Anniversary pictures AKA the start of our modeling careers

Chuck and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in mid-June and as part of the festivities, Chuck insisted we have some pictures taken of the two of us and I was a good sport and went along with it.

Or maybe it was the other way around - who can remember? 

Marriage tip #1: Don't remember. Don't keep track. Don't keep score.

So we got all dressed up... ish.. and grabbed some roses that reminded me of my wedding bouquet and headed to the most beautiful place in Boise:

 The temple! Coincidentally where we were married ten short/kindoflong years ago.

Marriage tip #2: go to the temple. Lots. If that's not applicable, find a place that brings you peace and purpose and joy as a couple and helps you recommit to one another and prioritize your life and provides service to others and go there. Lots.

And just for fun, here's a 'then and now' shot:

Fun fact: That beard is the product of ten years' growth - Chuck hasn't shaved since our wedding day. 

Well, that's a lie, but it would be funny! Other funny things: we were obviously attempting to recreate this shot, but Chuck wasn't wearing a jacket this time for me to nonchalantly/semi-shamelessly loop my fingers into. I was apparently a fairly brazen newlywed...

 Although I'm apparently a pretty brazen not-newlywed too:

 Marriage tips #3: Be brazen. Life's short. ;)

 and #4: Seize the day/moment/etc. I really wanted to do this little photoshoot, but I seriously considered postponing until a) Chuck was clean-shaven (or as clean-shaven as that manly man gets) and/or b) I wasn't four weeks postpartum and looking, you know, four weeks prepartum (is that a real word? do you get that I mean eight months pregnant?). 

BUT then I realized that I wanted pictures of us ON our tenth anniversary; delaying might have meant that Chuck was a little less hairy and I was a little less, um, curvy, buuuut who's to say we would have ever actually gotten around to it? Life... and marriage... is crazy and busy and unpredictable and precious and the procrastinator within me is starting to realize that doing things today instead of tomorrow can be good too.

Oh, here we are just sitting on a bench. #romantically

 Ohh snap, this might be my favorite one of Chuck. Man, he's good-lookin'.

 Obviously we had to sneak some bow-chicka-bow-wow shots in there - it was our anniversary, okay?? (I feel like this is a good time for a shout-out to our very patient and long-suffering photographer, Holly. THANK YOU!)

 Okay, maybe this was a bad idea to stare at these pictures while Chuck is gone at Scout Camp - I suddenly miss him even more! I just love him.

 Well, a baby was definitely one accessory we didn't have in our original wedding pictures but she fits in nicely here! (and I promise we propped her head back up like thirty seconds later. As much as I love the newborn stage, I also really love the 'strong neck muscles' stage...)

Marriage tip #5: hold hands whilst strolling about on summer evenings.

We might have started getting pretty cheesy around this point. Or amp-ing it up to an even cheesier level, perhaps... P.S. I don't think we planned to have our legs the same way and we couldn't really see each other around the corner - CAN YOU SAY MEANT FOR EACH OTHER??

 Hahahaha, I still can't believe Chuck put up with some of this. 

Marriage tip #6: Put up with stuff. Go along with goofy ideas and hobbies. It won't kill you and you'll probably have fun and you might even take first place in the fantasy football league that you had to be talked into participating in :).

I feel like this should be the cover of our modeling portfolio....

Ooh, or maybe this one. A little sultry, am I right?

 Well this one is definitely in its own sultry category - look at Chuck narrowing his eyes a bit. He's a natural ;).

 And here we are, walking towards the future... decades more of marriage... dinner at Cafe Rio...

BUT WAIT!

That's not all.

Here's a few more outtakes/funny ones/random ones that were too fantastic not to share:

Just a quick candid shot - look at us, ten years into marriage, still making each other laugh, not a care in the world, only eyes for each other, etc, etc.

I'm not entirely sure what was happening here; I think Chuck had just been blinded by the sun and I was taking some time to ponder my flower-arranging skills... or lack thereof. #flattering

Okay, these would obviously be placed prominently in my modeling portfolio. 

#smoldering #thoughtful #smellingflowers

Followed up quickly by this one, so they know I have a pretty amazing range. #happy

This might have been when I made Chuck lean forward so we could romantically peer at one another around the corner and then I was suddenly struck by the cheesiness of it all, hahahaha.

Cancel anything I've ever said, THIS is my favorite picture of Chuck. I like how poor Holly is on the receiving end of this look of hilarious betrayal - how could you do this to me?

 

Aaaaand this one, where he can't contain his laughter while I try to figure out the least awkward positioning for my arm (spoiler alert: they were all equally very, very awkward. As was this particular set-up... my face looks cute though!)

 

And finally, we got cocky and decided to disprove the notion that pictures from the back aren't flattering... sadly, it's a notion for a reason and we did nothing to change that, haha.. I think I leaned in for a kiss after this shot though, so things ended well :).

 

 OH, and one more shot of the temple. Love it. So glad that I have Chuck for eternity.