i just want to write down the goodness. i don't want to forget this time.

coming home the day we bought our house after painting all day, hot, sweaty, exhausted, giddy and over the moon and doing all over again the next day.

dancing to jolene in the low kitchen light on a friday night after having a date going to home depot to buy toilets for our house.

lazy sunday afternoons at the pool

summertime is so good for our souls. laughing longer, going to bed while the sun is still up. late weekend nights on the patio playing cards.

this season is very sweet. emily asked me today how life was and i said it was wonderful. i know just a month ago we were struggling. we were fighting all the time. every weekend included tears. you're so stressed out at work. buying a house was a lot more stressful than we anticipated. you were drinking and smoking often.

i asked if we could consider counseling. you asked if we could give it a month. you started trying harder and i did too. we communicated better. we said please thank you and i'm sorry more. you bought me bananas at the store because you were concerned i didn't have enough for the week. i come home and start supper when you have a late interview. i fold laundry every sunday or monday night. we get in bed happy and tired every night.

i walked up the stairs this weekend and thought wow i'm really enjoying brandon. its true when people talking about loving and liking someone. liking someone does not come naturally all the time. i love brandon always. i love him when we are having hard conversations. i love him in the tears. i love him because he's a lot quicker to apologize than i am. i love him because he is more full of grace than i am. i don't always like him though. but i am lately. i am really liking him and that feels so good.

matthew 11:28-30 in the message is so good

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

i'll show you how to take real rest. brandon is showing me this too. laying on the couch in the middle of a saturday afternoon reading a book. going to bed at 8 on a friday night to watch netflix. going for long walks saturday nights. we are learning unforced rhythms of grace in our marriage. in our hearts. in our home. i want this home to be a home of rest. i want us to live knowing that everything is actively being redeemed.