♥Steel♥

It's the traditional wedding gift for the 11th Wedding Anniversary, and I love it. It represents strength, it's reflective, it can be molded into beautiful things, and it's useful! Kind of like our marriage after our 11 years together :)This past year has been a challenging one in our family! We've been stretched and molded a lot this past year, as individuals and as a couple. Church responsibilities being, at times, demanding, children growing and needing our tender loving care, enduring illnesses and surgeries, school taking time and attention not only from my husband, but from each of us, Lyndon getting more responsibility at work, School trips, Family trips, my photography business being busier than ever before, unforeseen life expenses popping up at an alarming rate, and missing our family something fierce has made this last year feel heavy and exhausting to bear. Kind of like steel :)

But as I reflect back on what I might consider a trying year, I can see with greater clarity the beautiful relationship that has been forged between Lyndon and I as we have been forced on several occasions to truly lean on each other. And I can see the strength each of us has gained through that relationship. We understand each other, we appreciate each other; our friendship is easy, our love runs deep, our goals are eternal. I can't express how deeply I love my husband. I can't adequately voice my tender feelings towards him. He is very literally the best man I know, and often times I can very literally see the light of Christ reflected in his countenance. The idea that he loves me fills me with a sweet peace and sense of confidence that is priceless to me. It's amazing to me to learn how true love strengthens, uplifts, lightens, and brings joy into your life. How it can transform a person into someone so much better than she ever thought possible. It's miraculous, really, and my gratitude to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with a man like Lyndon runs deep. I can't express it.

Steel is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of our relationship this year :)

11 years? Is it an accomplishment? How can an accomplishment feel so easy? I think it's more of a wonderful blessing than an accomplishment, isn't it? Isn't 11 years of laughter and love more of the reward than the achievement? I kinda think so :)