Welcome to our marriage.

The picture says it all really. I'm busy being ridiculous, while Stevo's just there--minding his own business, along for the ride, wondering what's wrong with me.

This picture makes me smile. Steven makes me smile. Better yet, our marriage makes me smile.

One of my friends made a list the other day of the silly things her husband now does because they're married. It was quite entertaining and made me think...what are the ridiculous things that Steven has acquired through marrying and living with this lil asian girl from the suburbs? Surely there has to be a few...

Ooohh, there were...more than a few actually. And I made a list to prove it :)

1. Stevo must now drink 1% milk--none of that 2% cream. Yuck. Not to mention, foods with "high fiber" and "low fat" have made it into his diet.
2. Stevo has become a true city driver, knowing full well that going 15 miles could take 15 hours.
3. Stevo's extra change now goes directly to the "Lauren's Target Fun Fund".
4. Stevo exists on much less sleep. While he supports my love for having people over constantly, his sleep time has greatly suffered.
5. While we're talking about sleep, Stevo has not only had to get used to sleeping with me, but with two other fun friends....Meet Blankie #1 and Blankie #2. Had em since I was a baby and I've taken them into marriage. While Steven hasn't exactly embraced them as much as I would like him to (he often chucks them across the room if they ever touch him and affectionately calls them "rat balls"), he still tolerates them. And well, I'll take it.
6. Stevo now watches LOST, American Idol, Survivor, the Food Network and any other TV show I'm currently hooked on.
7. Stevo, the small-town-farm-boy, lives in the suburbs. Enough said.
8. Stevo has 507 pictures of himself on facebook. All tagged and added by me. The last year and a half of his life has been fully documented. Sometimes he gets annoyed, but he'll thank me later.
9. Stevo now eats dessert after every meal...even when he doesn't want it...which is a lot of the time.
10. Stevo is now a gchatter.
11. Stevo now has to hold in a lot of farts. (He's allowed to fart as much as he wants, until a smelly one comes out. When this happens, I no longer allow him to continue any such activity.)
12.That's right. Stevo now has to dance at weddings. And I think he's secretly starting to like it.
13. Stevo now has an alarm set on his phone & computer to "alert" him of my "special time of the month"--just so he can be extra sensitive/on guard. (He's become a smart, smart man, no?)
14. Stevo is no longer shocked to find long black hair everywhere and anywhere. It's become a part of life and something to be expected.
15. Stevo has become accustomed to watching sports with a girl--which means having no one to really talk about the game with. But...it does mean having really good "game day food" and an enthusiastic cheerleader for the last 2 minutes of the game...if it's close.

So these may seem silly, but reading through them make me smile. Like I said, our marriage, in all its quirkiness, just makes me smile.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner and in thinking through this list, I was reminded of how blessed I am to have such a great husband. It's funny to think about how opposite we are, but how well we really do work. It's funny to think about how it had to be God who brought us together because we would have never imagined it for ourselves. It's funny to think of how many little things in our individual lives really have changed since getting married, but how much sweeter life truly is.

It's a major reason why I love my life so much--I get to share it with Steven. Call me corny, but it's true. I love how he's my steady force when I'm so up and down and everywhere in between. I love how easy he's made it for a person like me, stubborn and self-sufficient, to follow him. I love how he tries and tries and tries to communicate and pursue me even when I insist that "nothing is wrong". I love how he has studied me and knows me so intimately that he can predict the next thing I'm going to say or think.

And I love how he's become my living definition of hesed.

I know that no matter what, his love for me is steadfast and true. And even when I screw up, his grace and forgiveness cover me. In times that I have failed him, he's reminded me that nothing I do will make him love me any less, for his commitment and love is not based on performance or conditions.

I have found freedom here.

I have found a safe place for me to struggle, fail, question, and hurt. I have found a place to attempt things I wouldn't think of doing on my own, to take bigger leaps of faith, knowing that he's got my back. I have found someone who lives out Christ's love for me in a tangible, authentic and passionate way.

I am grateful.

I am grateful for our marriage. I am grateful for Steven. For the big, important ways he's changed my life. And for the little, silly ways he's let me change his.