Nine Years with The Babe.

For someone who is a "writer by profession", there are a few things that I still have trouble putting into words (thankfully, there is a word for that: Ineffable). And one of those things is the way I feel about my husband. My joy, my gratitude, my overwhelming love for this man run so deep and wild that words feel like a pathetic attempt to capture and reign in and control something that is better left untamed.

I still daydream about him when I'm driving.

Every sappy love song reminds me of us.

I am in awe of how he can balance me, bring me back to what's important, make me laugh when I really want to be grumpy.

I am amazed -- and oh so humbly thankful -- at his desire to live a life of sacrifice for me. It plays out in our lives every day in big and small ways, and I know -- without a doubt -- that his constant effort to put my needs before his own is the single biggest contributor to the joy we find in marriage. (Aside from the grace of God, but do I even need to say that??)

I love to watch him struggle. To wrestle with himself. And I love seeing God win, because he always does. I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned in my nearly-nine-years of marriage is to simply pray for my husband's weaknesses. And then sit back and let God work. Man, that's been fun to see.

If this is too over-the-line cheesy for you, stop reading now because it's about to get worse.

Perhaps what I treasure most about the Babe, what I realize is truly a gem, is that I get how much he loves me. I know that I am loved in a way that is rare and beautiful and I count it as a nothing less than pure gift.

And here's the part the just makes me laugh: Our relationship should NOT be this way. I think we probably raised a few eyebrows when we got married, and may have seemed oddly matched to some. Even I look back on my 18-year-old-self and wonder what I was thinking when we first started dating. But, little by little, God turned what should have been a mess into a beautiful relationship. And it is only by His grace and lavish love for us that we are sustained.

So tomorrow we are leaving the 4 bambinos at grandma's and escaping for a night away to early-celebrate our 9 year anniversary. I CANNOT WAIT to sleep, and read, and rest, and hang out with my man. Ahhhh...ineffable.