The Best Four (Plus Three) Years
18 Jun 2015
Today is our fourth wedding anniversary, which means that we have been together for seven years. Woot! I love watching those numbers tick up, as the time I’ve spent with Eric starts slowly eclipsing the time I’ve spent without him. I won’t mince words: he is basically the best person ever, never failing to make me laugh, to intellectually engage me, to support every little thing I endeavor to do, to feed our baby in the middle of the night, and to make just about everything unreasonably fun. This is our first anniversary as parents, and we are sort of bleary-eyed and need to spend this anniversary eve baby-proofing our living room, but my oh my, this right here: it is all I ever dreamed of. I have been thinking today about the things we’ve seen and done and been through together, and I thought it might be fun to take a little walk down photographic memory lane. Also, I am silently laughing because Eric is sitting right next to me at the table eating blackberries and reading the New York Times and has no idea I am writing this post, and this, again, is all I ever dreamed of. Love is wonderful when it’s grand and romantic, but I think it’s even better in the sweet moments of the everyday. Here is an abbreviated and illustrated cheat sheet of the last seven happy years.
2008: Two book-loving grad students meet in Berkeley, discover that they go to the same church, and begin to spend every waking moment together. One grad student writes scientific papers while the other teaches literature.
2009: One grad student jets off to the wilds of New Mexico for three months to launch a stratospheric balloon. The other grad student reads an awful lot of Turgenev for her dissertation. There is much rejoicing upon his return.
2010: One grad student jets off to the wilds of Australia for three months to launch a stratospheric balloon. The other grad student teaches Russian. There is much rejoicing upon his return. So much rejoicing, in fact, that it is punctuated by an engagement ring. More rejoicing ensues!
2011: Two book-loving grad students go on the academic job market, file their dissertations, get married, and move to Pasadena. Big year!
2012: Two book-loving nerds do lots of cooking and traveling and reading. Much fun is had by all.
2013: Two book-loving nerds do more cooking, traveling, reading, and…learn that a new little book-lover is on the way!
2014: Two book-loving nerds welcome a tiny angel into the world and spend the rest of the year sleeping on the couch, making bottles, changing diapers, and being blissfully happy.
2015: Two book-loving nerds keep the cooking, traveling, and reading party going, with added adorable and hilarious baby bonus.
Happy anniversary, my love! Here’s to many many more!

Jun 18, 2015 @ 07:44:45
Your family is adorable and so happy. I love reading stories of your life! Happy Anniversary 🙂
Jun 18, 2015 @ 12:38:54
Aw, so sweet! I loved getting to see pictures of your “early days” together. It seems like only yesterday. Indeed, your daily lives are the stuff dreams are made of. Happy Anniversary!
Jun 18, 2015 @ 12:39:53
Happy anniversary friend! You have the most beautiful family and really wish you all the happiness in the world. Had a smile on my face reading through your story and seeing all those pictures of the two of you…adorable! Here to many more. Xxxx
Jun 18, 2015 @ 20:30:06
It’s funny seeing all of these photos–milestones of domestic bliss (take that “semeinoe schast’e,” Tolstoy! =p)–and remembering that I was there to witness so much of it, but then realizing that I haven’t even met the little one yet…May that happen sooner rather than later. 🙂
Happy anniversary to you both from the bay!
Jun 19, 2015 @ 05:57:27
happy anniversary to both of you!!! May you always be as happy are you are right now.
Jun 20, 2015 @ 06:46:53
I loved your walk down memory lane and I’d be happy to travel it with you again. Cheers to seven special years and to many, many more!
Jun 23, 2015 @ 07:02:57
Happy Anniversary! That is a very sweet post.. loved all the pictures.. here’s to many many more book loving nerdy blissful years.
Jun 30, 2015 @ 17:16:05
you two (oops, three)…are just meant to be together. And they all lived happily ever after!!! Fairy tales come true!