4 Years

Time is flying baby.

I didn’t think I could love you more than when I married you, and yet day after day and year after year loving you just gets sweeter. I am so very thankful for you – for your love for Jesus, your leadership of our family, your passion for life, your amazing patience, and your steadfast love – you truly are a gift.

It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready to get married and I was waiting to walk down the aisle to you, and here we are four years in, an almost three year old and one on the way (very soon to be arriving!). Each year has been special and each year holds such sweet memories.

Honestly, each year just keeps getting better and better. I am so proud of all the hard work you do for our family. Watching you the last year and a half switch industries, learn something completely new and thrive in it amazes me. You are my inspiration and you push me to be a better version of me. Thank you for always listening to my constant rambles, for gentle encouraging me to grow in areas of weakness, and being a safe place. You feel like home and with you, I am most myself. Home truly is wherever I am with you, as cheesy as that sounds and I can’t wait (okay, I can’t wait a little) to grow old with you. But let’s not get too old too fast – okay?

We’ve walked through some pretty amazing moments together and some really low valleys together too. And honestly, it’s those valleys that have drawn us both closer to each other and only deepened our love for Jesus and each other. I am so thankful to run this race with you by my side – I am so thankful we can life and laugh and kiss and hug and forgive and make mistakes together. Aside from Jesus, you are my best and dearest friend and having you walk through this life together with me is my favorite thing in the whole world.

The past four years have been so sweet, so crazy, and filled with so many ups and downs.

Some of my favorite moments

• Honeymooning in CA. Let’s do that again. Oh and remember running in 113 degree heat – let’s NOT do that again, though?
• Finding out we were expecting Benaiah and listening to his heartbeat for the first time.
• Having Benaiah and hearing you announce “It’s a BOY” through tear and relief filled eyes. Oh what a moment!
• Running an 18 mile run with you (you dominated and I sort of did haha) then hopping into the car to drive 18 hours to see Nathaniel, Hannah, and Nora in Louisiana.
• Running our first half marathon together and finishing just before hopping into the car to race back for church. Why do we always run to the car immediately after long run/races??
• Running our first full marathon together. So many sweet, painful moments shared on course. You cheering me on when I was mentally giving up is some of my most favorite memories ever.
• Eating bowls of popcorn and watching Jurassic Park and Star Wars series together.
• Our first Christmas
• Going to get our first Christmas tree together and having to tie it on the car twice. #pros
• Camping for the first time ever, by ourselves and having to order pizza because we didn’t know how to camp. Classic.
• Completing our first official (my first) Cross Fit class together and hobbling the rest of the weekend, together.
• Spotting you and Benaiah, standing at mile 11.5 waiting to run with me, in the pouring rain, to the finish line and claim a PR in the half marathon. One of my all time favorite racing memories.
• Going to North Carolina and South Carolina the past two years. So special to run numerous beach runs together, build sandcastles with Benaiah, and see various historical locations. So much fun!
• Laughing our way through Psych and crying while watching Tim Hawkins clips together.
• Getting the job you were hoping and praying for and watching you pass (with flying colors) the series 66 and 7. SO PROUD.
• Going for a walk on a crisp Autumn day when I had a really really bad emotional day (with postpartum anxiety) and getting hot cocoa. That walk and that feeling of feeling safe with you and sipping hot cocoa is one of my favorites. Not because it was a good day, but because you were present in the bad with me.
• Finding out we were (are) expecting baby #2 and seeing your expression. Best day ever.
• Watching you excel at numerous soccer games and play with passion. I love seeing you come alive.
• Dozens of notes and flowers
• Celebrating our three year anniversary in Chicago and riding on a boat together, ordering the best protein smoothies, eating super delish pizza (and paying an amazing amount for sparkling water) and staying at a super nice hotel. So special.
• And so many more memories…

Thank you Landon for being my best friend, my hero and my favorite person to be around. I am so excited to see what year four brings. Here’s to year 4. I am praying that it will be even sweeter. I love you.