3 years – 1, 095 days together – Happy Anniversary!

3 years – 1, 095 days together - happy anniversary

Happy 3 years of marriage to my husband and I! We got married on July 12th, 2015. Wow, why does 2015 sound so far away!

 

Our marriage is not perfect, but I can say I have enjoyed every day. My husband is my best friend. We went through a long distance relationship for 5 years before we got married.

long distance relationship

 

Check out the post here for my tips on surviving long distance!

 

So when we got married, to be in the same state and house was magical. I can count on one hand how many serious fights my husband and I have had in 3 years. We both hate fighting and drama so we try to avoid fights at all cost.

 

This year, we decided to do something special! Before our anniversary, we decided to finally get weddings bands. My husband and I did not exchange rings during our wedding vows. My husband can not wear a ring where he works. Also we knew that regardless of a ring or not, we were making a commitment to God and to each other to honor and respect each other.

 

enso ring

 

Have you ever had your engagement ring get caught on something? I’ve had that happen a few times. A fear always flashes through my mind of, “oh, that could have ripped my finger off.” It most likely is an irrational fear, but I love having all my fingers and want to keep them as much as possible. 😉 I’ve heard horror stories of it happening anywhere. Stories of people getting their finger ripper off by a bag, a door, a counter top!

 

So I found the company Enso. They create silicon rings.  These rings make it less likely for your finger to get caught. The rings are very flexible and grip close to your finger.   We fell in love with the copper color. My husband and I ordered the elements ring. I believe it has some medal mixed in with the silicon. I couldn’t tell though!

 

I ordered the thin elements options, because I liked having a thinner band. Also in regular rings I wear a size 5.5. The company recommend that you size down if you are a half size, due to the silicon gradually stretching over time.

 

We were so pleased with our rings! My husband still can’t wear it to work but he had one for the weekend! Also these rings are very affordable! The regular price is $50 dollars! BUT KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR DEALS. On Father’s Day weekend we ordered our rings. Our rings were on sale for $32 bucks a piece! So for both, it was just $64!!!

 

The company is very nice if you order the wrong size, which I did. 😉 I was able to get the right size pretty easy. Also the rings have a lifetime guarantee!

 

I highly recommend these rings, if you are looking for a unique affordable twist on wedding bands. They have all kinds of other rings as well to order!

3 years – 1, 095 days together - happy anniversary

So while I did want to tell you about our fun 3rd year purchase. I also wanted to give some advice. Even though its just been three years, I do feel like I have some wisdom to share!

 

– Pray together – everyday!

– Talk about your dreams together.

-Snuggle – even if it’s just for 5 minutes!

– When disagreeing, say “this is what I understand you are saying….” Explain, talk it out.

-Watch your wedding video, or look through photos every anniversary. Reflect on that special day.

 

Our anniversary was not perfect. I was actually sick with a sinus infection. So we ordered take out from the Cheesecake Factory and brought it hope. We then sat on the floor, me leaning back against him. We watched our wedding video. We teased each other asking if we should turn the heat on while watching it, considering our wedding day 3 years ago was one of the hottest days of the years. We also got married in a barn with no AC. So we were definitely glistening that day. 😉

 

The video made it feel like our wedding was just yesterday. To watch our wedding video is a tradition I hope my husband and I continue to do every year.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient, love is kind.”

 

DIY ANNIVERSARY GIFT – BOOKMARK!

diy anniversary gift bookmark

Are you looking for a cheap, simple, creative gift idea?

That was me about two weeks ago. My husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on July 12th. We have been blessed with 3 wonderful years of marriage. I have always heard the first few years are hard. But ours has been completely opposite. Maybe because were best friends or dealt with a 5 years long distance relationship. But I can count on one hand the number of know-down-drag-out fights we’ve had in our 1, 095 days of marriage.

 

long distance relationship

Check out my blog post on how I survived a 5 year long, long distance relationship!

 

My husband and I are Dave Ramsey fans and with our current situation and the fact were trying to save for a house, buying luxury anniversary gifts was not possible. I’m a simple girl and told my husband just get me some pretty flowers and buy me supper and that’s perfect to me. My husband didn’t ask for anything, he rarely ever does.

diy anniversary gift - bookmark

 

I felt bad though for me to be treated like a princess and the prince gets nothing in return.

So I put my creative mind to work. Here lately, my husband has developed a love of reading. If you had told me 5 years ago my husband would love reading, I would have laughed at you. 😉 But now he does, he enjoys financial, motivational, and leadership books. I can see how much his mind has grown over the past few months from reading those books.

 

This led me to the perfect inexpensive gift for him…. A BOOKMARK!

diy anniversary gift - bookmark

 

I contemplated trying to make a bookmark using Microsoft word. Then I thought, nah that’s too complicated. Then I used good ol’ google. I found a layout using a Canva print for a bookmark.

 

If you have never used the Canva website before its totally free! It has all kinds of layouts you can use for different projects. Pinterest graphic, post card, invitation, business card, the list goes on and on.

 

diy anniversary gift bookmark

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

 

So here are the steps I used:

 

First, google Canva bookmark – click on the very first link. It says free online bookmark maker, or something similar. 😉

Next, click the green button, start designing your bookmark. Now you might have to create an account here. I didn’t because I already had one. But remember, IT’S FREE!

-It then takes you to a fancy page where you can design it however you like!

 

I was very impressed, they already had some layouts you can use, and they are cute!  I wanted to make the bookmark more personal. My husband and I both love to travel. We hope by saving our money and following a budget that one day we will be able to travel more.

 

I picked 3 pictures of some of our favorite spots we’ve traveled since we’ve been married.

 

-Grand Canyon – so much fun, we drove there! Check out my blog posts for more info on our Grand Canyon adventure. We even vlogged it!

grand canyon vlog

CLICK HERE FOR THE VLOG!

 

-Noah’s Ark – Williamstown, KY. Highly recommend! We went with our church. It was unbelievable to see what Noah built by hand!

 

-Windmill Island – Holland Michigan! Beautiful! Gorgeous flowers! Amazing windmill you can tour. Delicious chocolate! Oh, and some wooden Dutch shoes!

 

I wanted to add a saying to the pictures, so I chose, “I can’t wait to travel the world with you.” I still felt like it needed a little extra, so I added a small heart image and an airplane image.

 

For those images, you just search for them in the search category. Make sure you pick the free options. Not everything on the website is free… just like life. 😉

 

I printed the image off on my printer at home. It actually impressed me how well it printed. I cut it out to make it smaller. I then used poor man’s lamination (as my husband says 😉 ) aka duct tape.

 

Once I neatly covered it in duct tape, I went around the edges to cut off the extra tape.

 

I had meant to write a sweet message on the back. However, in my excitement, I forgot. I then wrote “happy 3 yrs!” on a small piece of paper and duct taped it on the back.

 

The more it looks handmade the better, right? 😉

 

My husband loved it!

 

He genuinely thought it was so sweet. Best of all, it didn’t really cost me a dime. I had all the ingredients already at home.

 

I really enjoyed making this bookmark. I enjoyed how creative I could be using the Canva program. I think this would make a perfect gift for anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, bridesmaid gifts, classrooms. Or just to make a cute one for yourself. 😉

 

If you have any other ideas or designs for bookmarks, please leave a comment below!

 

Happy Reading!