Five Years — Stuck in North Idaho

Our Five year wedding anniversary - a story via Stuck in North Idaho

Five years ago my best friend and I made the decision to live life together. On a blustery September 5 in 2010, my father walked me down the aisle, lined with our family and friends. We held hands and promised to love each other, support each other and forever honor a commitment to work as a team.

Four years ago, we were renting a condo off of Northwest Blvd. Kyle was working as an EMT on an ambulance, I had just started my current job, making the switch from journalism to PR/marketing. I overcame a long-time battle with anemia and was working through some health issues. We celebrated our first anniversary by renting two jet skis for the day, making dinner at home and drinking a bottle of champagne my parents gave us for our wedding. Almost two months later we closed on our first house, a couple months after that we adopted our little black kitty, Zooey.

Three years ago is hazy for some reason. Juneau was 8 months old by this time. We were almost a year into home ownership, having to sell Kyle's motorcycle to replace our water heater and furnace and working to personalize our new space.

2012 was the year of the lake, as Kyle was working as a wakeboarding instructor at the Resort. I can't remember how we celebrated our second anniversary, but after going through some old photos, I think we ate dinner at Fire. This was also the year I started Stuck in North Idaho.

Two years ago we drove over to Seattle for a long weekend away. We went to the Boise State vs. UW game and spent the weekend with Kyle's cousin and her husband, exploring west Seattle and paddleboarding on Lake Washington. On our way home we hiked to Wallace Falls and stopped for pizza in Leavenworth. Kyle was about a year into a new job as a phlebotomist and I decided to pick up photography as a hobby. Best decision ever.

One year ago we celebrated our four year anniversary along the banks of the Coeur d'Alene River. I peed in the woods for the first time and we did a bit of hiking and biking. Juneau played in the water, we cuddled by the campfire and life was good.

This year felt different to me. Maybe it's the five-year marker, maybe not. This year we pulled out all the stops. I surprised Kyle for five days with an activity or little something that tied back to our past. We recreated our first date, mini golf at Triple Play. I picked out and framed some of our favorite photos, and recounted the many years we've been together. We watched the Cougs blow their opening game, cuddled under a blanket in the stands. Then we grabbed a snack and some beers at Paradise Brewing before heading home. We stayed at the Resort for a night, which is so fitting for so many reasons. We worked there together as teenagers, stayed there the night Kyle proposed, and stayed there on our wedding night. We ate dinner at Cedars and talked about the future, of our jobs and travel, our friends and the possibility of starting a family one day. We drank really good wine and just enjoyed each other, something that is so easy to take for granted in our busy day-to-day.

I am blown away by how much we've grown and changed over just five years - yet here we are together. Still loving each other, supporting each other, and just as committed to our future together. I love you, Kyle Nagel, even more than I did on that day in September when the sun parted the clouds and I promised to love you forever. I can't wait to see what the next five years bring us, there's nothing better than living life with you.