Deja vu at our favorite pho restaurant

Yesterday, Thak and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. That evening, we went out for pho. Of course we had all three kids with us, but that was ok. It's where we are right now. Erin was being a picky eater, refusing anything that looked unfamiliar, but entertained herself well by working on her chopstick skills. Orren was tired and just wanted to sit on daddy's lap. He also accidentally ate a hot pepper, which resulted in much screaming, but thankfully, daddy was able to manage that catastrophe. Chai nursed the whole time. Me and Thak ate our pho, and tried to keep a lid on the mayhem that three kids in public are bound to create.

As we were getting ready to leave, in through the door walked the seven years ago version of us. She was white, he was south Asian of some variety. She towered over him in 4" heels, and he did an awful job of pretending not to care. (Wonder if it'll take him 6 years to tell her he hates when she wears heels, like it did for Thak to tell me that!) He explained the foods to her, just as Thak always did. She looked at the pictures on the back of the menu, just like I used to before I understood what the different stuff was. They were absolutely adorable.

It's crazy to think that Thak and I have been married for 7 years. That's insane. This is extra interesting because this year, I'm the age Thak was when we got married. Not to mention, it's almost 1/4 of my life. (Almost. I'm 29, so 7 years is a little short of 1/4, but close.) A lot has changed between now and then. We've moved a lot. Thak's earned medals uncommon for his rank, and a promotion widely considered impossible, and then did what many consider unthinkable (but I consider noble) by walking away from it all, so as not to have to leave us anymore. We've watched Erin grow from baby to big kid, and added a couple of delightfully rambunctious sons to the mix. We've dealt with everything from war to learning disabilities, and while our team work isn't perfect, by now, it's pretty damned good most of the time.

We have a long time to go, if we're lucky, and I have no idea what the future will hold, but I do know it's pretty cool to see where we once were.