Mother Love

Today is my husband’s birthday!

And since he is a man worthy to be celebrated, I’m dedicating an entire blog post to talking about him.

Let me tell you…I have an amazing husband. I’m not just saying that to make him sound good, but literally, he is amazing. I feel like somehow he came across this magical book full of husband-ly knowledge and he has the whole thing memorized and somehow I married him and am now perpetually blessed with the goodness of all that he is. I tell him that it should be a requirement that every single guy has to go out for a camping weekend with him before they get married so he can give a crash course on what it means to be a good husband, because he lives it and if every husband were as dedicated and faithful to his wife and family as he is, this world would be a much better place.

I’ve spent the last three years of my life with him, and it just gets better every year. In those years, he has become my best friend…and he is so much fun! If you know him, you know that he cares so deeply for people. Relationships are his priority, and I have learned so much from him in that area. He listens and hears people’s heart. He is so unaffected by status or popularity, and I can truly say of him that he is a man after God’s own heart. He’s a man of humility, but also a man of great strength and passion. He loves to have a good time and his belly laugh is one of the best sounds in the world. He weeps with those who weep and I’ve never seen him treat someone else’s pain or sorrow casually.

In the past year, I’ve seen him become a father, and he walks in that role with such purpose and design that it takes my breath away sometimes. He loves our little girl so tenderly, so fully. He makes her eyes light up the way that no one else can, and she already loves her daddy. I love the way he makes sure to kiss her on the cheek every morning before leaving for work, and how he makes time to sit on the floor and play her with every evening.

Babe, I’ve spent the last three of your twenty-eight years with you, and I hope and pray that I get a hundred more of those years! Every year is going to be better than the last, and it’s an incredible honor to be by your side as your wife for the rest of our days. xoxo

Photo credit: Lyndsi Photography

I realize I’m totally late to the game here with a new years post when we’re already two weeks into 2016, but no mind! Here it is.

I didn’t set a lot of resolutions or goals for this year, although Ben and I did take a morning coffee date out to set family goals for the new year. This was such a good thing and sparked a lot of conversation about what we want from life and specifically from 2016. I hope setting family goals becomes a tradition we do every year before the new year together from here on out. Personal goals are great, and we actually included a few in the family goals we put down…but I love that we set goals together and knowing how we can together make this next year the best one yet.

I did set one major intention for myself for 2016.

To live slow.

One of my greatest strengths is that I can get stuff done fast and efficiently.
One of my greatest weaknesses is that I can get stuff done fast and efficiently.

It’s so funny how that works, right? Greatest strengths can so often become our greatest weakness if we’re not careful. I’m a goal-setter-check-things-off-my-list-lets-get-all-things-done-as-quick-as-we-can kind of person. Not a bad thing necessarily, but my major intention for this year is to learn to slow it down. To take the time to appreciate the little things, to see the goodness and beauty in the every day, to be more focused in on the people around me than on my to-do list.

I had a stack of ironing to do over the weekend, and normally I just get through it as fast as I can. Not because I hate it (i actually rather like ironing), but because that’s just how I do. But this time I set up my board in the living room with Ayla playing under my feet, and I took my time laying out the clothes and pressing out the wrinkles and bending down to wiggle a toy in front of my little girl and kissing her sweet face. It took me a whole lot longer to finish the job than it normally does this time, but I didn’t even care. I was living slow and taking in the moment and it was the most satisfying ironing session I believe I’ve yet to have.

What about you: what is a goal/intention that you have for 2016?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!