...almost there...

I cannot believe it has almost been a year since the day Jason and I were married! Sometimes I think "It's only been a year? I feel like I've known this man forever!" but other times I think "ONE YEAR??? I swear it was just yesterday we decided on eternity!". We have had our share of ups and downs but through it all we have learned that the most important thing in the world is each other. It is so cool to feel our relationship strengthen with each passing day and to become closer than we ever thought possible.

Just the other day we had an experience that ended up really letting the light in on how we felt about one another. It was a defining moment for me, to hear Jason express how much he really feels for me and how much our relationship truly matters to him. I was filled with joy and love. I couldn't help but feel a flood of emotions take over me and after the flood came and went a sense of peace overwhelmed me and in that moment I was reminded of all that matters in this world. My family.

I am so proud of us. I am so excited for our future! Marriage really is a huge commitment and it is hard work at times but it is the most fulfilling work we have ever done. To have the opportunity to serve my husband and give to him my heart and soul is so freeing and fills me with a light I can't describe. The best part though, is being given the same in return. To know my husband is always there to be my confidant, my lover, and my best friend is more than I could have ever asked for. To know he only wants the best for me and is willing to do everything in his power to fill my life with happiness is the most incredible feeling.

Thank you for this past year Jason. Thank you for all of the laughter, long talks, late nights, movies, treat runs, lazy days, adventures, and everything in between. I am filled with a stronger sureness of my decision to be with you every new day. I look forward to the many years ahead of us and the new things we will come to face together, not doing so by looking at one another but looking in the same direction as one another and walking that path together, side by side, hand in hand, most likely with our fur camo hats on.

I love you.

...everyday just gets better...

The day Jas and I were married was a wonderful day that I will never forget. It will always be a day I look back on and feel extremely blessed and proud to have made the decision to marry Jason Tyler Cooper in the temple. I think of it as the day that really started it all. Yes, it was one of the best and happiest days of my life, but to be quite honest, I think that about almost every single day of my life now. Who wouldn't though?

Jason is the most kind, generous, loving, thoughtful person I have ever known, and I don't just say that because of the amazing way he treats me, but because of the kindness and respect he shows to others. I strive to be more like him. He radiates a light of happiness and love that is so rare in this world, and everyday I look at him and am so proud of the person he is. I consider myself extremely lucky to have snagged such a great man!

Our life together is filled with love, humor, happiness, blessings, and so much more. It isn't always easy, we have gone through our own set of struggles and trials both together and individually, but we have overcome them all. Jas tends to do so with a little more grace than I do, but he has always stood by me through all of it. I have learned so much from our marriage and I know I will continue to for the rest of my life. To be completely honest it was hard in the beginning to learn how handle problems that would come about, it was a little bit of a shock to readjust to dealing with the difficulties within a marriage after being so used to handling things on my own. It got better though, and it gets better everday. In fact, in a way I find joy now in working through things together. It brings us closer and helps us to be stronger.

I know to a lot of people this all sounds cheesy and cliche, but I really believe all of it. It feels so good to be so happy and I can't help but share that anytime I get the chance! I am so grateful for my husband and for the life that I have with him. I have also learned to be grateful for the good and hard times that I've gone through in my past because they have brought me to this place that I'm in now and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Not for a single thing.

end of our first year

The holidays have been so amazing!! I just can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It is so weird to look back on all of the fun things that have happened. 2011 has brought so many incredible memories for us! So, I thought I'd share a couple of those fun times.

Our first date...

Seriously, one of the best days of my life. Jason came to the door, met my mom, and picked me up like a gentleman. We went to dinner with a group to Texas Roadhouse (yum!) and waited to be seated for an hour! When we first started to get to know each other Jason was so quiet, so I definitely was not expecting him to be so fun and outgoing on our date! It was so amazing. He made me laugh and smile all night, and made me feel so comfortable. We played games and hung out afterward. He was so charming and handsome I could not stop looking at him! When he dropped me off, he gave me this big bear hug and I did not want him to let go! I remember texting my cousin and saying " I am going to marry this guy!" I thought he was so kind and extremely attractive. Little did I know... :)

The first time Jason said the L word...

We were at a friends house and I started to fall asleep. Jason started nudging me saying my name, but I was so tired I ignored him the first couple times. Finally after about the fourth or fifth nudge I tiredly said "yeah?". BOOM. There is was. "I love you." Ummm what!?? I was so not prepared for that, I started to panic! So...I pretended I was asleep. Uh, hello! Who does that? Well, apparently I do. Later on when I "woke up" Jason asked if I had heard what he said, and, what do you know, I totally denied it. For like a month and I half I completely denied ever hearing him first say it (even though I had finally told him I loved him too within that time period). I will never hear the end of that one...haha!

Ring shopping...

Oh my. When we went and looked at rings was borderline nightmare. So, we get to Jared and I was so terrified of going inside. We sat in the car for so long finally I told him maybe we should look in the mall, so we go to the mall, walk inside, and no way jose. I was scared to look anywhere! Jason was getting so frustrated, I felt so bad, so I told him "OK. Let's go back to Jared and I promise I will go in!". We got there, got out of the car, and sat on the curb for about 15 - 20 minutes. I don't know what was wrong with me because once we finally went in, everyone was so nice and it was so much fun!

There are endless amounts of stories and adventures we have shared this past year, and I look remeniscing on them, but I am so excited to start a brand new year with my sweet husband!!

meet the coopers

So, we've been married for a little over 2 months now and it is so much fun! People ask me all the time how I like being married and I'm just thinking "Um, my husband is freakin' hot, what do you think?" haha. But really, I LOVE it! We have so much fun together! Having Jason has been like having the human version of a swiss army knife. One minute he's my goofball that will dance crazy and be silly with me, the next minute he's my best friend/ therapist, the next he's my protector, and so on and so forth.

We have kind of been figuring out "our thing". Every couple has their own way of doing things, their own traditions, and their own style that makes them...well... "Them". I feel like when you date, you get to know each other as individuals and have fun developing your relationship, then when you're married you start getting to know yourself as a couple, because you've become two halves of a whole. It has been so fun to get to know the characteristics and personalities that our marriage has! We have started to settle in to "our ways" and I love it!

Lately, we've been totally getting in to the television series Lost. So, we set out blankets and pillows, get our hot chocolate and start watching! Typically we have to keep pausing the show because I can't help but have a million things to talk to Jas about, not to mention the bets we place on what will happen in each episode! This is pretty much a nightly routine now. Jason always gets tired before I do though so usually when he first starts getting tired we both know we can probably get one more episode out of him then it's time for bed!

Right before bed we do this thing called "Apples and Onions". We both first share an "onion", which is one thing we didn't like about our day, then we share our "apples" which are the highlights of our day. It has helped us to let out any kind of frustrations we had during the day then once that's out of the way, talk about and focus on all of the good things in our life. Everyone should try it!

So pretty much this whole post has been a little random, I just had so many things on my mind! To sum everything up: I am so so so grateful I married this man. Five years ago I would have never guessed I would be here, but I'm glad I am. It's crazy how much time changes things.

( Britt, 2008)                      (Jas, 2008)

(Us, Now and Forever)