Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Landon has seriously hit the nail on the head for the past few years with his Christmas gifts to me. It's because he started shopping Etsy.

Shopping Etsy requires planning ahead of time for shipping of items made by one person (in most cases) in small batches. My love language is quality time, and I consider this type of thinking ahead a huge show of love.

When I receive gifts like this, I know that my man spent time thinking about me, picking out a gift he knows I will love...before Christmas Eve at 8 p.m.

I would certainly not turn down "real" diamond studs, but these babies are really more my style.

Understated. Clever. Lovely.

In the words of Landon's cousin, "Those are even better than the real thing!"

Please excuse the black circles under my eyes. My nearly-7-month-old still doesn't sleep through the night. Not.even.close. Good thing I have cute earrings to distract from my sleepiness.

date night.

grown ups & too much popcorn
chili's & chips, soup, chicken
rainbow sherbet & reese's pieces 31 below
park swings & conversation & dreams
::perfection::

30 things i love about my 30-year-old love.

1. his blond beard
2. his clear blue eyes
3. how he gave his blond hair and blue eyes to our children
4. his memories of me when we were dating
5. his hands
6. how he listens to podcasts of other preachers to learn and grow
7. how often he volunteers or agrees to do the dishes
8. his vocabulary
9. how his mind is always on his flock
10. how so many people consider him their best friend, me included
11. how he doesn't seem to find me less attractive on days i haven't washed my hair or put on makeup
12. his dreams, for our family and for his ministry
13. his giving heart, he truly longs to bless others
14. the way his ankles look covered in grass after he's mowed the lawn
15. how he brags that i like to watch sports with him
16. how well he fathers our daughter: captivated by her all the time, firm when needed
17. how well he fathers our son: just enough rough and tumble, plenty of affection
18. how it feels to lay in bed next to him during a sunday afternoon nap
19. how he can talk me down from any stress or worry
20. the way he stares at me
21. the way he commands respect
22. how he makes me laugh
23. his movie quoting obsession
24. his relationship with his family
25. the way he looks while he drives
26. the way he sings in the shower
27. his hugs and kisses
28. his love of reading
29. his west texas roots
30. how he rescued me, teaching me what a good, godly man ought to be, being one i want to spend 30+30+30 more years with.

happy 30th birthday, landon. i love you more than you will ever fathom.

cuatro. quatre. four.

four years? four years.

i've been married for four years. i've been a wife for four years. i have lived with landon henry for four years.

i can't believe it.

i feel what people always say about things like marriages and children: it seems like we just got married, but i can't even remember a time when we weren't.

it's true.

my being is so intertwined with his that i cannot separate anything that is important to me from him. everything is connected. as david said in our wedding four years ago, that day we stopped being "landon" OR "sarah" and became "landon AND sarah."

as with any relationship, we ebb and flow with great times and not-as-great times. but i truly buy into the belief that this whole marriage thing, when done right, gets better the longer you're together.

we have history. the more history we make, the more we have to stand on. it's hard to describe how that makes me feel. all i can say is it's wonderful. i look at landon, and i see my world. what more could i ask?

my love...it is truly an honor to be your wife and the mother of your children. i love growing and changing with you. i am so glad i chose you to be the witness to my life. and you do so much more than witness. you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. you have taught me so much. i love you more than you'll ever know. happy 4th anniversary. yours...sarah