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| We look so young! I guess we were both only 23 after all. |
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| The next day was full of fun and laughter--I got to hang with my best girls... |
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| while Jared had his bros and best buddies with him. |
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| A little while later it was showtime! Jake and Emily were our ring bearer and flower girl. They are now 17 and 15...if that doesn't make me feel old, I'm not sure what will! |
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| We had a beautiful ceremony, officiated by our one of all time faves, Mr. Jerry Minx. |
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| We really did it! |
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| One of the things that made our wedding so special is that all of our family and many of our friends were there to celebrate with us. Isn't that what it's all about? My meme and mom looked stunning... |
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| and so did Shelley and Grammy. |
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| We adored each other that day, but our feelings are stronger now, for sure. I hope that we always look at each other this way. |
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| We were honored by Amanda, Andrew and my dad with some very heartfelt toasts...moments like that last a lifetime. |
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| I will also never forget dancing with my dad that night... |
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| and I know Jared feels the same way about his mom. |
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| We just had a ball with each other... |
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| and were so happy that even Ma Hays... |
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| and Pa Hays got out on the dance floor and boogied, too! |
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| I was so happy that most of my Meme's siblings were able to be there, too. Lots of love at that table:) |
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| I'm also so glad that I got a dance with my Papaw, too. |
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| Matt, as well as lots of other friends, did not hold back a bit on the dance floor! |
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| We sang and danced our hearts out to Sweet Home Alabama. |
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| As fate would have it, Hayley caught the bouquet. We had only met a couple of times before the wedding and she came as Adam's date. Little did we know that very soon we would both be living in Lubbock and become the best of friends. Love her. |
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| It really was a fairy tale night, but it had to end sometime. The clock struck midnight, flower petals were thrown, and we left the party with tons of hugs, well wishes and smiles. |
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| After honeymooning in the Bahamas, we packed up all our things and headed out west. Jared started law school at Texas Tech and I got a job at UMC. We learned so much those first few years. We learned that good friends can make the biggest difference and were blessed with lots of them in Lubbock. |
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| We went skiing a few times with Hayley, Adam, Mike and Stephanie... |
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| and three short years later it was graduation day! We had an awesome party at Ruby Tequila's, complete with live music and so many good friends. |
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| Beau Garza was the best! All the Sierras, Turners, Raines' and Hays' were there to celebrate this really great day. |
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| Right before Jared began his job as an attorney, we took the trip of a lifetime. We visited 6 cities in France, Italy and Switzerland...all while I was 16 - 18 weeks pregnant! Lake Como was one of our faves. |
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| Five months later we met our precious baby boy, Jackson Warren Hays. He was perfection. And I was forever smitten. |
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| He had piercing blue eyes... |
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| and just stole my heart from the very beginning. |
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| The next few years flew by and somehow it was already time to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We did it up in style, with a 7 day trip to Hawaii! |
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| Over the next few years, I enjoyed my time as a stay-at-home mom with Jackson. We swam a lot during the summers and played all the time. |
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| Then, on a trip back to Lubbock for Uncle Scott's graduation, we found out that I was pregnant again! It was a very joyous day. |
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| In January of 2010, we took a little Baby Moon to San Diego. It was one of the best trips ever--we stayed right on the beach at the Hotel Del Coronado and just soaked up the scenery. It's so good for your soul! |
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| Three months later, we bcame a family of four. My heart just about exploded when I saw Jackson hold his baby sister for the first time. |
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| She looked so much like her brother, just a little bit tinier! |
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| Our sweet angel baby. |
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| Lila Grace has had her daddy wrapped around her finger since day 1! |
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| By that summer, we had adjusted to life with a 3 year old and 3 month old. Life was good, although pretty tiring at times. I obviously forgot how to do my hair! |
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| Fast forward a few years and Maddie may had become a permanent fixture in our house. We took the kids on a trip to Florida with our friends and just had the BEST WEEK EVER!! |
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| Somehow, time crept up on us again, and this past July we found ourselves celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We kept the adventures coming by taking a sea plane to the San Juan Islands and enjoying each other's company just as much as we did way back when. |
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| And our life if truly coming full circle now. When we were newlyweds in Lubbock, I remember taking walks together around our neighborhood. We'd talk about what we thought our future might be like and we always said we wanted three kids. This coming January, that dream will finally be made a reality, and I can't think of a better big brother or big sister than Jackson and Lila. They are our world and I know they will open up their hearts to the fullest whenever their little brother or sister becomes the final piece of our family's puzzle. And the journey continues! Happy 10 Years, Babe! I love you, with all my heart. |
