If you follow me on Instagram, some of you might know my beautiful friend Shay and her sweet husband Drew surprised me this past weekend for my birthday, flying all the way from Texas! Shay reached out to Neal, and arranged the whole thing together to pull off a surprise I will never forget. I was so touched by all of their planning and effort to make this weekend special. I honestly felt overwhelmed by how loved they all made me feel and the special friends I have in my life. Shay is a talented photographer based out of Austin, Texas who owns Love, The Nelsons Photography with her husband Drew, and was kind enough to offer to take photos of Neal and I during their stay (see her work and hilarious blog here). Neal and I were so excited, because they are so great at what they do. I love how they turned out, so much, that I wanted to share them with you all.

These photos really capture how sweet and loving Neal is to me. I feel so blessed to have such a God-loving, kind-hearted man who truly loves me with every fibre in his body. He is a Prince. He teaches me love everyday through his encouragement, prayers, time, energy, patience and kindness. I sometimes can’t even fathom that I get to do life with such a beautiful soul. He is one of the best gifts I have received from God, and as we grow in our walk, and include Christ in all areas of our lives, I feel humbled that we have Him as our rock, our strength and our shield. Letting God lead us has been more fulfilling than we could have ever imagined. Giving our lives and relationship to God has been so fruitful, as we have grace and love to guide us through every step of our relationship, and life. God has revealed to us His faithfulness and grace in so many ways, through us being rooted in Him. I prayed to meet a man like him one day, and Neal is just one of the ways God has revealed His forever love to me. The bible is one of the most beautiful love letters ever written. I love because I know God, and God is love. This passage below from one of my favourite books, Spoken For personifies how deep God’s love is for all of us in such an honest perspective and is a perfect example of His grace…

You are the God who buys me back.
Every time I run to the marketplace
And sell myself to a lie
You show up with a fistful of truth
And You buy me back.
Every time.
Your word alone is enough
To Remind me
And the slave driver
That with Your own flesh and blood
You have already paid for me
In full.
I belong to You, Great God.
You bought me back at a great price.
May I not run from You today.
– From Robin’s Journal

Thanks for hanging out for mushy-Thursday and letting me share my heart! I love you all.

Photography © Love, The Nelsons