{Humble Pie} Our Anniversary

This past Saturday was our fifth anniversary. Despite being a nice milestone, we have had lots of travel and busy-ness so far this summer so I was expecting that it would stay "low key". We hadn't made any plans except for a "fancy" dinner for which we'd splurge on ribeye steaks and drink cheap champagne. Oh... and eat at the Mediterranean restaurant on Friday for lunch because I was able to snag a gift certificate through one of those online discount deals. Yeah... super fancy.

This was our anniversary gift from Ivy last year,
in lovely bloom for the occasion this year.

So I was quite surprised to wake up on Saturday morning, make our "gourmet" breakfast of a nectarine and some cinnamon toast, and come back into the bedroom to find a gift. Not just any gift but a brown paper package, tied up with string. What's not to love about that? (And someone's been practicing his package knot.)

The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals
By Gail Damerow

It was this book, which I've daydreamed about for a while now. These past two years in Morgantown have been a bit rough. We have so much to be thankful for and all is going well but its hard to be so far away from family, in what is so obviously "the North," living on a postage stamp, were the stress never ends. We carry on all the time about having a small holding in our next season of life... not a farm, per se, but just enough land to have just enough stuff to keep us good and busy while having fresh, homegrown food. Even though this book seems quite random for anyone else, it hit me hard because it was the first step towards that future we talk about so often. It took the plan out of imaginary-land and into reality, just a bit. I cried. It didn't help my case that the book was accompanied by one of Julian's signature homemade cards which induce sidesplitting laughter, except when I'm already crying.

We did some yardsale-ing since it was Saturday morning and scored a $50 auto timer sprinkler set for the yard for $6, a triumph for Julian. We did other shopping that is outside of the normal realm of "shopping day" and when Julian asked if I wanted to go to Chili's for lunch (we've put the kebash on eating out for a bit) I cried again! For heaven's sake! What is wrong with me?

So we had a great time at Chili's and ate so much we took home the rest in boxes. But alas, that meant that the one sweet thing I HAD planned wouldn't even go off, because there was no way we would have a steak dinner after eating out. So out came the heart shaped pancake tins, it was the very least I could do.

Anniversary pancakes

Throughout the day I just kept thinking, "I've got nothing to give, I don't deserve this." It was a very humbling experience to realize that Julian loves me because he is my groom, the one for whom I was chosen as helpmeet (good thing he didn't need much help on Saturday, cause I wasn't it!) It seemed a perfect picture of the Gospel because we do not deserve anything but God's wrath and yet through Jesus, the groom of the church, we know God's love. 

So the weekend was calm with no great hoo-rah, yet it was full of precious moments I won't soon forget. It was a perfect way to commemorate our happy marriage. How blessed am I!

We finally landed two fish from the Mon River.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.