5 Whole Years!!

Today Jake and I have been married 5 years!! I can't believe it has been that long since that hot, sunny day in August when we were sealed in the Boise Temple.

Neither of us remember much about that day (it seemed to go by in such a blur), but at least we have pictures to remind us of it! One of the best memories Jake and I have from that event was coercing Uncle Mike to take our pictures. This was so great because he had never taken wedding pictures before, and to quote him from that conversation, he "doesn't take pictures of people." 5 years, 50 weddings, and hundreds of awards later... we all know the ending to that story!! Since Mike had never taken wedding pictures before, he approached the shoot completely differently than any normal portrait photographer would- making our picture taking experience unique, and memorable! Thanks again Mike, for allowing us to uncover your talent!

I can't write an anniversary post without including a very abbreviated version of how we met.

In May 2006 Jake was living in California selling pest control, and I was living in Boise with my parents and working. He was 25, almost 26 and I was 21. We both joined LDS Singles that month (an online dating website). We spoke for 3 days over the phone at the end of May, and decided to get married. CRAZY, LOONEY, "THEY'VE LOST IT, BLAH BLAH BLAH.

A week later, on June 3rd, he flew to Boise so we could actually meet each other and see who we had decided to marry. We hit it off immediately (Thank goodness, since I had already picked up the ring and the dress. I am not a dawdler when it comes to plans!). He still lived in California though, so for the next 2 months we spent a total of 10 days together, and then got married on August 4th, 2006.

This brings me to our next favorite memory of the day- our families' reactions. As expected, both of our families thought we were nuts, and rightly so! But on that August day they all came to the temple and were in complete support of our decision. There was so much love surrounding us, and our individual families melded perfectly to form one big family. In the rough times throughout our first few years of marriage, it has been our family that has pulled us together and kept us going.

The last 5 years have been full of challenges, and blessings. Here's a short re-cap.

~Jack Gary Claus was born the summer of 2007
~Jake had several different jobs including: call center agent, warehouse manager, Pest control salesman, Firefighter, paramedic, and now his new job will be in satellite sales.
~Jess Melvin Claus was born the summer of 2009
~Jana ran a busy photography business with Mike (the guy who doesn't take pictures of people)
~We have moved a total of 9 times in the 5 years we have been married including living with Jake's parents twice, and living with my cousin Erin and her husband Lex, and living in both Texas and California in one summer.
~We have owned 6 different vehicles including a Chrysler, a Ford, 2 Hondas, a Mazda, and a Toyota.
~Currently we are preparing for our 10th move. A move back to Boise for 8-12 months!

If Jake has taught me anything, it's to love adventure. He keeps me on my toes, and has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I can't believe how lucky I was to find him when I did, and how blessed we have been as a couple. He really is my best friend, and even though we started out as complete opposites, the cause of most of the fights we do have is the fact that we're so alike! We compete with each other, we empathize with each other, we share with each other, we understand each other, we argue with each other, and we love each other. Our relationship wouldn't be what it is without ALL of the pieces of the puzzle!! We both agree that the people we are today is a direct representation of the influence that we have had on each others' lives. The last 5 years have been exciting to say the least, and we are ready for 75 more.