doing life...together

marriage.

it's a crazy thing.

stick two people together

that have known each other for a season

and have them spend pretty much every

day and night together

for forever.

i mean wow what a brilliant idea.

doing life with someone

is serious business.

life is complicated.

life is ever changing.

life is emotional.

life is crazy.

so, in the midst of doing life

and trying to keep yourself together,

you get to make sure someone

else is okay all along the way.

normally i would say...

shoot me now.

no thanks.

i want no part of anything like that.

however,

doing life... together

with this guy...

has been freakin awesome.

i will be the first to admit

we have had some rough years.

and i know i won't have this

freakin awesome attitude everyday

for forever.

heck you may hear me complaining

about this dude tomorrow.

but that's the beauty of marriage

you can do that.

right.

:)

but right now...

we are having a blast.

this year has been so great.

we are just building this

simple

beautiful

laid back

adventure filled

random

little life.

and i'm smitten with it.

i am so excited about where we are

and where we are going.

our sweet god has been pulling on us lately

and calling us to new heights.

i'm excited about that.

we have been settling into our home

and making it a place of peace

and rest and joy.

i'm excited about that.

we have been learning each other

and respecting each other

and taking care of each other.

i'm excited about that.

i feel like we are at this place where

we are compromising

and giving in

and trying harder than ever

and it's just been so much easier.

funny how when you quit

over thinking life

and just live...

it simplifies.

at the beginning of this year

it wasn't easy and god had to really

lay it on us and let us know

what needed changing.

he shook us up.

and a part of me wanted to run.

i now see that he was shaking us

to build us and prepare us for

what he's going to do.

we are his children and our marriage

has a mighty purpose

and a mighty ministry

and boy are we ready for it.

we want to win souls.

we want to care for the broken.

we want to make people feel like people.

we want to bring back the love of god

to as many wounded hearts as we can.

and just knowing that we have that

pull on our hearts...together

gets me so excited

for what's to come.

doing life...together

is crazy beautiful.

we are polar opposites.

i am strong willed.

he is easy going.

i am a perfectionist.

he accepts what things are and aren't.

i am passionate.

he has the same reaction to everything.

(which sometimes drives me nuts)

i am guarded.

he is open.

we are learning how to use these

opposites in the best ways possible.

how to balance each other.

how to embrace what the other has to offer

instead of fighting against it.

isn't that what doing life...together 

is all about.

so while doing life...together

at first glance,

doesn't sound like the most brilliant

of ideas.

i'm learning that it is.

you have someone to pick you

up and dust you off when you fall.

you have someone to force a smile

when your day just plain sucks.

you have someone bring you back

to earth when your ideas and emotions

are roaming wild.

you have someone to drink coffee with.

you have someone to have adventures with.

even if they're lame.

you have someone to talk to.

to yell at.

to hug.

to kiss.

to love.

this whole doing life...together

it's becoming one of my most favorite things.

ash...