Dusty and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary of being a couple. I cannot believe how much time has flown on by…and a decade has truly come and gone faster than I am ready to accept. A lot has happened in the last ten years. It's easy to say we've shared a lot of "firsts". 

Our first kiss, getting our first dog, buying our first car, going on our first overseas adventure, having our first baby…and so much more. I could get super super corny on you but I won't….well ok, maybe a little corny. Life over the last ten years, with my best friend, has been truly amazing. There is not a more simple way to put it. 

We plan to celebrate by going out for pizza at the place where we had our "first date" ten years ago. We laugh at the story…I'll give you the cliff notes version.

Dusty and I were both seeing other people when we met. Dusty was on his way out of a long relationship that just wasn't working. And I was just starting a relationship that I knew wasn't likely to work. We decided to go out on a "date" …. but…just as friends – what could be more innocent than going for pizza with a friend of the opposite sex? We were young. I was 19 and he was 21. We knew there was something more there but we didn't know each other too well yet. The place Dusty took me for pizza is called Congress…it's located in a little tiny town. I'd never been to Congress for pizza before, but it's a local joint – family ran…and everyone in the area raves about it. 

Dusty picked me up in his 1993 Nissan Pathfinder and it was red…bright red. It was snowy day, almost a slight blizzard and very cold. We drove down the highway for what felt like forever…and en route to the pizza place…we got lost. Dusty had never been there before…and he wasn't from the area (darn Arizona boy)…he ended up having to call a friend to figure out how to find the restaurant. 

We finally arrived, found our seats, and I ordered some pop, orange pop (because…underage)…and Dusty followed suit with a diet coke. The menu was fairly simple…you pay a standard rate for the basics – crust, sauce, cheese and then any toppings after that were an additional charge. The crust was a thin crust, so we ordered a medium with a couple different toppings (Dusty now tells me he was praying I didn't want a ton of toppings because he was watching his budget – toppings were $1.50 for each type you wanted).

Our medium pizza came…and we ate and talked and talked…and talked some more (ohhh did we talk…anyone who knows us…knows we can talk). Taking a bite of food, talking, wiping our mouths politely with a napkin. I remember eating the thin crust pizza and after having 3 pieces I was secretly wishing that I could have had the whole medium pizza to myself. It was delicious. But when I eat…I eat…and 3 pieces of a thin crust pizza just ain't going to cut it for this lady. Little did I know, Dusty was thinking the exact same thing. We bashfully nibbled our 3 pieces of pizza and even got a box for the leftovers. Walking out the door with hungry bellies…overtaken with butterflies. 

Every time we go back to eat at Congress we laugh and reminisce about how we both wanted to chow down the entire medium pizza all on our own… but how we were too nervous to let our slobbiness show in front of one another. Now when we go back…we order two large pizzas…with all the toppings we can fit. And anyone who truly knows us…doesn't flinch when we tell them there is no to-go box being taken out the door when we leave.

That was supposed to be a cliff notes version of the story… <3 

Cheers to ten years with my best friend!

These lovely life style photos were taken by Bryana with Riutta Images! She's offering 20% off of sessions just like this when you mention this blog post. She loves to travel but is based out of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. You can check on her availability by emailing her at riuttaimages@gmail.com.