{Half a Decade of Togetherness}

This may be a repeat for those of you who already follow on instagram, but I wanted to share a few photos from last weekend when Jurg and I slipped away to the Drakensberg in celebration of our five year anniversary!  It was a quick, but wonderful few days away from the city filled with yummy food, cozy fireplaces, and lots of relaxed quality time.  And I'm proud to say that I planned it as a surprise, and it remained a surprise until the moment that we pulled into the driveway of Impofu Lodge {which is really saying something for me}.  Jurg was happy, I was happy, and it turned out to be a perfect place to celebrate half a decade of togetherness.

On my way to Pretoria to meet Jurg at work via the Gautrain //  The unexpected weather we enjoyed on our drive to Underberg // Our adorable country kitchen at Impofu Lodge // How we spent our anniversary - cozied up next to the fire with books and a glass of wine.  Perfection.

View of the Drakensberg mountains from our cottage // Afternoon outing to Lake Naverone // No shortage of lilly pads // Jurg wanted to scope out possible fishing spots {of course}

At Lake Naverone we happened upon the most adorable labrador and immediately made friends {she was an exact replica of my lab {Vogue} in California} // Delicious breakfast spread on our porch one morning // A spontaneous cheese-tasting detour at Underberg Cheesery one afternoon {this was all my doing} // Cute gumboot planters outside

A glimpse of our idyllic mountain cottage // And of course, the sun decided to show its face on the morning that we had to head back to Jo'burg... typical // A mega fail at an attempted selfie // This is what you would call an African road block - this guy was not about to budge!

Relationships aren't easy.  They require complete and utter selflessness and involve a lot of hard work and compromise and personal growth and soul searching and forgiveness.  Our relationship is no exception to this.  Jurg and I have enjoyed tremendous moments of love and joy and laughter together {moments where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you've met your soul mate}, but we've also been through our fair share of struggle and tears and cultural differences and long distance drama.  

But looking back on the last five years what I can say this: there is no one in this world that I would rather make a life with.  No one that understands me like Jurgen, no one who I can share my heart with like I can with him, no one who can appreciate my weird antics like he can {he constantly says "man, I just wish other people could see the way you act when it's just us two - they wouldn't believe that it's the same person!"}, no one who pushes me to pursue my wildest of dreams like he does, and no one who accepts me just as I am and still loves me like he does.  Through all of our highs and lows, he's been there and I've always known that we have each other.  Which is something that I never want to take for granted.

So today, since we're being sappy and all {which is rare around here}, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite little things about Jurgen.

+  Jurgen is funny.  Belly laugh funny.  He's a storyteller of note and the center of attention at any social gathering or function.  People just gravitate towards him.

+ Jurgen dyes my hair for me.  This may rank as the sweetest thing that a guy has ever done in the history of ever.  He never complains about it and each and every time it makes my heart melt a little bit more.

+ He makes a mean paella and spaghetti bolognese {and he almost always does the dishes: bonus!}.

+ He's smart.  He knows something about everything and can chat for hours to anyone about anything from the Middle East to South African politics to rugby to NFL to Warren Buffet to the new iPhone.  I never have to worry whether he'll be ok at family gatherings because he's always able to find some topic of interest with just about anyone.

+ He loves travel and road trips.  And I just don't think I could make it work with anyone who didn't.  Some of our greatest memories as a couple involve adventures in Zimbabwe, Zambia, California, Namibia, and South Africa... with no shortage of adventures planned for the future.

+ He enjoys the simple things in life.  For instance, people always tease him because he loves to braai {bbq} so much and insists on using only the best wood {South Africans often use actual wood instead of charcoal}.  He's even found a specific "wood guy" who sources chopped wood all the way from the rural area of Tzaneen and this guy drops about 100 bags of wood off directly to Jurgen several times a year. Obsessive... yes.  Bordering on pyro... yes.  But I think it's kind of awesome.

+ He has a pretty darn sexy accent.  And I love it when he mispronounces English words... such as fathom.  He says phantom every.single.time.  Example: "Jenna, I couldn't even phantom that!"

+ He always respects my point of view.  Even when we differ on issues surrounding topics such as politics, religion, or other ethical dilemmas {e.g. the death penalty}, he never tries to downgrade or change my opinions.  We just learn from each other and agree to disagree.  It's amazing.

+ I'm pretty sure he loves me to the moon and back :)

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Thanks so much for the most wonderful 5 years Jurgy Bird - it's certainly been an adventure!

Can't wait to see what the next half decade brings.

Love you THIS much.

{cue end of sappiness}