Happy Anniversary, my love!

It was only 3 short years ago that we…

did this…

Awh! *Blush*

Today the husby and I celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary…and what a blessed girl I am. I have a man by my side who cares for me, laughs with me, talks to me, provides for me, challenges me, protects me, and loves me.

He and I have traveled a windy road…some days are sweet and easy, like driving with the windows down on a sunny day & singing to your favorite song. Other days are long and hard, like driving uphill on an old country road full of ruts. Sometimes it rains…sometimes the car won’t start… sometimes he drives me crazy…but most of the time it’s smooth drivin’. And the best part? He’s by my side…always.

Our first year was sweet, full of excitement and laughter. Year two was a struggle in many ways, but we learned so much…and if that’s the most struggle we ever have then we’ll be most certainly blessed. In year three…I feel like we’ve bloomed. We’ve grown as individuals, we’ve grown together, and we’ve grown in the Lord. It’s been a busy year, but one that has been full of joy and life. Good stuff, for sure. 🙂

I heard a quote once that said marriage is one of God’s most holy ways of sanctifying us. It resonated deeply with me because, in my experience, it has been. At times, our marriage has been pure and reflective of who God is and how He loves us…and at others, like a sanctifying fire burning away the impurities within me. There is no doubt that our marriage is about more than flesh and bones, more than just the two of us…it is about the good work that God is bringing to pass in both of us, grinding away the rough edges to make us more like Him.

Because really, in the end, it’s all about Jesus. Knowing Him. Being known by Him.

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So to my sweet husband, thank you for doing your best to love me the way Christ loves the church. For the part you play in helping Christ mold me. Thank you for not giving up on me when I fail, for celebrating with me when the Lord chooses to bless us, and for showing up every day for me and for our marriage. You are a good, good man.

My momma always tells me how lucky I am to have a guy who will buy into all my silliness and adventures. I’d have to say I agree!

As I begin to look forward to another year of wedded bliss & holy matrimony, I can’t even begin to know what God has in store for us…or how He is going to work out these big dreams we’ve got in our hearts. Guess we’ll all have to wait and see! 😉

KEEP CALM & LOVE ON!

P.S. If you’ve got time, I’d love for you to go check out a post (or 2 or 3, it turned into a series!) over at Cross-Shaped Stuff called “How I Know My Wife Married the Wrong Person.” I read it a month or so ago and just think he is right on. Check it out and be blessed!

Serenity Farmhouse Inn

Ahhhh…Calgon take me away!

We are back home from our vacay; glad to be settling back in, catching up on laundry, and restocking our pantry / fridge. (Hum…not necessarily “glad” to be doing those last two, but they’re kind of necessary I guess.)

But as nice as home is, I wouldn’t mind having a pair of red glittery Dorothy shoes that I could click together a couple of times to transport me back to the Serenity Farmhouse Inn from time to time. Has anyone seen a pair of those in size 11? 😉

The Inn is the adorable Bed & Breakfast we stayed at for a couple of days during our trip to Wimberly, and it definitely felt like a little piece of heaven on earth. When they call it a farmhouse, they aren’t playin. It’s quite a few miles outside of town, down some little country roads, past a few tall game fences. (The farther out we drove, the more Chris started to question where exactly I was taking him…and if he would come out alive!)

Of course, there was a big yellow farmhouse on the property. There was another big house (we thought that was the office…turned out we were trying to break into someone’s room!), a round house covered with ivy, little cottages, a gorgeous pool, several gazebos, and even a pen full of the fattest pot-bellied pigs I’ve ever seen. Everything was so quaint and beautiful and serene…definitely no false advertising here.

After our arrival and scoping out the grounds a bit, Chris decided to take a little nap…and I decided to hit the pool with a good book. It was seriously so peaceful and relaxing…absolutely glorious! That first night we got dressed up and enjoyed a dinner out, then came back to feast on cakeballs (vanilla and cheesecake…so delish!) and sparkling grape juice. It was the perfect way to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary!

(Only problem with staying at such a quiet, secluded place…we couldn’t find anyone to take a picture of us together. :P)

 

 Our little cottage was called the “Hill Country Hideaway,” and although it wouldn’t exactly be my personal decorating style, it was perfect for where we were. The bed was kind of like a rock…and there wasn’t a shower…but the heart shaped jacuzzi tub more than made up for both of those things. I mean, how often in your lifetime do you stay somewhere with a heart shaped tub?!

And of course, what is a Bed & Breakfast without…breakfast! Each morning a beautiful tray was delivered to our door (at 9:30 am…these people know that all you want to do at a B&B is sleep in a little!) with lovely china, goblets of orange juice, fresh fruit, yummy baked treats, and a little glass chicken full of eggs & breakfast meats. We contemplated actually eating it in bed, but opted instead to move to a table. The first morning we ate inside, the next we opted to sit outside on our little porch. So fun!

Even serene places such as this one aren’t without mishaps, giggles, and tantrums. Here’s the top moment in each of those categories…

Mishap: So…night 2 I wanted to create this sweet memory for us. The plan was to take our remaining cake balls, sparkling juice, and scrabble game (the original work with friends *wink*) our to one of the gazebos lit with a string of white lights…ah, so romantic right?!

Well it would have been, if it weren’t for the bazillions of daddy-long-leg spiders pulsating and swarming along the floor of the gazebo.

Eh.

Giggle: The pot-bellied pigs win it! I love pot-bellied pigs, but these babies were seriously the fattest things I’ve ever seen. Bahaha!

Tantrum: Okay, so a B&B wasn’t exactly Chris’ thing. He grumbled a bit, but I ignored him and we went on. What I couldn’t let go, however, was when my dear, sweet, typically night-owl of a husband tried to go to bed at 8 p.m. on the second night. And I don’t mean “go to beeeed”…I literally mean go. to. bed. Lights out. Sleepy time.

Not acceptable.

So in the end we went to bed at midnight, and it was not all rainbows and unicorns inbetween 8 and 12, trust me.

KEEP CALM & ENJOY SOME SERENITY!