Joseph and Ashley Rivers - Circa 2007

Not knowing what to wear, mostly because I didn't really have anything for this type of occasion, I put on a black v-neck shirt with a pink cami underneath.  I wore black dress slacks with it, and "scrunched" my hair to try to bring out the waves.  Joey also didn't have much to wear for this event, so he wore a button-up white shirt, also with black slacks and dress shoes.  We didn't have much, but we had each other and our kids.  Whether anyone approved or disapproved of our relationship, we knew that we were meant to be together, even though we may have stepped outside of the Will of God.  Today was the day that we were going to "become one", in the eyes of the court and in the eyes of the Lord. 

"Have either one of you been married before?", asked the clerk.

Joey and I looked at each other, then giggled back,
"No, neither one of us have."

"You'd be surprised at how many people find out about previous marriages once they come here!", she said.

 After filling out and finalizing the necessary paperwork, we sat on the bench, awaiting our names to be called.  I looked around and all of the happy people in love who were there for the same reason we were.  I couldn't help but think of what the lives of all of these people, including Joey and I, would turn out like.  Every one of these couples loved each other, but statistics would prove that there were at least a few of us whose marriages wouldn't make it.  It won't be mine, I decided.  Not mine.

When our names were called, we looked at each and grinned, then walked into the little court room.

"Do you have any witnesses?"

"God is our only witness today!", I responded, partially trying to crack a little joke, while the other half of me was serious.  It was just  me, Joey, and God that day. 

As we were being "married", I stared in the eyes of the man that I was vowing to spend the rest of my life with.  I was nervous, but mostly excited and full of love.  I felt at peace about our future, and knew that God was going to take care of us as we began our life together. 

Taken February 13th, 2007 - the day we were married.

So, that's the little story of our "wedding" day.  Now to tell about my anniversary today! 

Last night (as we do most weekend nights), we stayed up playing Call of Duty: Blacks Ops.  Because of that, Joey decided to give me one of my presents early.

Presenting the 2011 Edition Wireless 5.8 Ghz Astro A40 headset... official product of Major League Gaming. 

Yes, I actually asked for these (me = dork).

I am already in love with this headset.  It is made for professional gaming, and I have been obsessing over them since we started gaming a lot in Korea.  This is the first "wireless" edition that Astro Gaming has come out with (which actually has wires, just not hooked up to the Xbox itself).  I used them last night, and they are amazing.  My sister-in-law is making a "LeTHaLGoDDeSS" logo for me so that I can get custom speaker tags on the headset. It's going to be awesome!

Now to be a little more on the girly side, I have also been wanting a Clarisonic for about a year now. It has had RAVE reviews... in fact, I've never heard a bad review about it.

This is the Clarisonic Classic in pink.  Clarisonic donates a certain percentage of all profits earned to a breast cancer foundation when you order the pink edition.  Joey also had my name put on it... I guess in case I ever wonder if it's mine? lol, j/k.  He's so cute <3

I used it this morning and it made my skin feel amazing! It is supposed to minimize fine lines, pores, and help with acne. I'm hoping that reviews prove to be true.  If not, it has a 30 day 100% money back guarantee, so I will try it out for the month and see what happens!

The most DELICOUS part of my day was this:

I told Joey that I wanted a HUGE edible arrangement with extra chocolate covered strawberries and hearts in it.  I honestly didn't think he was *really* paying attention (ladies, you know how men are), but it turns out that he was!! I definitely made myself feel sick by eating so many of the strawberries!  I have wanted an Edible Arrangement for a while now - I think they are a refreshing, fun alternative to traditional flowers.  Besides, I LOVE TO EAT!!!

Joey had the day planned for us - a casual lunch as a family, the shopping for an outfit for our date at The Melting Pot... my faaaavorite restaurant!  I highly recommend it for anyone celebrating a special ocassion.  It's fondue-style, and it's DELICIOUS!!! Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling so hot (I wonder if I can blame my over-consumption of chocolate covered strawberries), so we decided to cancel our reservations and go next weekend. 

It was a great day, and I'm so glad to have Joey in my life.  Thankful for these 4 years, and hoping for many, MANY years in the future!!!

Edible bouquets and endless love,

Ashley