Together Since 2008

My Aunt Julie and Uncle Pete have been married for a long time (30ish years or so) and I really love this framed set of photos in their house with a picture from each year of marriage. Anthony and I have only been married for 2 years now but I still think that is a great accomplishment so I wanted to post my favorite picture of the two of us for each of the years we have been an item. Here it goes!

2008

Right when we started dating early May 2008

2009

After we returned from England in Summer 2009

2010

Our Wedding - December 27, 2010

2011

Thanksgiving 2011 - A week before our big move

2012

2012 Christmas Card Pictures

Isn't it wild to see how much we have both changed over the past 5 years? I look forward to the next 5 years together and think that Anthony will be a dashing 30 year when we arrive! A trip down memory lane is always a fun trip. Happy New Year!

Food Nanny

Anthony and I have been budget crazy this year so I definitely jumped on the chance to meet BYU Channel's The Food Nanny. Learn more about her and the plan here.

Me with the Food Nanny, Liz Edmunds

Anyway, Liz was super helpful in talking about how to simplify meal plans for your family making meals that are both affordable and healthy. So we have been trying to plans meals 2 weeks in advance. So far we have cut our groccery budget by almost $75. It is great! Anthony has even been experimenting with yeast and baking breads which can be totally fun and... interesting.

Doggy Knee Surgery

Probably one of the hardest things to go through with our little girl thus far has been her knee surgery. While chasing squirrels in the back yard, Thelma tore her doggy equivalent of the ACL and ruptured her meniscus. After her first soft tissue injury, the nervous parents Anthony and Danielle rushed her to the vet for x-rays and it ended up being completely not serious so we tried not to panic again. Three days later while in the vet for her shots, the vetrinarian urged us to do radiographs which confirmed his fears that she had in fast torn her CCL (dog equivalent to the ACL).

Prices for this type of surgery range from $3,000 to a more affordable $1,000. Anthony and I were both a little freaked out by the sticker shock as that was exactly what we had saved for a new car. I did what any smart person would do. I got on the phone and started calling EVERY specialist that performed dog knee surgeries within a 50 mile radius.

I finally found the Jacksonville Humane Society Hospital which opened approximately a year after we adopted Thelma next door and they said they understand costs concerns especially for adoptees so Thelma and I met with the surgeon veterinarian Christian Broadhurst. He was amazing! He was able to review everything with me, go over the prices, and assure me that even though we weren't going with the most expensive surgery ($3k) that Thelma would still have a great quality of life. So the real reason I am telling you this whole story to tell you how wonderful the Jacksonville Humane Society and Dr. Broadhurst is. The day of her surgery, I dropped her off and she was a little mad at me because she was hungry but was so excited to be going on an adventure... little did she know just how much of an adventure it would be. So Anthony and I were nervous most of the day but when I got the call from Dr. Broadhurst himself at 2:30 p.m. to tell me how well she did and how much work had to be done to correct the problems with the meniscus I felt so much better. He assured me that she was resting comfortably and would be ready for pick up the next day.

I picked her up that Friday and I am so glad my friend Brenda warned me about how groggy she would be and that she might cry a little in the car. Let's just say that car ride home was the worst and I don't know what I was thinking by making plans for Anthony and I that might but after the trauma of Thelma trying to stand and walk in the backseat and then she cried and then me cried. It was awful. I will never ever never pick an animal up from surgery alone. Her are some of her pictures below:

Day 2 - Leaving the hospital after surgery

Day 4 - She was super loopy on those pain meds. You can see the love on me look in her eyes.

Day 6 - Feeling better, sitting up but still not barking at the vacuum yet. You can see her 3-4 inch scar here.

 Anyway, we are 3 weeks out from surgery and our little champ is doing great. She has a gnarly scar and the hair on her leg hasn't grown all the way out yet but she is walking like a champ and even walking more than she did before the initial injury. We have a long way to go but this member of our family will be around for years and years and years. She'll be a great big sister to a human Bennett baby someday.

Happy Halloween!

When I was working for Vizergy and Anthony was working for Bank of America, he'd randomly ask me questions about technology and the Internet because as he said, "you work for the Internet so you should know this." Actually, I don't work for the Internet but I use it as a marketing tool and now that Anthony is with Web.com, you could say we both work for the Internet. NOTE: Anthony does not QC (Quality Check) my blog.

President Mitt Romney ??

Do I look like a Hot Tamale!?! Arriba!

The Internet industry is very different from most others because of how liberal and open it is. This is something I like and dislike at the same time. Both of our companies allow jeans, t-shirts, a somewhat flexible work schedule, freedom to use creativity, etc. so Halloween can be a lot of fun. Anthony and I both dressed up.

As you can see, he was Mitt Romney in an election year. He spent the day using his clever one liners and being told by coworkers how much scarier his costume was than the ghouls, goblins, zombies, and mad scientists in the office. I thought that was a hoot. For Halloween, I was a Hot Tamale and I lost our company's costume contest to a Despicable Me minion, Black Widow with wild make up, and a female Bob Ross. It was quite a show.

Anthony was trying to make the face of the pumpkin

You can also see the pumpkin that Anthony and I carved together. We even made some yummy pumpkin seeds. It is very easy to do but a little time confusing.

1. Open the pumpkin and pull out all the slimy seeds

2. Rinse the seeds in a colander and remove ALL slime

3. Lay out the seeds directly on a cookie sheet (no foil!!)

4. Season with season salt and garlic powder

5. Pop in the oven for an hour and a half at 220 degrees pulling them out every 20 minutes or so to scrape them around on the cookie sheet

6. Cool and enjoy!

Hair Cut

It seems trivial but I had a few inches cut off this month and wanted to document it. haha! You can see below the before and after photos.

Before

After

Ed White HS Homecoming

So when Victoria started talking on Facebook about dating a new guy, I told her that Anthony and I wanted to double date with them. So she invited us to her Homecoming game and we got to meet Matt. It was tons of fun and after the game we got to go to Sonic where I bonded with the Homecoming King while singing to Journey. Barney Stinson would have said it was... wait for it... legendary.

Victoria and me

Victoria and her BF Matt

Anthony did not want me to take his picture because he was watching the game.

Thanks for inviting us, Victoria! We had a blast!

Country kind of 4th of July

Anthony is a very passionate man and is very excited about things. In this instance, he was passionate about The Mavericks. If you don't know The Mavericks ask Anthony and he will tell you about them, their awards, the music style, and will play the music for you.

After the concert and staying in downtown for a little bit, cousin Heather came and picked us up and we got some good family time. It was great getting to meet Matt, Sarah, Savannah, and Noah.

When we returned to Florida, we got on the road and headed straight to Panama City Beach for some Bennett Family Beach Bonding. We got to see Ben, Bill, Dickie, Mark, Annie, and Judi. Other than Anthony's cell phone getting ruined in a 'boating emergency' and his prescription sunglasses going swimming, it was great trip. We had fun getting to see everyone and it reminded us how fun summers on the water can be.

We were going to be fancy on our much anticipated trip to Nashville for The Mavericks so I made Anthony get a shoe shine. He openly LOVED it. It was super cool... and my grandpa Allen was a shoe shine boy in San Francisco (that is just a random fun fact).

Our hotel was right across the street from the Titans Stadium. GO JAGS!

Trying to save money and going to the FREE Country Concert for 4th of July. We stayed near downtown and walked over the river to ALL the action. OMG... we went during the hottest summer they've had in years! It was a 100 degree+ heat wave but we survived!

Anthony loved the Country Music Hall of Fame BUT there was a Taylor Swift exhibit that got him real upset.

Really cool hotel made out of an old train station in downtown Nashville, TN.

Near Matt and Heather's House - They live near on of Kenny Chesney's house and near the Rehab Center that Keith Urban went to after Nicole Kidman kicked him out! So cool! hehe 

My FAVORITE PART OF THE TRIP :) Not pictured was Cousin Melissa who offered to take our picture!

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day Gift from Thelma

Anthony gave this to me while we were in Marianna for Mother's Day.

The conversation went a little like this:
Danielle: Ahhh! Thelma got this for me!
Anthony: No! She hasn't worked a day in her life. She didn't pick it out or pay for it. I did.
Danielle: Oh. Ok.

Well, I wonder how he'll act when he's buying me stuff for the kids for the first few years of their lives?

Walesiewicz Wedding

Some good college friends of our's got married the weekend after we got back from California so we got back on the road with my sorority little sister Vivian. Here are a few the pictures from their wedding and reception.

Anthony's jacket was still dirty from playing with  my cousin's kids in the dirt after our temple sealing. I liked our last minute improvisation from Target.

Adam surprised Cecilia with ice sculptures of their profiles! So cool. He also had them picked up in a horse drawn carriage. A great end to a beautiful night!

First dance! I didn't get many more pictures than this because I was on the dance floor myself.

For Time and Eternity

I'll be honest, I have been working on this post forever. For hours and days and weeks BUT then it hit me. This post won't mean much if I don't publish it for the world to see. So here it is, something so extremely personal and dear to me: the sealing to my husband in the Sacramento Temple for all eternity. This is the day we became an eternal family.

I was REAL happy!

Wendy has always asked me questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints and has made me feel comfortable talking about it. Sometimes you feel like people attack you about the Church of Jesus Christ because they don't understand things, and it makes it hard to share one of the most specials things in my life. I appreciate her honesty and kindness and knowing that she was going to be in CA asked her to come on up to Sacramento if she could. She has been such a blessing and so supportive in my life.

Mom didn't get to go in with us but she knows why it is so special. There were definitely a few tears. She believes that families can be together forever and I think she appreciates the fairy tale that Anthony has given me. Even though my dad wasn't able to fly out and join us, he called us the night before to share with Anthony and I how proud he is of us.

To start, I've never been one to believe in fairy tales, especially coming from a family of divorce. After an experience like that you tend to doubt the idea of a happily ever after, as if it were just a hoax or something rare that never really happens. Until high school I really felt that way and because my parents argued about my money and I knew I couldn't fix that family, I threw myself into schooling and extra curricular activities to ensure that when I got to a good college, so I could get a solid degree and make more money than my parents did. My dad graduated high school and my mom graduated with her AA so in my immediate family, my graduation from college was a big deal, not just because I was graduating, but because I was sharing graduation with someone special that I really cared about and even loved.

3 Generations

It was so special having Emily and Jordan there.

She has been such a great example and blessing in my life.  I do miss those days of  high school dances, Young Women Activities on Wednesday Nights, and Girls Camp in the summer times.

Anthony and I met in February 2008 during Sigma Chi's Derby Days where his fraternity was raising money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I thought Anthony was cute with those curly locks and drop dead blue eyes and felt very bold that night so I asked him for his number and we quickly found lots to talk about, being from the same area code and then learning that we had the same birthday that month. Friendship turned to romance and love; we were the perfect college sweethearts. We knew very soon we would end up married and we never had issues trusting each other or sharing our goals and dreams with each other. So when graduation in Spring of 2010, we merged our families for the first time in a great time. Our wedding in December of 2010 cemented it and we were husband and wife.

Cousin Josh and his wife Chloe (pregnant in this picture)  were endowed and sealed in this temple too. Our Temple Ceremonies were their first trip back so that was pretty cool.

Great picture of Uncle Joe and Aunt Beth (they even let us use their house for our reception after the Temple)

From that synopsis of our relationship, you'd think this would end our happily ever but fairy tales really do come true. I believe that families can be joined together forever. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the sacred ceremony performed for families, called a sealing, takes place in a temple and the requirements for entry are very high. In order to receive a recommendation from your Bishop and Stake Counselors, anyone wishing to enter the temple will need to do the following:

• Have a Testimony of Jesus Christ and the Atonement
• Be Baptized for at least 1 year
• Be Confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Regularly attend church meetings on Sundays
• Follow the Word of Wisdom 
• Practicing the Law of Chasity
• Pay a full tithe
• Males need to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood

My parents are both so impressed by Anthony

The bouquet mom got me

After doing ALL of the things on the list above and truly being able to testify of the blessings that we knew were in store for us and our marriage after going to the temple, we scheduled our endowments and sealing. The temple ceremonies are sacred and requirements for entry are very specific, so we decided to share this day and experience with the members of my family that could go and participate with us in them. We tried not to make a big deal about the sealing because we didn't want anyone that wouldn't be able to go inside feel left out. Some of the guests (my mom, grandpa and stepmom) that are in our pictures were not able to go into the temple but because they understood the blessings of the temple and what it meant to us, they sat outside and waited.

Probably one of my favorites of the two of us

April 14, 2012 was a long day and our last day in California but we were so ready and excited for everything. We arrived early and spent most of the day indoors. After the endowment and sealing ceremonies, we took pictures around the temple to remember the special day and then headed to my Uncle Joe and Aunt Beth's for lunch. It was a great day.

My wedding dress was found a purchased with no help from  family or friends because Anthony and I got engaged in September 2010 and married in December 2010, so I felt I missed out on that experience. My Aunt Janet has a friend that is part owner of a bridal store; this dress was found and purchased with my mom, grandma, Aunt Janet, and cousin Sage.

This just about sums up our playfulness - even after a year of marriage but then again we aren't old married folks until the babies come. Don't worry... someday! :)

The first time I saw this temple almost 5 years ago, I never would have imagined  that my husband and I would receive our endowments and get sealed here.

This picture was Anthony's idea and came out beautifully!

April 14, 2012 was a long day and our last day in California but we were so ready and excited for everything. We arrived early and spent most of the day indoors. After the endowment and sealing ceremonies, we took pictures around the temple to remember the special day and then headed to my Uncle Joe and Aunt Beth's for lunch. It was a great day.

Great shot with the full Temple in it

Since then we've gone back to the Temple in Orlando once but plan to go often. When we are in the temple, we feel strengthened in our testimonies and marriage. We draw closer each time we enter the House of the Lord and it amazes me what is revealed upon each new return. Anthony is such a wise man and the connection that he has with God and his testimony in Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us is wonderful. He impresses me each day and I love watching him grow. He is a selfless man and makes me a better person in so many ways. I would be lost without him and I'd like to think he needs me too.

It was my idea to get a picture with the sign but unfortunately the April Showers hadn't quite delivered those May Flowers yet. Still a nice photo.

Amber not only entertained us and kicked our butts when we  were in CA but she also took all of these pictures for us and did my hair. Her daughters taught Anthony  Just Dance and Amber took us to her BodyPump™ class.

I owe Jen the world! She has taught me a lot and showed me the true value of what I believe in and the blessings of the temple so it was only appropriate that she be with us when we went through the temple. I have also promised to be there for her when she gets sealed in the temple.

Special thanks to Amber, Julie, Janet, Joe, Beth, and everyone that traveled to show your support!