3 Years Ago Today We Became One! Our 3 Year Wedding Anniversary :)

Wow... I can't believe it's been 3 years since I married the man that God created just for me! We had a whirlwind romance, only knowing each other a matter of weeks really before our wedding day (He proposed on our second date, I said yes!) I know without a doubt that he is the one God created for me and I am am the other half to him! God's love is truly beyond comprehension and I am overwhelmed that He chose to bless me with such an amazing man. I can't imagine going through this life without him. He is my best friend, my other half, the most understanding, kind, gentle and amazing man. he's my husband and I can't imagine one day without him.

Since getting married there has been a lot of life packed in our 3 years together (and 2 children!) Life is far from easy sometimes and not always romantic, but every night while cuddled up, we would not have our life any other way. :) I love you my Daniel and look forward to continuing to spend every day with you!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me.

See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Pretty Pastels, Dreamy Colors, and Billowy Dresses!

So, I never have been a real fashion maven or terribly concerned about my clothing, but I do love pretty things! Pretty, girly, feminine things! I may be here in 2011, but my heart belongs somewhere in vintage land. :) Right now my wardrobe is pretty basic, seeing as I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 2 years. Now, the dodo bird is 2 and Ellie belly is 1 and I still am crawling around the floor a bunch and getting the occasional spoon full of their latest meal on me, but I am trying to invest in a few nice things here and there!

I like having a plan and insist on sticking to a budget! Maybe I'll see something I really love here or there and I'll get it, but for the most part I'll have an idea in my head on what I want and I'll stick to it! (usually... :) I don't want to buy something I only half like, but something that I know I'll love and wear all the time! I was on Pinterest for a little bit today and gathered some ideas of what my dream wardrobe would (will!) look like. I plan on scouring resale shops, rummage sales and maybe even a vintage shop here and there as I slowly build up a wardrobe that includes timeless pieces that make me feel like a lady! I plan on not spending more than $10.00 on any one piece, $15.00 at most.

Our treasures should be stored in heaven, everything on this earth is fleeting! I do not want to get caught up in outward appearances, but I don't think as woman we need to look dowdy either. Our heavenly Father created all the many colors and wants us to enjoy life! He is the one who put the colors on the flowers, painted the sky with brilliance, taught the birds their songs, the brook to babble and the sun to shine. He wants us to enjoy this fleeting life in all it's splendor! Praise the Lord always and in EVERYTHING rejoice!

Pretty, girly and feminine!

I love the muted mint green and the petal soft pink dresses, the lace just ties everything together! If I were to find a dress like this I would layer a modest tank top underneath it and also a longer skirt underneath to lengthen the look.

Sparkle party dress! I think this would be perfect as a holiday dress with a 3/4 sleeve black shirt underneath. So pretty and unpractical! :)

I love this hair style! So dreamy, whispy and romantic! I will be trying this one soon!

Oh, I love this dress! It looks so very comfortable! The soft looking cotton jersy I bet just feels sublime when you put it on! It's simple enough where I would could ware it around the house all day and it's pretty enough that if you throw on a necklace and cute shoes, it would be a perfect date night dress with the hubby! This is probably one of the only dresses that I have seen in long time that if I knew where to get it, I would go buy it right now!

These dresses remind me more of dress up as a little girl than anything else, which adds to the charm. There is nothing quite as precious as little girls and the hope in their heart for a home of their own! A home filled with love, sunshine and laughter of little children and... of course.... their knight in shining armor! The man that will sweep them off their feet, and be your one true love! Yes, lots of my little girl fantasies for the future were viewed with rose tinted glasses (aren't they all!)

Of course, as you get older (and wiser, hopefully!) you learn that romance has to do just as much with work, sweat, a whole lot of commitment and some daily doses of reality. As Christian woman we are to serve our families. This includes waking up early, staying up late, long suffering (patience) kindness, gentleness and showing Grace where maybe you don't think Grace is deserved. Part of love and romance is knowing that you are made to serve! God wants our attitudes to be that of serventhood, but not of a slave! We serve because we choose to serve, not because we are forced too. (Proverbs 31)

As much as true love can be "work" I believe (or what God has placed in my heart) is that it's still ok..... nay, even HEALTHY to have daydreams of romance for you husband! My mind is so often just in the moment or just focusing on getting through that day, that by the end of the day and at the end of my rope, all I want to do is go to bed or stare numbly at the tv. But, since the kids go to bed before we do, why not make time for romance?

Why settle for reruns on tv when you can talk over candle light while eating chocolate covered strawberries? Of course, this takes forethought, And lots of it! In the hussle and bussle of meal planning and shopping list making, why not daydream of romance and plan on buying strawberries and some chocolate? During the week while the kids are napping or you have some quite time, make those chocolate covered strawberries and think of you hubby and eagerly anticipate him! Send him an email or text message and tell him what you think of him and how much you are looking forward to his arrival at home, give him something to daydream about!

May you rejoice in the wife of your youth! Proverbs 5:18

Now, as I write this... Im feeling pretty convicted. Fot the past 2 weeks Im pretty sure I have done nothing but complain to poor hubby once he has gotten home, that and nag him. God wants more for him, and our marriage. These last few days before the weekend, I will ask God to help make me more aware of my words before they come spilling out of my mouth. I will pray and ask that by HIS Grace all that I say and do be nothing but encouraging and life giving! I also think I'll pick up some strawberries this Friday... ;) Ladies.... lets commit to serving our husbands and families this next week!

Romantic Date Night!

Well, on Friday dear hubby and I had our first date night alone since Diana was born! We have been trying to plan on one for the past few weeks and finally, it came! My sister Mandy came to watch Didi then spend the night (that way we would not have to worry about staying out to late!)
So, my sister came over and I gave Didi her last feeding at 6:30 then set her down to sleep and by 7:00 my husband and I were off! Of course, OUR normal bedtime is around 7:00 so we were already pretty tired, but we would not let that stop us from enjoying sweet freedom!!! :)

So first stop was filling up on coffee and gas, then off to beautiful Mauthe Lake. Once we got there we walked around the trails in the woods, then barefoot on the beach. Which, both of us agreed is highly overrated! We are very much northern people and not prone to liking sand a lot and it got all over our clothes when we tried to lay on the beach to stargaze, (One of our absolute favorite things to do!) so we then made our way to the grassy little baseball diamond. There are no lights anywhere near, so we layed there to stargaze. But the grass was so wet we could not get comfortable so we decided to make our way to the Jeep.

We took the top off, drove to the little boat dock, parked, turned on some music, and layed there and watched the stars. It was perfect! The sky was absolutely breathtaking and the air was just chilly enough that what had to get all cuddly and cozy to keep warm:)

I thought I was going to be in the mood to talk a lot, but instead felt so perfectly happy to just cuddle and listen to our songs. There were no need for words, I knew he was having just as much of a perfect time as me. I do love my husband! We are alike in all the ways that are good to be alike in a marriage, but still different enough in all the ways that are good for a marriage!

We both started falling asleep and knew that there was a 45min drive back home so decided to go drive around a bit. Again, perfect! We drove with the top down all around the woods, I could feel my nose getting all pink from the cool air and could smell the campfire smoke. Ah! What a perfect smell, and just as I thought that hubby suggested we go camping again soon:)

So with the woods steadily getting farther and farther behind us we made our way back home. I glanced at the clock, 9:05. What?! Only just after 9:00! Hubby seemed to read my thoughts. "Let's go get some more coffee then stop by the Elrun park by home. We can sit by the river and talk but still not to have far to drive when we go home. It's so early yet!" "Perfect!" I said.
I mean I was pretty tired, but we have waited so long for our date night! I didnt want it to end so soon.

But as we got near home I looked and saw in hubby's eyes that he looked just as, if not more tired than I. And I was trying not to fall asleep! "You know what hun, tonight has been perfect, lets just go home." "But it's our date night! We have been looking forward to this for so long!" " I know, but cuddling at home sounds just as good" I said, wrapping my arm in his. "Are you sure?" "Im sure!" I said, with a sleepy smile. "Ok! Lets go home! That sounds perfect!" He seemed so relieved! So we got home, sat in the parking lot a little while and...uh.. talked :) Then went up to our apt.

Mandy seemed surprised to see us "so early" It was a little after 10:00, LOL. But we are used to being up at 4:45am so was late for us. Anyway, we all drank a cup of coffee and sat around and talked and laughed and then we went to bed. The perfect end to a perfect evening! Didi slept the whole time so our first date night out was a success!