Florida beach = warm & lots of sunshine, right? Ha. Funny.
After having lived through one of the harshest Minnesota winters recorded, we thought we'd visit someplace nice, warm and sunny for our anniversary. Naturally, we thought a nice Florida beach might meet all our expectations...and it did. For a few hours. Then it commenced to pour/flood/monsoon the rest of our two days near Destin at Miriam Beach. Pretty sure we brought back the rain with us to Minnesota. Why? Because June was the wettest month recorded. EVER. In all of history. Minnesota is all about breaking records when the Smiths move into town! Yeeesh.
Right, back to our anniversary. Tons. of. rain. No big deal. On to plan B! We still had fun and I was able to capture a few shots before the massive storm hit. We laughed while getting absolutely and completely soaked from head-to-toe while running to the car after the movies; had a blast playing nine-hole putt-putt; enjoyed some celebratory sweet treats from a local cupcakery and still enjoyed spending some much needed time together. Oh Florida, though we've missed you, we really wish you would have stayed sunny for us!
No matter. We still celebrated three years of marriage. Through the ups and downs, the moves, buying our first home, a new "fur-baby" (whom you'll meet on the blog at some point), new friends, job changes and selling our first home, a lot has happened over the past three years and I am proud that we had each other to experience it with. Our marriage has grown stronger because of some of the trials we have been through. We have also been blessed beyond measure! God's grace continues to be our salvation and His love for us and our love for one another seems to be the only constant sometimes. Of course, there's life's lessons we are learning:
Change is good. Marriage is great. God is best. (And paleo chocolate chip cookies seem to work wonders when apologizing.) But really friends, hear me: God is best. Sometimes we think we need more money, more power, more friends, more success, more dessert, more house, more things, etc., to make our marriage work....but really, we just need more Jesus. Though we still have much to learn, I know we wouldn't want anyone but each other by our side, journeying through this life's adventures together.
Embre, the past three years have been an incredible whirlwind! Our lives have changed so much. I have no idea what God has planned for us next, but amidst the uncertainty, I am certain of this: I will always love you. There is no one else I'd rather share this life with. I remember the first time I saw you in the high school band hall:
"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen." -- Winnie the Pooh
"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." -- Emily Brontë
