Our 10 Year Anniversary Photo Shoot

I’ve warned my husband for months that I wanted to get family pictures done on our anniversary. We take a ton of snap shots around our house, but I can’t remember the last time we actually planned to take nice family pics. Well, I’d been pinning ideas for months, but never really scheduled a time or planned out where we’d go. Enter our good friend Nate. The night before, we found a 2 hour window of time to get the fam and Nate to our favorite picture taking destination (Greenfield Village), take all the shots I have been visioning in my head from Pinterest and then get back home.Check out my Pictures to Take and 10 Year Anniversary boards on Pinterest to see what I’ve been pinning for the past year in preparation for this day!! :)

The secret?? Have a plan, and use BRIBERY. I had my list of pictures and spots I wanted to use. I had the wagon full of photo props. I had emergency supplies of snacks and hair products. I gave everyone a lecture on the way there; we weren’t doing anything fun today, we were not stopping to go on any rides, you will smile, you will not whine, you will not complain, and if you do these things as I have asked, there will be rewards… and oh! They will be good rewards (I didn’t know at the time exactly what the reward would be, but it would be good)!

Shhhhh! We took the rope down that hangs across the entrance way to get these shots. No historical landmarks were harmed, and this chapel can actually be rented out for weddings… but we just wanted a quick picture.

10 years of good and bad, laughter and tears, family turmoil …and togetherness, learning and growing. 10 years of soda vs. pop, fad diets and chicken wings, health scares and fun runs. Kids, church, moves, movies,  sarcasm, cheesy humor, music and road trips. 6 seasons of Lost and 9 seasons of The Office. 3 churches, 3 cities, 3 kids, 3 cars. 2 dogs, 4 homes, 5 siblings married after us, 12 nieces and nephews. Arguments, agreements, compromise …and grace. Love is a choice. Sometimes Jay is my best friend because it’s easy to love him, sometimes it’s a decision, because I’m committed to working at it, sometimes I’m glad he’s stuck with me! I’ve never once doubted my decision to say “yes” to him over 10 years ago, and no matter what we go through, the best part is knowing we’re in it together.

-Sarah