my husband.

"Life" by Christian D. Larson

"Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them
to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble."

since i started dating my husband, this quote hung on his bedroom wall. it wasn't until the week before we got married, when we were in his bedroom packing his things to move into our new home, that i took the time to read it. i told him that this quote is him and he said that this is how he strives to live his life. those of you who know my husband know that he is always happy. he always is smiling and joking around. and besides that, he is such a hard worker. he is always working so hard to have the best for himself and our family, and also to serve other people. he knows his shortcomings, but is confident in himself. he has a way of making those around him feel good and happy. he is a very faithful person and his outlook and attitude about life is something i strive for. this quote now sits on our desk in our home and sometimes i take a few minutes to think about how i can implement these attributes into my own life.

my husband thinks today is just another day, but it isn't. it is the day that my best friend and the best person i know was born. i'm so grateful he came into my life, bringing with him so much light and happiness. happy birthday daws!

-misses lake

unfiltered.

most girls don't post pictures of themselves looking like a hobo on instagram, but i like to think i'm not the only girl who looks like a hobo on occasion. we don't post our burnt dinners or messy homes or blog about the fight we had with our husbands the night before. no one sees the chew marks in my furniture on my social media, only the cute faces of my dogs. we post filtered, put-together, half-versions of our lives on the internet while simultaneously monitoring these versions of others' lives.

while all these nice looking, happy experiences are wonderful, they don't add depth to our lives unless paired with adversity and tribulation. we are quick to share hand-made crafts and home cooked meals but it's difficult to make our mistakes and mess-ups public. further, we don't enjoy talking about our let downs, heartbreaks, and curve balls.

but our shortcomings, mistakes, disappointments, hurting, and stretching are beautiful experiences that can make us beautiful people. as mister lake and i come closer to our one year mark of being married i can't help but think about all the ways we have struggled, as individuals, as a couple, and with our families and close friends. struggling together has brought us closer and closer together. i'm so grateful to have someone by my side every night as i pray for strength for myself and for those i love. i'm grateful i married someone who simply laughs when i cry and yell over ridiculous things, and who loves the full, unfiltered version of me, with all my messes and imperfections.

-misses lake