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