people come to celebrate our happy day... surrounded by family and friends, we felt so much love and support, and amounts of generosity that compelled us to feel undeserving and yet thankful.

Once we got home from the honeymoon of bliss, and we began to open presents and create our first home/apartment... I had a darling box that I started putting the wedding cards in...

{okay, I should probably mention a personality flaw of mine. I have a problem with boxes. and bags. and cards. I keep them. if they are cute, I cannot get rid of them. and even if they aren't so cute, I usually try to stash them away too... BUT, in my defense, I reuse them! Poor ryan is puzzled by my compulsion to hoard the so-called 'garbage' and organize them in closets and drawers. I've even caught him trying to throw some away, but I remind him that he too collects things- computers, record albums, rockets, airplanes, and all things Sony... :) and then he usually makes some comment about all the sentimental "old" things that I'm holding onto such as my great-grandma's yellow table, and my grandma's sewing table, and my daybed from childhood, and so I give in and let him throw away the cute FAO Schwartz bags from our trip to NYC a year ago... he's right- I do have a problem!}

anyway, in the box of wedding cards, among all the bright and cheery wishes of congratulations, and promises of wedded happiness forever and ever and ever, there was one note that stuck out from the rest. It was just that- a note. Written on a kitchen memo note, with a border of vegetables and raised flowers. With the words,

To the Runias,

May you have a life of mostly good times.

Love, (ryan's neighbors who shall remain nameless)

The note immediately took a prime spot on our refrigerator. All by itself.

"... a life of mostly good times..." :)

ha! such wisdom in those words! My amazing mother-in-law {who deserves an entire blog about her amazingness, and who coincidentally is also a bag-keeper} was the one to really help us realize the humor, and the truth in the wish we'd been granted.

For marriage isn't meant to be perfectly-perfect times, all the time. Sure, it was the best time we had ever experienced, but after awhile you have to step out of the selfish 'us' phase and begin serving others. When you add in all of the real life complications, and when other things are added to the lists of priorities, sometimes the spouse {husband} is the one who suffers.

Like when you have 2 kids under 3...

and your wife who needs her sleep doesn't get her sleep, and spends more time and money on the kids clothes than hers, and the laundry is stacked on top of the furniture that you once painted together, and the car you once loved is stuffed to the brim with carseats, strollers, crackers, and juiceboxes. In fact, Everything is stuffed with crackers and crumbs and trinkets from the toddlers. Nothing is clean... nothing is sacred. Where is a husband's sanctuary?!?

Well, for a few hours this week, Ryan and Cari found it... on the golf course...

9 holes of fun (okay, actually we only made it through 6 holes because we wanted to go to dinner and get back in time for the cute little babysitter to get home on a school night) good quality us time. I know that a lot of people do the 1 date-night a week rule, but we haven't been great at that. We usually do something with the kids, which is wonderful, but also slightly hectic. Okay, really hectic! Sushi night with us and the kids isn't a date! Even if those kids love edamame! So now we have learned a great lesson. Plan a date, and don't cancel it for ANYthing.

{also, it was so great to squeeze in some time with my brothers, before Brady went up to school at BYU-I and Austin continues to travel the globe.}

I can't tell you how much I love my brothers.

I'm a lucky girl to have them... and it was fun to see them marvel at Ryan's golfing skills. Even if he was just showing off cuz I was there, he was still impressive. 3 birdies, and most of the time his drive would land straight onto the green. and yet, he was patient enough to go along with me while I hit my ball 5, 6, or 7 times to make it onto the green, and even had to use my sand-wedge, and 'hand-wedge'!!!

So Ryan, I want to thank you for the mostly good times...

I'm so thankful for you and all you do for our little family...

You keep me laughing, and you keep me on my toes...

You put up with my quirks and faults, and even love me for them...

and I promise to get better about having date nights...

I can't wait to go to new york with you this fall, and spend a bunch of time with JUST you {and a million tourists}, and go the the old mission sites, and hold your hand while we walk along in the crispy magical autumn air, and go to the temple {obviously the truest of sanctuaries}, and stay at the Waldorf, and find that little jewish deli with my favorite matzoball soup and your turkey sandwich, and go shopping, and perhaps I won't try to keep all the cute shopping bags this time...

perrrrrrhaps.