THREE YEARS AND A LIFETIME AHEAD

[Last week he surprised me with amazing seats to see my favorite band in concert as an early anniversary gift. We had a sitter for almost five hours and we felt like kids again. Balance.]

I woke up this morning around 5am, crawled into the nursery with heavy eyelids, and picked up our sweet girl who was clearly ready for her morning bottle. I was in the middle of rocking her as she let out soft little coos when D slipped in. He sat on the ottoman and leaned over kissing both me and Hensley, telling us good morning. Today is our third wedding anniversary. Three years.

Since the beginning of our relationship we've managed to move seven times, have three job changes (all D, might I add - that's the sales world for you!), sell three houses, move to another state, and have not one but two beautiful children.

Life hasn't been crazier than in its current state, but this morning, when Dustin headed off to work, I sat in the quiet darkness and rocked our baby, feeling so blessed and grateful for the chaos and beauty this life has given us. You see the more I consider the last three years, the more I realize it's been during this special time that I've grown the most. That I've begun to truly figure out who I really am and what kind of life I want to lead. And the best part is that I've been able to come to these realizations with my best friend by my side.

Here's the truth. Marrying Dustin has been the most important, special, life-giving commitment I've ever made. And especially now, since we're walking through infancy number two, it really has hit me what a gift I have in him. It's not just that he changes diapers willingly, or that he goes to work every day and gives his best to provide for his family. It's not just because he's dashingly handsome or because he is so incredibly kind and generous. It's not just because he makes me feel wanted and loved and like I'm the most special person on this planet. It's that and more.

D has a talent. It's balance.

Example. My husband goes in to work somewhere between 6 and 7am every day. And he is home by 4:30pm. Every day. In his industry, this is quite unusual - often time sales directors stay at the office until at least 6pm. He works a shorter day than most yet finds great successes - just last week he closed the top amount of business amongst all of his colleagues across over 170 hotels. He pounds out the work because the reward is walking through the door at 4:30 every day. He puts forth so much effort to make the most of the hours he's in the office so that he can have the luxury of picking up Forester from school, of taking him outside and letting him play in the mud while I work on supper, of holding Hensley and feeding her a bottle, of eating with his family every night before bath time and bedtime for the children. He knows just how to find that balance. His family is his priority.

But he also knows how to balance me. I tend to "over" things. Over-worry, over-analyze, overdo. I will stack far too much on my plate at once, get overwhelmed, and then do it all anyway because I said I would from the beginning. And while I have great plans for all the things I hope to do during my downtime like sit in a quiet room to read a new book, work on some craft ideas I've had for ages, and clean out the endless amount of gardens and woods that surround our house, the truth is that I allow myself to get consumed in daily tasks - in laundry, in changing diapers, in making meals and scheduling swim lessons and sweeping up dog hair day in and day out. D is my balance. He encourages me to go for a run (which these days is just a walk, but postpartum stuff is hard so it's cool), take some time to read or write at the coffee shop while he watches the kids, head out back to get my hands dirty and work in the yard. He always knows just what I need, right when I need it.

These days this balance is such a gift and I'm so thankful to have D to encourage me in this way. His love and kindness and pure joy for life are a fresh breath of air in a world which often focuses on the opposite.

So we're headed into year four. This year will be our year of balance. No job changes, no moving, no baby-having. We're hoping to sink into the many blessings we have, to plant some roots and lean into each other more. We realized a few months ago we went from the pair who travelled non-stop to the couple who hadn't been on vacation in nearly a year. For people who love to travel and explore, we realized we need to once again make these simple things a priority. So we booked a trip to the lake where we can take our babies to the beach and enjoy some sunshine this summer. It'll be our first car trip with both kids - ten hours each way. So yeah, prayers.

Looking back, the last three years have been the absolute best. I can't think of a more loving man I'd rather spend my days with. D - you are my better half, my soulmate. Thank you. Thank you for three amazing years, two beautiful babies, and one wild life. Happy Anniversary.