4 Years!

Josh and I celebrated 4 years of marriage this year! Our wedding day was quite possibly the happiest day of my life.  Everything seemed right in the world.  All of our friends and family were supporting us and loving us.  We had a blast.

I love that in the first year, we never fought - we just were happy to be under the same roof! In the second year, we moved and got involved with a new ministry - and what do you know, we had some disagreements (shocking, right?)!  In the third year, we welcomed little Anna into our lives - and again, more stress and battles!  But, through the struggles in our own lives, we've learned a lot about each other and the need to show grace on each other EVERYDAY. 

Afterall, that is what God does for His children!

Speaking of grace, we celebrated our anniversary with a trip to the beach (after the busy summer season). Here are a few pics:

 It was our first time to be away from Anna.  We went big - meaning we flew on a plane and went to Florida.  It was tough to leave our little one, but she was in good hands, and we may not have a chance at extended couple time for a while.  So we swam in the pool, discussed the future while gazing at the ocean, did some reading and watched TV (cooking channel and some guy movies - we compromised ;)).

It was sooo refreshing to get away from the everyday and reconnect as a couple.  We try to take a get-a-way every year, and we are always so glad that we did. 

I don't know about you, but I need constant encouragement for my marriage, because it's so easy to let stress and everyday things get you down. I came across some great encouragment from Kristen over at We Are That Family:

You've got to do more than just love your spouse, you've got to like them too. Let's be honest, that line between crazy passion and white fury can be fine. One of the things I love most about my in-laws and parents is that they generally like each other.  They enjoy eating together, talking together, and just being together...

I know it may sound simple-minded, but I know a lot of couples who air-quote love each other, but treat one another pretty badly...But, we did choose our spouses, and that choice is for the good, bad, and ugly times.  Making a concious choice to hush when we really want to say something negative or thank them when it cost us something or putting our dreams and plans aside temporarily to make theirs come true - that's what makes this whole thing work.