Our Marriage is LEGAL!

This year Brent and I celebrated 21 years of marriage! We're legal, ha! We're planning a big vacation this summer, so we didn't do anything wild this year - we went out to eat twice on our actual anniversary {I'll share why} and then out with friends on the Saturday after our anniversary because their anniversary is also in October. I didn't take many pictures - except of food and drinks apparently!

So early in the week, I asked Brent if he would want to go to lunch on Thursday {our anniversary}, and he said sure. I assumed he would be at the office, and I'd meet him, but he ended up working from home that day - I assumed for our anniversary. Wednesday night when we went to bed I said 'happy almost anniversary'. Thursday when we went to lunch he admitted he didn't realize I asked him to lunch for our anniversary - he had no idea it was our anniversary until I said something Wednesday night! Ha! BUT then he didn't understand why I wanted to do lunch because we do a lot of date nights at one of our favorite restaurants and sit at the bar and have drinks and split appetizers. I said I chose lunch since we were going to dinner on Saturday. Well, he didn't like that answer and wanted to go to dinner that night too. So we did!

TWENTY ONE

Drinks and yummy treats

Saturday night I took zero pictures of us or with our friends! We had gone out to eat with this couple in July to the yummy steakhouse in our town and decided to go again for our join anniversary to split a tomahawk steak...and so we did!

And that's how we ate our way through 21 years!

Golden Anniversary

My parents have been married for FIFTY YEARS!!!! I can't get over it and think it's just the most amazing accomplishment! They have been planning to have a party to celebrate the milestone for a long time, and I think we had an amazing time.

Their party was at the church hall where they had their wedding reception {and where Brent and I had our reception as well}. The day before the party, we went up to the hall to decorate.

My project was this photo wall. How neat is this to have her dress by it? Love!

The men having a refreshing drink after all the hard work was done!

Get ready for lots of pictures! We treated this like a wedding reception!

So much memorabilia from their wedding, I love that my mom saved all this.

The grands had to count who had the most pictures.

Trent had the most! Ha!

How cute is their cake?!

The OG Swopes

My uncle gave a toast before dinner. 

I wondered why they picked my mom's youngest brother...

until my sister told me it's because he is the only 

brother either of my parents have left. SOB

Lining up for the Grand March [a German dance]

A funny story is they can't remember what their first dance is from their reception. They had a band and the song they originally wanted, the band couldn't play. And now they can't remember which song the band played between the other 2 they suggested. So they danced to both at their anniversary party.

'First' dance

My parents are so cool that my friends wanted to come ha. And we decided to recreate a picture we took in Mexico in 2008. Except we couldn't remember the order we lined up in so we didn't get it quite right. We also joked we should have made Trent get in the picture since I was pregnant with him in Mexico. Missed opportunity! We said next time haha.

2025

 

2008

I am still a little tender in my heart after my mom's stroke, so this party was extra special to our little family!

May Memories

Finally up to May! I'm going to do a separate post about all the end of year happenings at school, but this is everything else - just the 'regular life' stuff!

Lazy littles

We saw 2 plays in May - Annie and Moulin Rouge. Our performing arts center had a Moulin Rouge swing up when we were seeing Annie, and the kids loved taking pics on it! We went to Annie with my mom, Tricia, and Charlotte, and then Drew's friend Zara came with her mom and 3 sisters and sat with us. Annie wasn't the adults favorite, but the girls seemed to enjoy it!

Just a swingin'

One year of Gus!! <3

We had a Girl Scout garage sale and sleepover at our house.

Love these young ladies!

Mother's Day lunch with most of the Swope girls.

My little artist decorated her shoes! So blown away by her talent.

The most boring but delicious birthday cake!

Moulin Rouge was a ladies only event - it was so good!

My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage in June and planned a big party. We had fun helping get everything ready! One of my aunts printed a lot of pics of my parents through the years and we pulled my mom's wedding dress out of storage for the party!

LOOK AT THESE CUTIES!!!

Her dress was vacuum sealed for 50 years!

Twenty Years of Wedded Bliss

And I'm not interested

in a love that gives up so easily

I want a love that's set on keeping me

When it hurts, we don't even think to cut it off

And I'm not interested 

in a heart that doesn't beat for me

I want a mind that meets me equally

When it's hard, it won't ever feel like it's too much

Dua Lipa, Anything For Love