Land in Hand

I love you, from before the moment that we met
I love you, from before a single word was said
I love you, and that’s the only thought runnin’ through my head

I find myself lookin’ at you with a new set of eyes each day
When our eyes meet it almost seems I can hardly look away

CHORUS
How did I get here
How did I get you
In this unexpected wonderful

With you by my side
I know I’ll make it through
In this unexpected wonderful (with you)

—

You make me a whole new kind of happy
You make me feel alive like a fire in wintertime
You make me a better person than I was before

I find myself lookin’ at you with a new set of eyes each day
And every time I see your face, I can hardly look away

CHORUS

I know it’s not always perfect
Livin’ this life with me
The rainstorms will come unexpectedly
Even then it’s all worth it when we look back on those days
I will fight for us, to see that smile back on your face

CHORUS

Expect the Unexpected

Our life has truly been unexpectedly wonderful. Isn’t everyone’s life a little unexpected? The unpredictabilities of life, say, losing a job, totaling your car, buying a new house and finding out you’re pregnant….all in one year, are kind of par for the course. (And also are the cliff notes for the year Sept 2014-Sept 2015 for us.) They’re actually, in a sense, expected. Although we don’t know what’s coming next, we can choose to make it wonderful.

I, Alyssa, never thought I would marry someone from North Dakota. It’s not that I assumed I would marry someone from the south. It’s just that, I mean, well, North Dakota is practically Canada. But when I first laid eyes on Joel Land and felt a jolt in my spirit, I knew he was more than just a “crush.” It took us a year of winding up in the same class (and a little nudge from a mutual friend, you know who you are) to finally go on a date and find out the inevitable. We were unexpectedly meant for each other.

He’s the cool calming water to my fire. The flannel to my flip flops. And the “Farm Boy” to my Buttercup.

first two photos by Lea Black Photography.