Yesterday Matt and I celebrated eight crazy, fun-filled years together. We got a sitter for the girls and went to dinner at Ray's Boathouse, right on the water in Seattle. It was a beautiful evening and as we ate we could watch the boats go by and the sun go down out the windows. Such a pretty view! I love love love the water, so it was really like heaven for me: gorgeous scenery, the man I love, and the best food! It was definitely a gourmet restaurant with gorgeously plated food, and they try to get all the ingredients as locally as possible, which Matt and I both think is extremely cool. I felt so spoiled.

Matt and I have become huge food lovers over the last few years, so it was so much fun for us to have such a fabulous dinner. Matt started with bisque and I tried a tropical crab salad, which I loved but Matt was not too fond of, especially after I (unknowingly) served him a bite complete with a whole segment of fresh lime in it. Sometimes I am such a ditz: I totally thought it was some kind of fancy orange I had never seen before and I thought I was so sweet to let him have this exciting new delicacy. Oops. He didn't hold it against me, which is partly why I love him so much! For dinner I had the yummiest grilled salmon ever and Matt got the most amazing king crab legs, which were so sweet and fresh. I have never tasted anything so melt-in-your mouth delicious. Although mine was absolutely delicious, somehow he still always picks the yummier dish whenever we go out to eat. Always. Good thing he is a good sharer! For dessert Matt had honey lavender cheesecake with northwest berries. Although it seems like a strange flavor, and I am totally not a cheesecake girl, it was seriously the best one I have ever had. The flavor of lavender is really hard to describe: it is soft and warm, not spicy warm but kind of home-y warm, not flowery like you would expect. Just different and so, so good. I loved it. I had a dense, fudgy chocolate cake topped with freshly churned coconut ice cream. It was completely decadent and delicious. When our server brought us the bill, she also brought a cute chocolate bar from Theo Chocolates, which is another local company, since we were celebrating our anniversary. It was a really nice touch.

After we ate we went outside and took some pictures on the dock and watched the sun set. It was so pretty.

While we drove home I thought about how eight years ago we were in the exact same place, just the two of us, starting out our life together. We have had so much fun, so many challenges, so many surprises, so many blessings, and so much love in the last eight years. I never could have imagined this life that we have now back at the age of 21. I am glad that all the plans I made didn't work out how I thought they would at that time. This is so much better. I feel so blessed in this ordinary, unexpected life I live with my sweetheart and our two little angel daughters and all the joy that they have brought to me. I am one lucky woman.

I love you, Matt.