Fire & Ice - 7 years strong!

First off, Thanks babe for being an equal partner in our WONDERFUL children. There are so many reasons I can think of that I love you (check back to year 5, I believe, where I wrote 100) but this year I'll just show you a few of my top reasons:

#1

#2

#3

Has it been 7 years already?

I know many of you are thinking: Wow! You two are totally different! But to our defense, we are alike in all the important things. The other things are just details and I like to say that we just complement each other. Plus, it keeps us on our toes and where one person falls short, the other is in abundance.

We are alike in our dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our love for children (we actually both said that we wanted 11 children before we got married), our sense of adventure (though I show more excitement, I've found he is just as excited. He just doesn't say, "I'm excited" every ten seconds like I do :) , we both have a love of learning (we both want a master's someday), a strong work ethic (I worked at my parents campground since I was real little and B has worked around the house and had jobs early in life), we are both pretty creative (I've never met a guy who is as good at organizing as he is and actually has an opinion on and appreciation for the decorating in our home), we actually like reading and writing (hence the long blogs posts and you should read the things he writes. Witty and fun to read), we both love sports (watching AND playing anytime anywhere), both came from families of 7, both aren't pet people so much, and we love each other with all the love we can muster. That's a good amount if I do say so myself. Oh, and we both HATE tuna and LOVE country music. It was meant to be!

Drinking pop/soda:
B- says "soda" and likes it straight from the can. If he could have extra fizz, he would.
Mo- says "pop" and likes it in a big cup with ice and a straw. My favorite is what I call "Stadium Sprite." Going to watch a game (football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, etc.) and getting a Sprite on tap. I get hicups when it's too fizzy and my eyes water, so B laughs when I stir it with a straw to get some of the fizz out.

Pancakes:
B- He eats them all separate and each one is different. One with Maple, one with Strawberry, etc. Little to no butter.
Mo- Stack em! And I eat them with Maple Syrup, lots of butter, and powdered sugar on top. Preferably stacked three high.

Salsa:
B- The hotter the better. Says he can still taste his food when it's fire hot. I don't believe him.
M- The milder the better with a tad of kick. I like the flavor of salsa, but I also like the flavor of the food that I'm eating with it with too, so burning my taste buds is not my favorite. I tear up if it's too hot. (What's up with my eyes watering all the time?)

Party:
B- The best party for him is no party, but he like the low-key, good friends/family kind of party. He's not a huge fan of the big scene with lots of people.
Mo- Can I plan one tomorrow? I love me a good party with tons of people.

Restaurant:
B- If the food/service is bad, show it in the tip, but he'll still give 10% no matter what. Nice guy.
Mo- If anything is bad, I tell someone nicely about it. Really. I'm nice. I think of myself as the manager or owner of the restaurant and would want someone to do the same thing as I am doing. We usually end up getting our food right and/or compensated for, but hey, I don't get out much, so I want it right. That's not too much to ask for. On the contrary, if we have an excellent experience, I let it be known as well.

Personality:
B- Laid back. Easy going. Easy to get along with. Doesn't talk much in new situations. Seldom let's anything bother him. Naturally very forgiving.
Mo- Go-getter. Schedule oriented. Fun-loving mover and shaker. Talks sometimes too much. I worry more than I want to admit. (I usually blame Haley's worrying on the Chapman gene pool.) And I am also very forgiving, I just have to work at it more and need more help to forgive.

Family Background:
B- Home body. He remembers doing a ton at home with his family and going to reunions with extended family and reading a lot at home together. They would go the park and throw frisbees and go on walks together. Singing at the piano was a favorite family pastime and watching movies. They are super tight and continue to stick together no matter what.
Mo- I think we used our home mostly just for sleeping. If we weren't camping, waterskiing, working, motorcycling, hiking, or playing sports, we were playing board games (which got extremely competative at times) going out to eat together, fishing, throwing parties, vacationing, or going to other people's homes to visit. Again, we have a super tight family that stick together no matter what hardships befall us.

Night vs. Day
B- He's a morning person hands down. When we got married he got up every morning at 5:30 and got things done! He still gets up at 5:30, showers, does his morning routine and goes to work early. After the kids to bed, he could easily go to bed. He can fall asleep anywhere ater 8pm. It's a Chapman thing that sometimes I covet since he can fall asleep in seconds, but it can be annoying. Hey that was a funny part in the movie. Brandon?... Wake up! You missed it!
Mo- You couldn't pay me enough to wake up that early on a regular basis. The only reasons I am happy to get up that early is if I am trying to get the smooth skiing water, beat the rush to the ski slopes, go to early morning sports practices, leave early for vacation, etc. It is rare that I go to bed before midnight. I just get things done at night. I shower at night, read at night, clean at night, play games, watch movies, scrapbook, you name it!

Movies:
B:Hates spoilers
Mo:Predicts movies

Dinner:
B: Doesn't mind cleaning as long as he doesn't have to cook
Mo: Don't mind cooking as long as I don't have to clean.

The other things we are different in are just because he's a guy and I'm a girl. I guess the only other surprising difference is that he is quicker to be emotional than me. Though, sometimes I am emotional at things and he just looks at me and says, "Are you really crying?" Nice. Thanks a lot. :) But apparently I do the same thing to him, so there you go.

We are great and are looking forward to another fun year. My advice to all of you,

"No matter how long you have been married, marriage is work! Some of the work you do is easy, and some of it requires more thought and tough dedication, but all the hard work you do to keep your marriage strong requires two people with the drive to keep the relationship smokin!" by Monique Chapman

Who couldn't love a father like this?
7 years down, eternity to go!