Today, my husband and I celebrate eight wonderful years of marriage! Wow…we look so young in that picture! I cannot say enough good things about Benjamin. He is a wonderful husband and a pillar of strength. He was very supportive through the pregnancy and bedrest (he even worked from home so that he could be helpful to me) and then through the loss of our child. He was with me at the doctor’s appointments, went to the store for any need I had, and did not mind that I loafed around in sweats and no makeup while dishes piled up in the sink. He works so hard to provide for us and even worked a second job for 3 1/2 years (until his contract expired last Saturday) while also going to school. He is handsome, affectionate, and my best friend.We both truly believe that our marriage is a very good one. We made a promise of “till death do us part” in the eyes of God and men, signed our names to that contract, and firmly believe in upholding it. Because we both agree that divorce is not an option, we are not looking for a way out of our marriage. We are stuck (in a good way) and there is no back door to escape through. Through all of life’s joys and challenges, we stand firmly together with the help of God. I think that since marriage is a permanent thing and we do not have a way out of it, then our life together becomes whatever we make of it. It can be good or it can be awful, but it is our choice which it will be. We can each be rude, selfish, and unforgiving, or we can overlook one another’s faults and readily forgive shortcomings. If my husband can overlook all of my faults and love me just the way I am, then surely I can do the same for him. Happy anniversary, Benjamin – I love you!
For our anniversary this year, we are not exchanging gifts. Instead, we splurged on one big gift for both of us: new living room furniture! I am so excited about the new furniture. Our…ahem…vintage furniture was well past its prime. During our first few years of marriage we accumulated the mis-matched furniture that young newlyweds with little money are prone to accumulate: a denim couch that looked very worn very quickly (yeah, we forgot to think about what happens to a favorite pair of jeans), a third-hand recliner that smelled of cigarettes – even after Febreeze and a slipcover, and a parisian style bowl chair. When we bought our house, we were offered a set of matching furniture. Though it was not particularly my taste (maybe I could pass it off as granny-chic?), it was a neutral color and in fairly good condition, considering its age. So we have lived with it for several years, despite the worn spots, popping buttons, and lack of firmness in the seat cushion. The couch became damaged beyond repair several weeks ago when my husband accidentally sat on one of those flowing ink pens. The ink stain was bad: dark blue on a taupe couch. Benjamin diligently tried to remove the ink, and was successful in removing much of it, but the fabric did not hold up under the blotting and rubbing. We now have a stain and a rip in the middle of the seat cushion. Benjamin made the announcement that we were going to get new furniture a couple of weeks ago and the search began. Last night we made our final decision and the new set should be delivered in a couple of weeks! I must stay that our stimulus check was very helpful in making this purchase. (Thanks, Uncle Sam.) Below is a before pictures of the old furniture, taken a couple of years ago. (The chair in the foreground of the pictures has since been moved to the right, beside the entertainment center and next to the ledge, where the footstool is in the pictures.
I will share the after pics when the new furniture arrives!
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I also want to say a big *thank you* to those of you who took the time to call, email, or leave a comment about the miscarriage. My husband and I appreciate all of the kind words and prayers.
