I have never been a huge Valentine's day person.  In fact, I think I more often make fun of the holiday than I think of it's sweetness.  I think we should be recognizing the love we have for each other every day, not just on a day that is full of over the top flowers, candy, big gestures, etc.  But this year, I decided to get over my distaste for the holiday and just dwell a little bit on the love that the Lord has blessed me with through my husband.  With that said, I have to share a little story with you to give you a taste of the love I share with my husband.  

Two and a half years ago, before my husband and I were even engaged, he was getting ready to go back to graduate school (across the country from me) and he said that he wanted to give me something. He warned me that it was in a jewelry box, but not to get worked up because it wasn't THAT piece of jewelry.  Not knowing what to expect, I opened the box and found this beautiful opal necklace on a delicate gold chain.  I noticed that the box was a bit dusty and that it creaked when I opened it, which was a bit odd- but I did not anticipate the story that explained this mystery.  

When my husband was 12 years old, he went on a trip to Australia with a student group.  Among many activities, they visited an opal factory.  The factory explained how these are not the same as the opals you will find in the U.S.- that they are of a higher quality.... okay, let's be honest I can't remember the rest of that explanation, but it's not the point of the story.  My husband continued this story telling me how he knew he was going to buy a necklace for his aunt (because his uncle asked him to), and his mother, but then he told me how he wanted to buy a third one for a more personal reason.  He decided that he wanted to buy another opal necklace to give to his future wife some day.  umm.. WHAT?!  So he bought three necklaces, took them home, and hid the last one in his closet.  And 12 years later he dug out the necklace and gave it to me.

My jaw dropped when he finished the story and presented me with the necklace.  I could not get over how sweet that story was.  I mean seriously, what 12 year old boy would think that far ahead, with no particular girl in mind, just thinking to himself 'hey, that'd be great to give to my wife someday!'  Needless to say, I am a lucky lady.  

Thinking about that story gets me every time.  I am seriously amazed at the way that God provided for me with my husband.  He loves me in such a beautiful, caring, selfless, wholehearted way that it seriously throws me for a loop sometimes.  And what I really appreciate is that he gives me a glimpse of the way that God loves us.  It is hard to imagine that God loves us in an even grander, more perfect way than we could ever experience here on earth.  I am so so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with this sweet, sweet man to spend the rest of my life with and to remind me of the One who loves me even more.  

Okay, my moment of mushy gushy, cheesey lovey dovey-ness is over.  Hopefully you made it through without gagging ;) But in all seriousness, my hope for you today is that you might know that you are truly loved.  Even if you don't feel it at this moment, I promise you- there is One who loves you much more than you can possibly imagine.  

xoxo

Tonight I am blogging from what used to be my bedroom for 3 months, at my sister's place. We decided that it has been awhile since we had a sleepover, and a random Wednesday night was what we picked. My sister and I have a really special relationship. She is not just my sister, she's my best friend. She knows me inside and out, makes me laugh when I'm cranky, let's me share her clothes, pretty much everything you could want in a sister.

For the past 3 years, I had been living on my own. I had a cute 1-bedroom apartment, in a brick story-book apartment building, that had great character, and a perfect location- just a block from the nearest Alterra. I loved it! I had never lived alone prior to this and I absolutely loved it. It gave me a great opportunity to really get to know myself, and experience what living on your own is like. You can make messes wherever you want, when you want, you can move your bedroom around just so your bed is in the perfect spot to watch Avatar on the TV in the living room while falling asleep (yup I did that), heck- you can even walk around naked if you want. :) Overall, living alone was great.

This past August, life turned into a whirlwind of change, and my time of living alone was up. My position at work was eliminated and I was preparing to get married. I personally did not believe in living with my fiancé before getting married, so I knew that I was going to figure something else out. As this was all happening with me, my sister was in the process of moving out of her old place into her own super cute, 2-bedroom apartment. So what ended up happening worked out PERFECTLY. In the process of ending a lease and starting a new lease, my sister ended up in my joint for a month. Picture this: two queen beds and two dressers in a one-bedroom apartment. May sound cramped, but thankfully I had a big bedroom and really it was great. It was like a sleepover with your best friend for a month- we had a blast. At the end of that month she moved into her place, and 2 weeks later my lease ended and over I came to her house. Unlike my place she had two bedrooms- so I had a separate space to call my own.

Living with my sister for the 3 months prior to getting married was one of the biggest blessings that I experienced in preparing for the next stage of my life. As I was sitting here tonight, with my sister having already fallen asleep I walked around the apartment and the familiar scent filled my nose. I stood there for a moment in the darkness of her living room and let the memories flood back in. So much happened in this place in the 3 months that I spent here. Putting together wedding invites, wrapping bridesmaid gifts, putting together seating charts, fabulous dinner and sleepover for my bachelorette party, what had to have been the best bridal shower on earth (really I must tell you about that another time- I had a cake with the most adorable shoes on it, as a gift from my bridesmaids), and primping and putting on my wedding gown, all took place in this space.

I look back on those 3 months with the fondest of memories. I could not have had the best experience in preparing for my wedding. Besides all the fun that happened in this apartment, the ultimate reason that these memories are so great is because of the blessing of being able to spend so much time with my ever-so-loving sister. I am thankful for a wonderful sister who even though we don't live under the same roof anymore, welcomes me into her home no matter what the hour, who runs over to my house when I'm having a hard day, who buys me a bottle of wine and bubble bath after a stressful interview, and who still wants to have sleepovers even in the middle of the week.

I am thankful that the simple moment of breathing in the aromas that fill this space triggered such fond memories and reminders of how blessed I am.