"Happiness is being married to your best friend."

I recently got a precious plaque that has that quote on it, and each time I see it in my kitchen I can't help but smile. Yesterday, Matt and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. It's crazy to me that it has only been four years...and I mean that in a good way. We have done so much in these past years of marriage ... 2 apartments, built a home, many vacations, new jobs, new school, hospital visits, got pregnant, had a baby... and more. I feel that our love has, at least, doubled since we said "I do" in Abilene, Texas in 2003. On my wedding day I remember feeling that there was no way I could love him any more...but I do! The things that we have gone through together have just made me love, appreciate and admire Matt Poe more and more. He is such an amazing man of God...and I love how he loves me! I can't imagine my life without him.
All of that to say...we had a great anniversary. Matt was gone all day for "mission week" but came home ready to celebrate. We took our annual picture...this time with a sweet baby in the middle and then went to dinner at this quaint little Italian restaurant by our house. After dinner, we stopped at this fancy grocery store and got fun desserts to eat at home while we opened gifts. Before gifts, the three of us danced to the song that we danced to at our wedding. It never fails that as he's singing to me and we're dancing around in our kitchen, that I cry and cry. The words, "I'll take care of you...I'm proud to tell the world you're mine" get me every year!
The picture that we re-make each year (above) and our 4th anniversary version (below)

(Quinn with Daddy at the restaurant)

Anniversary gifts are always fun because we follow the "traditional/modern anniversary gift ideas" and always love the challenge of coming up with a way to stretch it to fit. This year it was "flowers and linen/silk." For Matt, it was easy...he had beautiful flowers delivered to me and then got me some beautiful white linen napkins (for entertaining, he said!) and some amazing silk jammies. I was so impressed with him...but my favorite thing was the card...always is. He has such a way with words.

(In our Jammies)

My gift to him was definitely a stretch...but it worked. I got him the new Rob Diedrick (from Rob & Big) D.C. shoes...and said..."When you 'do work,' I'm so glad your feet smell like roses (see, there's the "flowers" reference) and not stinky like our sweet baby boy's!" He laughed and loved them. For those of you that really know Matt, you know that he is obsessed with shoes!

Anyway, as I fed my baby, we watched our wedding DVD and laughed at how we have already changed. What an amazing year we have had...I can't imagine next year getting better...but I'm sure it will!