Valentine's Day

Well, I've pretty much given up on trying to do the February Photo-A-Day challenge, but I am trying to be more consistent in taking pictures of our day-to-day life together. Yesterday was Valentine's Day and Nate made it so wonderful for me! We have always made a big deal of our anniversary and of birthdays, but never really made a big deal out of Valentine's so we were not planning much. We had just planned on trying a new recipe at home and that was it. However, when I got home, Nate opened the door just a crack and said, "You're early!" (which I wasn't), and I knew right then that he was up to something. I walked in to find that the house had been cleaned, the table was set and a dozen roses in a vase. He even made the bed and left some chocolates there. It was so romantic!

Definitely my best Valentine's Day so far! I love my husband! :)

Marriage Advice

Today, via Pinterest, I came across a new (to me) blog, Today's Letter. The first post I read was called "10 Things that Have Made All the Difference". I LOVED the advice in this post! Nathan and I have a great marriage but its because we work at it. We have made our marriage a top priority in our lives and we treat it like the valuable and precious gift it is. Emily's post had some great ideas for little things that could make a big difference in a marriage. I just wanted to share her post here so that others could enjoy it, too. Nate and I have decided that we are definitely going to start a "Metal Box Account" so that we, too, can enjoy a second honeymoon sometime! ;) Enjoy!

Day 3: Hands

I love the theme for Day 3 of the February Photo-A-Day Challenge. Here's my photo:

Obviously, I chose to photograph myself holding hands with Nate, as its one of my favorite things to do! (Although, I did think about taking a picture of my finger because I burned it last weekend and now it has these really weird/annoying leathery-feeling patch on it, but it probably wouldn't show up in pictures...lucky you!). See, Nate and I spent a year of the year-and-a-half that we dated at the Word of Life Bible Institute, where there is a "No PC (personal contact)" rule for guys and girls. I'm not going to lie, it was extremely difficult to date him and spend so much time with him without being able to hug him, kiss him, or even hold his hand. I think that time made us appreciate every bit of the freedom that we have in marriage even more. Now, it just feels weird to be next to him and not hold his hand.
We have "Move Along" by the All-American Rejects on one of our mix CDs and one of my all-time favorite lines is "Your hands are mine to hold". I think that is the best possible caption for this picture and perfectly explains why I enjoyed today's theme so much!

Marriage Blessings

I just want to say that I am thankful for a great marriage and a great husband. I am so, so thankful that "working" at our marriage has never felt like working but just like loving each other insanely and deeply. Nate makes it so easy to love him and be thankful for him. I hope that I make it as easy for him to love me. Nate's friendship and love is a constant reminder of how I blessed I am and how much God loves me. Nate has truly loved me like Christ loves the church and he is everything a husband should/could possibly be. I couldn't think of a better way for God to teach us about Him than to bless us with marriage.