Here's What I Know

 I was given the best surprise recently.  My husband announced out of the blue that he had planned a weekend getaway for us to celebrate our anniversary.  I was stunned.  We have been swamped with work, kids, and life recently.  So busy that carving out time for each other has been mostly work related outings.  

  Anyway, he planned the whole weekend and told me about it not even a week before we were to depart.  He flew his mom across the country to take care of the crazies, took four days off work, and gave me complete control over where we would go and what we would do while he handled all the logistics!  Every girl's dream, right?

  Seriously, I was stunned, he has never done anything like this.  Where I was hoping to maybe head out for dinner and if we could keep our eyes open a movie, I got four days, and the best bit.....I didn't have to sort out childcare (I hate sorting childcare, it stresses me out and always makes me feel guilty).

  I felt well loved before we loaded our bags in the truck and I had days ahead that would recharge my tank and give me moments to remember for years!

  Where we went didn't much matter, though I did have grand ideas of palm trees and golden sand, but that wasn't in the cards and what I got ended up being so much better than simply sleeping under the sun.

  We drove (one of my favorite things); trapped in a vehicle for just over 6 hours.  What else provides better quality time?  We sang together....well I sang and rolled my eyes when he refused to join in.  We laughed, stopped at a few places, traded off as driver, and poked fun at each other.

  We filled our time to the top and more than once realized that we hadn't stopped to eat.  I had grand ideas of eating at all the coolest places; where food is an art as opposed to fuel.  I planned to wear my favorite dresses, throw my hair up, paint my face with makeup and slip on my sky high heels.  Yes, I planned on bringing my A-game!  Haha!

  We didn't get to any of those restaurants, we didn't even look for them to be honest.  We did all the other things we love, and you know what?  After 15 years of marriage....YIKES, seriously, 15! we even learned a handful of new things about each other.  Who knew!

Favorite Things - Top Ten

1~ I love pretty things.  I'm not sure if it has been amplified because my life is so filled with

      boys, but I LOVE pretty, girly, lacy, frilly, uber-feminine things!  And my sweetheart

      indulged my love of all things beautiful this weekend!

2~ I love the movies.  In contrast to what I have said about the romance bits, I love a movie

      with loads of action, cars, explosions and crazy drama.  The more unrealistic the better!

3~ Live music anyone?  I Love it, and like I said earlier this week, we saw the Lumineers.  
     They were fantastic.  The opening bands were also inspiring and will be on my playlist for 
     a while!  We would never have seen any of these artists back home.

4~ Walking, exploring, seeing new things, smelling new smells and holding hands.

5~ I'm usually a planner, but I'm learning to embrace and take it moment by moment and

     doing my best to not need a plan!  This weekend was just that.  We had ideas, but nothing 

     set in stone.  I loved it.  We threw on shoes, grabbed the room key and walked until we

     decided what to do.

6~ Old friends.  We spent a beautiful evening with a lady I love.  She was one of my 

     bridesmaids, but let's go back farther!  I remember her when we were younger than my 
     own children, and a girl I adore!  She shared her home and her family with us, feasted us   
     with a ridiculously delicious meal, and let me adore and lavish her son with cuddles and 
     kisses.

7~ Hot coffee.  There is nothing I love more on holidays than sitting and simply enjoying a

     cup of coffee in the morning in undisturbed peace.

8~ We took in a ball game.  Is there anything more beautiful in sport than a perfectly 

     executed play on a beautifully manicured diamond when the sun is high in the sky?  I 

    don't think so, and I think my sweetheart was sick of my sighs and whispers of admiration 

    over just that.  Bonus...the game ended with a walk-off win for the home team!

9~ A special mention has to go out to my mother-in-law for making the journey to cuddle, 

     spoil, and tend to my crazy princes.  What would I do without the help of family?  Thanks

     also to my beautiful sister-in-law who my guys adore.  Seriously adore.  Who is more fun 

     and indulgent than an auntie?

10~ I would be remiss to not gush about my guy.  He made me feel special, loved, and so 

       very important this week.  I am loved and I've felt it in his actions, words, and deeds 

       recently.  I know I've said it before, but I truly am a very very lucky lady!

Here's What I Know

  15 years is a long time in theory, but it has gone in the blink of an eye.  I know that is cliche and people say stuff like that all the time, but what can I say, it's true.  It hasn't always been a bed of roses, and often in truth, it has felt like a thorny path.  But that's what     commitment is about.  It's through the good times and the bad, the difficult, the beautiful, the stunning, the agonizing and the small quiet moments that we cherish.

  So after all those bumps and bruises meshed with soothing words that were intended to heal the hurt, I can say with a full heart and an earnest spirit that I look forward to the years to come.  Bumps and bruises included.
  All the good things in life require work, and in the end if you work hard enough you just might discover it was well worth the effort!