8 and counting!

Never when I got in the car and headed to Eugene with my college roommate and friend Jami almost 10 years ago, did I think I was about to met my husband.
Kyle and I met during his emergency leave while he was on his first military deployment. It was my thanksgiving break. I was going to Eugene with Jami as emotional support and a driving buddy as she was headed to say goodbye to her dying grandma.
Yesterday we celebrated 8 years of marriage. It has been a crazy ride. We've moved 8 times, lived in a foreign country, traveled to many, gone through 3 military deployments (Kyle did one other before we were married), I finished up my bachelor's degree, and I've completed my master's degree, and we've had 3 boys.
It would be a BIG lie if I said it had been easy. If I'm honest with you, this last year has probably even been the most difficult. Life has thrown us some curve balls and some days we don't have much hope to cling to. We are forever thankful that our relationship is second only to that of our relationship with our Savior. Without our faith in God I don't know where we would be today, or if "we" would even be.
I can't tell you how thankful I am to be married to a man of God. Someone who strives to continually strengthen their relationship with their Father.
Kyle and I have both changed so much from who we were 8 years ago when we said our vows. War was hard on Kyle. Some of his scars you can see, other's you can't. But Kyle isn't the only one who has changed, I know I have too. I went from being a care-free college kid to a wife, a wife of a solider who went to war 5 months into our marriage, I also became a mom to three wild and crazy little boys, I know I have changed too.
If we both had to change there is no one I would have rather been through all this with than Kyle. He is my best friend, I never imagined having such a great, loving, and caring friend. God has truly blessed us; He has blessed us with each other, our children, and in the ways which He daily meets our needs.
I can not wait to see what God has in store for us next. I foresee some more big changes coming up in the very near future.
A little picture walk down memory lane:
Kyle came to visit me in my little townhouse where I lived with his cousin shortly after returning from his first deployment.

 We then spent a lot of time traveling back and forth from Pullman to Fort Campbell, KY to see each other between my school and his work schedule.

This was taken the morning after we were engaged. We had to leave his mom's house at  4am so I could get to my first day of classes my senior year of college. His mom snapped this as we were saying goodbye to her.

 The two of us on our wedding day 8 years ago.

This was taken the morning before Kyle took off on his second year long deployment to Iraq. We had been married almost 5 months. (I think I was holding myself together pretty well)

After one very long year we were reunited. 

 This was taken during our 95km hike through the Austrian Alps. We took this trip after his 15 month deployment to Afghanistan.

Moments after we became a family of three. 

  A family of four.

  Now a family of 5! Three boys, life is crazy!

This is the most recent picture I could find with all 5 of us! This was taken at Christmas time (obviously).

 What a fun adventure we have been on. We also have obviously enjoyed a bit to eat throughout the years as well! (I also miss my blonde hair.)
We give a huge thank you to the Peak 7 staff who watched our little ones last night after a rafting trip so Kyle and I could go out on a date! You guys rock!!!