We were married on the morning of August 27, 2011. Every August 27 since, we’ve taken a picture in the morning holding the photo we took the previous year. We wind up with kind of a tunnel where we can look back across the years. The differences in each picture show a snapshot of were we were in life each year, so they are all meaningful in some way. It’s also fun to see the differences in the photos. No matter what, these pictures are something we look back on and treasure.

Our wedding photo, 2011

We got married at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Neb. Because we had an eight-week engagement there were no churches, reception venues, or photographers available for an evening wedding on the last Saturday before Husker football started. So, Ann had a great idea to get married in the morning. It turns out, that was a perfect time of day for us because we had a full day to celebrate and Steve got to have bacon at the reception.

First anniversary photo, 2012

Dressed for work, one year in! Steve was a middle school principal and Ann was VP of Communications for Time Warner Cable. We both were up and out of the house most mornings by 7:30 a.m., so we took a picture after work that day in our back yard.

Second anniversary photo, 2013

Looking at this picture, Ann always says, “I loved that green jacket.” Steve just thinks he needed a haircut.

Third anniversary photo, 2014

It was raining on Aug. 27, 2014, but we decided to roll with it and grabbed and umbrella and a willing neighbor to take our photo before we headed to work.

Fourth anniversary photo, 2015

Ann was very sick on our fourth anniversary, recovering from several surgeries and very fatigued. She just got out of bed just long enough to take a picture and rested most of the day.

Fifth anniversary photo, 2016

This year our anniversary fell on a Saturday, so no tie for Steve! You can take a look back at our first five years of marriage in a blog post wrote about Our Journey of a Lifetime.

Sixth anniversary photo, 2017

And this is the year Steve left his job to focus more on the blog, so no tie, again!

Seventh anniversary photo, 2018

As you can see, the sun was a little bright in our eyes this year. Also, ignore Steve’s legs. He had to get lower to be in the frame with Ann. This is, by far, the worst anniversary photo we’ve ever taken.

Eighth anniversary photo, 2019

Hey, this weight loss thing might be working …

Do you have any special traditions to celebrate your wedding anniversary? Let us know in the comments below. 

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