7 Year Anniversary Trip

Monday was our seven year anniversary! 7 Flippin Years! That is so crazy to me, I can't even begin to believe it. We usually try to take a small trip each year around that date, and we decided to keep it simple this year (we are going to Europe in 5 weeks after all), and we drove to Texas to spend the weekend with our nieces and nephew-in-law.

Man oh man, we love them. 

We had planned to get on the road at 3:30 on Friday, stopping for the night in Little Rock, Arkansas.  However, Adam's job kept him working till 5:30, and we didn't end up getting in till midnight. Not that I can complain much, I just slept the whole ride.

When we got up the next morning, we headed off to a place I had found online, that supposedly has one of the best brunches in Little Rock, Root.  It is a hip, little, eclectic place. Oh my gosh, my internet food research skills were spot on. If there is a better brunch place in Arkansas, that would blow my mind. Even Adam was impressed, and he is the pickiest eater ever. I took home some of their canned blueberry lime jam as a gift for my mother. 

Our next stop was the William Clinton Presidential Library. Touring presidential libraries/sites is just one of the niche history things that I just love. I've been to a few over the years (Reagan/Nixon/Truman), and I was happy to mark this one off the list. Libraries are rarely about politics and more about American history. And I loved how this one was a snapshot of American life in the 90s. Adam and I actually became tearful listening to Clinton's speech honoring the Little Rock 9. So touching. We really enjoyed our morning at the museum. 

We got into Texarkana that afternoon and the rest of the weekend was low-key but wonderful family time. There was lots of video games (and one gross round of bean boozled). Kayla cooked us a fabulous dinner, and we laughed a lot. Adam and I spoiled the girls and Andy like crazy, as every Aunt and Uncle loves to do!

The morning before we left was our actually anniversary, so before hitting the road we swung by our wedding venue. We spent a few minutes eating breakfast there and reminiscing about our wedding day, and all the changes that have occurred in the last 7 years. What a wonderful way to end a wonderful weekend trip.

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The Candy Anniversary

Some anniversaries are vacations to new cities, nights in fancy hotels, or weekends spent at the loveliest bed & breakfast. And sometimes you make plans to drive to Texas to visit the two best nieces that ever existed on the upcoming anniversary because how better to spend your anniversary than with much loved family in the city you got married? But then you get sick. The sickest you have been in forever. You miss two weeks of work, which is unheard of for you. And you have no choice but to cancel your trip because how can you justify taking any more time off.

You are understandably disappointed, but you are also relieved because you are so exhausted from antibiotics and illnesses, that just the idea of packing to go out of town is making you need a nap.

So you have a more low-key anniversary and that is just fine. Because when you have been married 6 years, together for 9, and known each other 14 years, all the bells and whistles are nice but unnecessary.

Saturday morning when we woke up, it was time for gift exchange. I kept it really simple for Adam. He had been requesting some mega man memorabilia for his desk, so I got him the little Mega Man stuffed animal. I also bought him Stephen King's Book On Writing. As he dabbles in writing from time to time and loves Stephen King. I thought it might be inspirational to him. The card has a line from one of his favorite movies, Indiana Jones. Inside the card, I wrote 6 of my favorite memories of our life together.

For my gift, Adam took me to a local jewelry store. Since about a month after weight loss surgery, I have been unable to wear my wedding ring, so now I have not worn it in over a year. So he surprised me by going to get it resized. I have lost 3 and a half ring sizes! I can't wait to go around town as a married woman again, I've missed wearing my ring.

We made reservations to eat at the new Italian place in Huntsville, Bravo! It was so, so good. Adam loves Italian, but is rather picky about how he likes his spaghetti and meatballs. But he loved it, he even ordered a second round to take home for later. I indulged in a white peach sangria and lobster ravioli in a vodka sauce. The little I ate was so good, one of those times I wish I had a whole stomach so I could devour it all. 

Since I'm still recovering, we went home after that, the little outing had exhausted me. We came home and played in the backyard with our puppy, one of our favorite activities lately. And retired to the living room to play many rounds of Mario Party.

For dessert, we had a few pieces of Laffy Taffy, it is the candy anniversary after all. 

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Gatlinburg (5 year anniversary trip): Part Two

On Saturday morning, I had planned for Adam and I to hike rainbow falls in Smokey Mountain National Park. The trail round trip was going to be 5.5 miles. I knew I could do this. The funny part is it never occurred to me it would be entirely uphill! Which is stupid of me, considering it is a mountain! But I still was determined to finish the challenge, plus coming back would be entirely downhill right?

I just recently finished reading the book Wild: From Lost to Found on The Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Which is about a young woman who chose to hike the Pacific Coast Trail to deal with some emotional issues in her life. ONE AMAZING BOOK.  So as I was huffing and puffing up those steep heights, I was pretending to be Cheryl! I mean if she can hike the entire PCT, surely I can hike a few miles.

But about 1.25 miles in, it started to rain, and we really didn't want to walk on the slippery rocks in the rain, so we packed it up and headed down. I guess it just gives us something to try again next time. 

Our original plan was to spend most of the day hiking, but I did some quick googling on my phone, and I decided it might be fun to do a little gem mining. Adam had never done this, but I remembered going gem mining as a little girl in Missouri. So it was nostalgic for me, and it is just a kind of silly activity for us to do together.

I could not believe how many gems we found while pan handling! Some big ones (my favorite being the red jasper) a fossilized plant, and even some shark teeth. We went inside, and they identified all our our gems for us.

After hiking and gem mining, we were ready to eat, so we found a restaurant, J.T. Hannah's Restaurant & Stockyards. I loved that the served my unsweet tea to me in a mason jar. I really adore mason jars (just like every other Southern girl).  I got the grilled chicken and baked beans, and Adam got some spaghetti & meatballs. I guess one positive of weight loss surgery is when I don't eat hardly any part of my food, Adam will finish it for me.

The next morning when we were leaving, I glanced up at the mountains to seem them frosted over. It was such a beautiful sight, that I made Adam stop the car, so I could jump out a take a picture. It was such a perfect ending to our trip.

I still can't believe we have been together for 5 years or have known each other half of each other lives. But I know soon we will be celebrating our 10th, 15th, & 20th anniversary. I just hope not too soon, since I'm not ready to be that old.

The Wood Anniversary

Video Song is Woody Allen by Allo' Darlin.

Today is our 5 year anniversary, and I can't believe it. How can it be 5 years when it seems just yesterday we were getting engaged? But then again, a lot has happened in these last five years. We have moved, not once, not twice, but three times. We have traveled together to Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Amsterdam.   Adam advanced at his job, I earned my master's degree. We have lost loved ones and one amazing dog.

I don't think I can say it enough, I love the life we have created together. Growing up the message you get is that marriage is hard, and we don't have the perfect marriage by far. But I wouldn't call it hard as much as an adventure.

Sometimes I'm tired and get get irritable, and snap at Adam for no reason at all, because when I'm tired everything he says drives me crazy. Sometimes he can be negative and complains about stuff I have my heart set on doing, and it hurts my feelings. Sometimes when we argue, we say stuff just to push each other buttons, both trying to "win." Sometimes I'm stubborn and can't admit my faults, sometimes he just can't let the argument go. And one time we had a fight so big, so epic that honestly started over a Kentucky Fried Chicken Biscuit.

But sometimes I surprise Adam, and even though he claims to hate surprises, it makes his day. Sometimes he sends me such sweet emails that I put them in a special folder, just to read when I'm in an awful mood. Sometimes when my leg is hurting, he waits on me, and never complains about doing it. Sometimes I do his "chores," just so he can sleep in a little bit in the morning. Sometimes the best time we have together is when we stay home catching up on our favorite shows.

Adam has been in my life since I was 14 years old. We have watched each grow up. Witnessed most of each others triumphs and nearly all of the epic failures. One of my favorite singer/song writers, Lori Mckenna, wrote the song How Romantic is That. In the song there is a verse that says, "And that boy that I loved may not have been my hero but the same can't be said of the man he became."

That is how I feel exactly.  

Gatlinburg (5 year anniversary trip): Part One

We had such a wonderful anniversary trip over this last weekend. I have already mentioned that we chose to go to Gatlinburg because it was on a vacation there 6 years ago, that Adam asked me to marry him. And I said, "No Way, Jose!" Just kidding, I said, "Ok."

We were super lucky to be able to rent the exact same cabin we stayed at, that has the exact same porch, where he proposed to me! It felt so nostalgic and romantic to be there all over again.

We arrived late Thursday night and the absolute first thing we did was run out to the porch and jump in the hot tub. The porch at night is pretty secluded, so it felt amazing to be all alone in the mountains.

When we woke up the next morning, we decided to grab some breakfast. Breakfast is definitely my most favorite meal to eat out for, it always makes a great start to the day. We went to the Little House of Pancakes. We ate there 6 years ago too! I'm pretty sure last time I pigged out on banana pancakes like it was no one's business. This time I just took a bite of everything, which was quite enough for me! This place does truly have the best pancakes in the world, and if there is one thing in this world I know about, its pancakes.

Adam and I seriously love mini-golf, so we decided to go check out David Crockett's mini-golf after breakfast. This was a really great course with fun, creative holes and decorations. They had two courses, and we played both. Adam and I tend to get really competitive about mini-golf. I have never beaten Adam at mini-golf, and this game was no exception. But I only lost by about 2 points, and I manged to get two hole in ones. So I think that is progress. I take comfort in the fact that although he is the mini golf champion in the family, I am the reigning Mario Kart Queen.

After mini-golf, we headed downtown. I really wanted to do something cheesy, so we decided to go to the Ripley's Mirror Maze! I have never done a fun house or anything like it. It was surprisingly fun and surprisingly difficult. I was walking into mirrors almost constantly.  We paid an extra dollar to get the 3D glasses, which made it even more crazy.

We also managed to squeeze in a little shopping this trip. One of my favorite parts of shopping was at the Village, which is just a series of specialty shops that look real old wordly. My very favorite one was The Spice and Tea Exchange. They had tons and tons of teas, and you guessed it, spices! I bought a whole bunch of spices I can used to flavor my grilled chicken! I even got a pizza spice. I can't wait to try them all.

When we got back to the cabin that night, we curled up on the couch, by the fireplace, and I got to share one of my all time favorite movies, The Sound of Music with Adam. It just felt really special to watch it with him, and he didn't hate it, so that is a win-win.

The Linen Anniversary

 

As far as anniversary celebrations go, I wouldn't say this was our finest. The night before our anniversary I had gone for an easy peasy 20 minute jog, and then I randomly developed a sore throat. By the next morning, my head was pounding and my teeth hurt.  I just felt like I was dying. So I spent all morning in an urgent care center with my mom getting some medicine and a big, old painful steroid shot in the butt.  Then, I went home and took something like a three hour nap.

By the time I woke up, I didn't feel all that much better. I certainly didn't feel like getting dressed and going anywhere, even if it was a big day! So Adam did something really sweet. Last Valentine's Day, I made Adam a custom love coupon book from dateivation.com. So instead of being bummed out about how we were spending the anniversary, Adam said he would cash in this coupon! Making it seem like staying at home was our plan all along.

So he ran out to the pharmacy to pick up my medications, and then he headed to Cracker Barrel and got dinner to go. We spent the evening eating good country food and catching up on some of our favorite shows, such as Archer, Community, & The Soup. It was a perfectly pleasant evening.

So even though we've had more exciting anniversaries. This one was just simple and sweet. And I think the most wonderful thing about being married is knowing you have many more years to do it big.

Four Years

I went to a small college in Mississippi that didn't really have sororities, but we had an equivalent known as social clubs. And one of the things that social clubs did was sing class songs in the cafeteria when they were pledging. Something that was both enduring and annoying.  When it was time for the senior song, the underclassmen would get down on their knees, & salute the standing seniors while they sang, "Four Years We've Been Here, Now We're the Finest. We are on Top Now. Hail to the Senior Class!"

This little anecdote is all to say that today is our four year wedding anniversary. And I think four years is somewhat like the senior year of marriage. Just like the first day of your senior year, we are going into our fourth year knowing a whole heck of a lot about marriage & each other. We know what makes each other tick, we knows what each other likes, and what each other hates. We know how to avoid pushing the other person's button. And Adam knows when I'm cranky that I may just need to eat or take a nap!

I feel like we have left those awkward growing pains of the freshmen years of marriage in the dust. At least the awkwardness, that comes from merging two lives and defining what your life is going to be together. I remember in the early days, even after we were first married, I would hate if we would go out to eat and we just didn't have much to talk about. I would get so insecure that it meant we were bored with each other.  Or when we had our first few fights my paranoia would make me worry that it just might take us down.

Now I can appreciate that the occasional silence, only represents a comfort with each other and not a sign of disinterest. And now I take any fight we have in vain because I know ultimately it will all just blow over. 

But I'm not saying there are no new challenges for us to face because there are. Soon we will become home owners, which will offer its own set of challenges. And we are hoping to start a family of our own someday soon. But I look at those life experiences as another way to grow together. Because I think that is what marriage is about, growth.  I truly believe that if the person you are with doesn't make you a better person than why are you with them? Adam makes me a better person, and I hope I make him one.

The one thing I know for sure is we are so much better together than we are apart and these four years have been wonderful.

I just can't wait to see what the next four years will bring.

Where We Stayed, What We Ate, & Turning the Beat Around in Louisville, KY

Our early anniversary trip to Louisville turned out to be an amazing trip, but not in the way I had planned. It seemed like every time I would find something we wanted to do in Louisville, there would end up being a catch. The activity would be closed on that day, or it would only take place at a time that would not work out for us. So we ultimately decided that we would just free style this vacation, and not really have too much of a game plan, which is so not how I operate on a daily basis.

I had booked us to stay at a Bed & Breakfast, The Inn at Woodhaven. We were so excited when we got there because the house was so beautiful! And our room, The Derby Room, was fabulous. It was just so lovely with its brick wall & exposed wood beams. It even had a sitting area with tea & the local favorite, bourbon, set out for us. And I can't not mention the double jet spa tub and the bed that was like butter! 

That evening we went to a local steak house for dinner, and then went for a long walk at the nice Cherokee Park.  As we walked, we planned what we would do the next day, which involved the zoo & a tour of Churchill Downs. We also played the Alphabet game, taking turns coming up with animals and countries that started with alternating letters. And only got stumped on "U" for animals and "O" for countries. After the walk, we had a wonderful bubble bath before going to bed.

When we woke up the next morning, it was pouring. Usually Adam and I love rain but on your vacation when you've made only OUTDOOR plans, rain can really, well, rain on your parade.  After breakfast at the Inn, we set about figuring out something we could do with the day. But we had trouble agreeing on an activity we were both passionate about. I was getting pouty and overreacting, thinking the trip would be a bust. And I came this close to crying before it occurred to me the best part of vacation is getting to relax. I don't do a lot of that on vacation, I usually need a vacation from my vacation! So instead of just doing some activities that we sort of wanted to do, we decided to focus on relaxing, and enjoying our beautiful surroundings.

The first step in relaxing? A mid-morning nap that felt so decadent. We got up about lunch time and found a delicious Italian place, Saints. Their food was sooo amazing, the perfect comfort food. Afterwards, we grabbed dessert at The Homemade Pie  Kitchen & Ice Cream Shop. They had a little bit of everything, I tried their ice cream flavor, Crème Brule. It truly was the best ice cream I've ever had, and I took some banana pudding back to the room with us for a little dessert later on that night. After lunch, I went and bought some bath bombs, and we went back to the room, where I took an extremely long bath. When I got out of the tub, Adam was asleep, and I joined him for a afternoon nap! Two naps in one day? Scandalous.

When we awoke, it was time for dinner (sensing a pattern here?), so we dressed up and headed Downtown. We explored downtown for a while, even heading to Waterfront Park, to get a few shots of the lit up skyline before trying to find our dinner spot for the night, HammerHeads. We were convinced the GPS was leading us astray because every turn took us farther and farther away from where a restaurant looked like it would be. But our GPS didn't fail us, and it landed us at the small restaurant smack down in the middle of the neighborhood.

Hammerheads is such a unique place. Different from most restaurants, with some creative flair. We both had fried mac n' cheese ball dipped in hollandaise sauce, and I had shrimp and grits for the first time ever. The food was soo good, but I couldn't finish half of it because I stuffed myself silly all day long.

That was basically our whole trip, at least the part involving Louisville. But even though things didn't go quite as planned, we managed to have a memorable weekend. Better yet, we came home rested and revived and feeling ready to take on the work week. And I guess that is what vacation is for.

P.S.-I stole the phrase "Turn The Beat Around," from Brad Goreski on that show, It's a Brad, Brad World. And I think it is an awesome phrase for taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive situation. Plus, it makes me think of the awesome movie Pitch Perfect and you know, I just love to hear percussion.