Mr. Brilliant's Debut! Happy Anniversary!

In celebration of our 2 year wedding anniversary, it is my honor to introduce you to Mr. Brilliant! I haven't really shared much about our story, so I decided it was time to let you guys know more about my life. To begin the story we must rewind the tape back to the 1980s. That is when we first met, as very young kids at church. 

(can you believe my hair and dress! eeep!)

We knew each other growing up at church and all through high school (even sharing a locker together one year). Then came senior year and prom. I'll be honest, I was a quiet, shy nerd in high school and was not asked to prom by anyone. One day at church I decided to ask him if he wanted to go to prom with me just as friends (little did I know he was going to ask me out on prom night). When he did ask me out in the limo that night, I said no because I considered him a friend and did not have feelings for him. 

High school graduation came in 2001 and we both went our separate ways. He joined the Marines, and I  went to college. Fast forward 5 years...one day I'm at the grocery store and see his mom. We exchange numbers and then Mr. Brilliant gives me a call. The rest is history!

(we both believe that if I had said yes to him that night at prom, that we probably would not be together now). 

Our first date was in October of 2006. A fun night at the shooting range and eating fondue. 

 A few weeks after our first date, he deployed to Iraq for 6 months...I told him I would wait for him.

(after surfing this rocket, he dismantled it. He was a bomb technician, you know, like in the movie Hurt Locker)

When he returned, he was stationed in Yuma, Arizona, so I would drive the 2 1/2 hours from San Diego  to visit him on some weekends. We did a lot of fishing, which is one of his passions (now he had to fall in love with me!)

It turned out that this tough Marine was a really sweet, great, lovable guy. He's also an amazing cook, who can literally bring home the dinner!

Now comes the romantic stuff...after the clock struck midnight to bring in 2009, the new year, he proposed to me under the stars. I said yes, and he put his grandmother's ring on my finger. 8 months later we were married!

(they were using the sling shot to throw water balloons at the farm animals!)

It was a beautiful day, with country music, bails of hay, and dancing, but it went so fast! 

We tried to DIY most of the wedding to save money:

Wedding Dress: FREE (it was my mom's)

Wedding Cake: FREE (my grandma makes cakes!)

Photographer: FREE (friend of the family)

Location: FREE

Flower bouquets and decorations: bought wholesale and made myself

The things we spent money on was the catering and the DJ (who turned into our wedding coordinator). 

2 years later, still married, still learning, and still in love. I'm learning that love is not just a feeling, it's a decision, and that marriage is something you must work on everyday. It's not an easy commitment: there are good days and bad days. Sometimes the bad days make the good days even better and bring us closer. 

If you missed it yesterday, I did a photography guest post over at Janette the Jongleur fabulous blogland. Go check it out and show her some love!

Silver frame source: Amy Morby