Last Thursday was our fifteen year wedding anniversary. And because it fell on a Thursday, we spent the day doing our normal things. Joel went to work, I took McKinley to school and then to dance later that afternoon. We had dinner as a family that consisted of BBQ pulled pork courtesy of the slow cooker. Super romantic, right?
Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I blogged about romance? How the Hallmark movies give me all the dose I need because real life isn't all that romantic? Well, on our anniversary I raked the backyard for Joel as a sweeping romantic gesture and in lieu of the gifts we decided weren't necessary. I was able to rake up five bags of leaves and I even started getting the patio cleaned up when I found a dead mouse in my path. I packed up all of my gear and headed inside for the day. At least the yard was cleaned up. Unfortunately, by the time he got home, it was dark and the yard was covered with leaves. It was the thought that counted, right?
Fast forward to the weekend. Saturday night was date night, something my husband had planned for quite some time apparently. McKinley was scheduled for a sleepover at my parents and were going to dinner. Or so I thought. However, I hadn't a clue where we were dining or what time. I was perplexed. I needed to details. What should I wear? How dressy? How casual? How warm? Was there walking involved? All questions I needed answered. And my mother was no help. She was in on the surprise, but she didn't say a word. Or give any helpful advice.
With a couple of hours to go, I get a text from my husband telling me that I needed to pack an overnight bag. A what? I have two hours to get ready and now you're telling me I need an overnight bag? Dear lord! What is a girl to do? Panic! He informs me that jeans are acceptable and that we would be inside the whole time. And that included our evening dinner plans. Well, that helped narrow down the outfit. That's right, I still had no clue what I was wearing to dinner. I had it narrowed down to three dresses, two that would work with my amazing new shoes!
Thankful for the Getaway bag that was perfect for the one night getaway! And the design is Lovebirds! Perfect, right?
When Joel finally gets home from dropping McKinley off, I had narrowed it down to two looks. From there, after several back and forth discussions in my head, I went with my original dress. And I'm so happy I did. It was perfect for the night head. So what did the night hold? First up, we had dinner at JJ's, a local restaurant that we've wanted to try for years. And was it worth the wait! The food was amazing, the ambiance was gorgeous, and the desserts were decadent. We had the lemon mascarpone cake because it reminded us of our wedding cake. A beautiful three tiered cake made of white cake with lemon filling.
While parking the car, we drove my the entrance of The Monarch Bar, a new establishment that just opened three months ago. After we were seated, we looked up the bars information and it turns out reservations are required. My husband called and chatted with the hostess who just happened to have two seats at the bar later that evening. Love that it totally fell into place and it was the perfect way to cap off the evening.
From there, the night wasn't over. We were headed to the DoubleTree hotel for a night away. And, it just so happens that we got married at the DoubleTree! Because we are an interfaith couple, we didn't get married in a church or temple. We got married in a very neutral location that allowed us to have a wedding that incorporated both of our religions, judgement free! It was gorgeous and everyone left with all the feels from a beautiful ceremony surrounded in love. And what I loved about our get away is that we got to snuggle up in a king size bed, watch The Holiday Baking Championship reruns without any interruption from a sweet six year old asking us to play, help wipe his bottom, or having to clean up the kitchen from dinner. It was heaven!
As we are settling in for the night, I am told that he has one more suprise for the morning. I should probably call the front desk and set up a walk up call because we are having breakfast with 20 of our closet friends! Say what? That's right! My parents, McKinley, close friends from childhood and adulthood would be meeting us for breakfast to help celebrate our 15 year anniversary. Based on our wedding vows, there was mention that it takes a village to help a marriage keep going and stay strong. But it's more than just a marriage. It's a life. It takes a village to keep your life going and our village is pretty amazing. More than amazing. They are family. It's more than just the family you are born into. It's also the family you create, and I have to say, we have created an incredible family. Our village is strong!
Joel, you out did yourself this weekend. Romance was very much alive in this real life couple. And as I stated on Saturday night, fifteen years looks good on us!
XO,
Andrea
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