THE PETERSENS

Ben and I have found much renewed sweetness and passion in our marriage during his semester off from seminary.  It helps that we actually spend time together now, I guess!  So, our Valentine’s Day this year was very intentional.  We celebrated the day before because we scheduled a babysitter for that night, knowing full well everyone would be out on the actual holiday.  The morning started off with a gift and card from my two little boys, Joshua Lee and Caleb (with a little help from Ben, of course).  Ben also made Valentine Funfetti cupcakes that Joshua Lee and I enjoyed for a morning snack.  While Ben was at work, Joshua Lee and I got to work and made a very fun and glittery card for Daddy from his two sons.  Joshua Lee also assisted in making heart confetti that I put all over our white bedspread.  He had a great time making "surprises."  When Ben got home, we spent some time as a family and got the kids ready for bed and waited for the babysitter to arrive. 

We finally got to leave and I learned that we were going to have a themed date night…"Teeny Bopper Date Night."  This entailed Ben taking me to eat drive-in food at Sonic and to the arcade after that.  A few funny things happened…one, our car battery died at Sonic.  Our babysitter’s husband had to come and jump our car.  Two, when we got to the arcade, it was closed due to construction!  So, the night didn’t go as Ben planned, but it did instead give Ben and I an opportunity to talk more.  He really encouraged me that night.  I had been really struggling that week with some sins that God had revealed to me and was just despairing, but Ben pointed me to Christ and His wonderful grace.  He shared some things with me that he had been learning about in the Old Testament, which drove me to be so thankful that God saved a sinner like me.  All this to say that I really love my husband.  He really spoiled me this past weekend and he truly is an evidence of God’s grace in my life. 

Every year, we set a budget for what we can spend on each other and every year, Ben breaks the budget while I stick to it.  One can look at this in two ways: 1) Ben is such a sweet husband to buy whatever will sweep me off my feet, whatever the cost or 2) Ben is a stinker because when he buys something extravagant and I stick to the budget, my gift looks really…well, cheap.  I’ve always looked at it from the 2nd perspective.  Of course, I always LOVED what he got me, but I told him that this year sticking to a budget can be part of his Christmas gift to me.  He agreed, though hesitantly.  I think part of his hesitation came from wondering whether he could really get me a gift or gifts that I would really appreciate.  Though this is not what Christmas is about and not what our family tries to focus on, I would like to share with you what Ben did end up buying for me.  He did a wonderful job and he was really intentional about everything he purchased.

Gift #1: A laundry basket.

I never thought I would see the day when I would ask for something that seems so boring and practical, but this year, that day arrived.  I LOVE my new laundry basket.  It’s sturdy, has good handles and can hold lots of clean clothes!

Gift #2: Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

For those of you who know me well enough know that I am a Harry Potter fan.  Not one of those dress-up-as-Harry-Potter-whenever-you-watch-the-movie fans, but just the general type.  This was a good gift, too.

Gift #3: Cute pajamas

My husband hates my nasty PJs that I’ve had since high school and I guess I don’t really blame him all that much.  So, he usually gets me a new pair of PJs every Christmas.

Gift #4: Joy of Cooking cookbook

When Katie came to visit from MN, we went to the library where I borrowed this cookbook.  I fell in love with it and have been raving about it ever since.  I guess Ben picked up on all of those not-so-subtle hints and purchased one for me. I can’t wait to try all sorts of new recipes out on my family!

Gift #5: Salad spinner

I did what every husband fears his wife will do.  I returned one of the gifts he got me, but for good reason.  He purchased a bed desk for me from Bed, Bath & Beyond, which is really something I wanted.  But, the only one that fit into our budget didn’t fold up or anything.  If you’ve seen where we live, you know that we have limited space, so with great sadness, I had to return it for something smaller.  Thus, I decided on a salad spinner.  I hate eating wet salad.

Gift #6: Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time because like most other women, I feel so overwhelmed and busy a lot of the time.  It was sweet for my husband to remember and get this for me for Christmas.  Don’t I have a great husband?

I have been working on this post for a while, so it is about time I publish it! Sorry for the delay.  A few weeks of family visiting, our friends the Nixes down for a great extended weekend, a trip to DC… and Ben can’t finish his post about the most important human in his life!

who?  Why, my sweet wife of course.  July 17^th was our anniversary.  Four years of marriage to my sweet Veronique.  She is more beautiful to me today than any day previous, and I believe this feeling will continue the rest of our lives (despite her alarm about grey hairs  .  We are in perhaps one of the sweetest times in our marriage.  Both of us would smile a crooked smile and say it has had it’s moments.  Plenty of them.  God has refined us in many ways through the day to day, step by step, side by side effort of living life together.  And adding Joshua to the mix has only refined us more.  As the days and weeks go by, we both take our turns having the rough edges shaved off. 

But we would both also say it has been good. 

Beyond the "both of us" however, I must describe how much I appreciate my sweet wife and what the Lord has been doing in her heart. 

• She has had an amazing servant-heart since we were first married, and to my surprise that has only grown. 
• In so many ways she eagerly looks for how to care for me (and Joshua). 
• Her smile has grown more and more beautiful each day.
• She is my best friend and the person I am most content spending my time with.
• She amazing listens to my harrowing tales as a Web Designer with oh so much interest, though I think they would bore the tears out of every other human on the planet.
• She daily inspires me to be a better husband.  A more thoughtful listener.  A more devoted friend.
• She humbles me with her love for God and commitment to the truth of his word.
• She pleases me with her thoughtful attention and conviction as to how we raise our son(s).
• She makes me laugh.
• We can cry together when those we know hurt.
• We can cry together when we hurt.
• We can chew each other’s gum.  Just kidding… that’s gross.
• We can laugh histerically at the funny music we listened to while growing up.  Check it out, it’s all on YouTube.
• … and the list would go on…

A short list fo the serious things, and the not-so-serious.  But each of them helps me see what a gif she is to me.  I am sure there will be tough days ahead.  Another little boy coming in three months.  A few more years of school.  Perhaps a decade or two on the mission field.  God himself only knows what the future holds, and as of yet, he does not share his secret will with me.  But I will tackle these things that come with a little more intensity and a little less anxiety and a lot more happiness with Veronique by my side.

Love you Sweet.