Happy Anniversary

To us. Steven and me, that is. We got married 7 years ago yesterday. We have recently listened to the first two cd's in a series on marriage by Tim Keller. They are excellent. He makes the comment in one that one night he was going to bed after a long, hard day of marriage. haha! Some days are like that, aren't they? But he also talks about in a later sermon (I have listened to them all-Steven and I are now listening to them together) that marriage is meant to make us holy, and if we are usable, God will use us to make each other more into the image of Christ. I probably completely botched up what Tim Keller really says, but you get the picture.

He also says that we are to ever so gently, in love, reprove each other. This is where I fail miserably. I am not super sensitive and I can point out Steven's flaws in a second. He has flaws and goodness knows I have mine. But we choose to love even when it seems hard and we are in a covenant relationship. I am so thankful that God allowed me to marry a man who knows what this means and the seriousness of it. I am also so very thankful that he loves and has a passion for God's Word. That he loves our children and they have a Godly father to influence and play that crucial role in their lives. I am blessed.

We have some very dear friends, Ben and Esther, who so graciously allowed us to celebrate by going out to dinner in Huntsville. It was a treat, for sure. They don't have any children (as of yet) and when we got back I asked them if they had changed their mind about having any:) I think for the most part things went well. I know it sounds like we're becoming party animals and leaving our kids with sitters all the time, but this was very rare, really. I think things will be back to normal for awhile now.

Like I said, I'm very thankful for my husband, but I am about to share a few superficial things that I am very thankful for as well.

First....MY SWING! Can you hear my excitement?


Now picture it painted black and hopefully distressed a little, with a few decorative pillows. And not sitting on the garage floor, but hanging here:

Call it an anniversary gift, call it the fall weather just pushed us over the edge, but we bit the bullet. There is a man that lives not too far from here who makes swings and rockers. I hope some rockers will take their place on the other end of the porch at some point in the future.

I also bit the bullet and bought this:

Our dinners were starting to burn and stick to the old pan that you see on the left. I got it when we got married, so it's, well, 7 years old. It has served us well. It didn't take much convincing for Steven to be okay with this purchase. He's not much for burnt dinners.

And finally, my pansies. This is more of a happy thank a thankful. They just make me happy.
The orange is my favorite!