Happy 11th to Us!

This past Saturday (7/22) was our 11th wedding anniversary. To some, that may seem like a lot of years under the belt, and yet to other, we have only just scraped the surface. To me, it has been so beautifully "easy" in most regards, sometimes I feel like a newlywed. Sure, we have had some tough times to get through, but I can count them on one hand (or at least those are the ones that stick in my head). Last year, Jeff's folks gave us $ to spend in Italy (Rome, Florence, & Venice)...It was a lovely way to ring in a decade together. We took that trip in Oct. So, in July, Jeff booked a room at the Ritz in Pasadena (where we had a honeymoon cottage in 1995). It was such a lovely time to get a break from the then 2 1/2 yr old, and 1 1/2 yr old. We decided it was worth it to us to do this every year that we could. So, this year rolled around and I reminded Jeff that it was approaching (just in case he was pre-occupied with a $202 Million dollar job that is about to have it's grand opening Oct. 6th.) I am glad that I did! He called the Ritz a bit too late, they were totally booked (hotel, not inc. the homes you can rent on their property). The Ritz offered to call Marina del Ray, they had a room available for $600/night (check in 3pm, check out 11am)....hummm.
Jeff had a better idea (my man's penny pinching gene)....
Mid-week I asked Jeff what we had planned for the weekend, and he said with a smile, "I thought you would never ask".
He began to describe the details...He was going to take the kids to my folks at 9am on Saturday morning, come home and we would have the house and the weekend all to ourselves! No schedules to work out, no time lines to restrict us, and a pocket full of money to spend (if we chose)...we did, some. To be honest, this mommy wanted it to be a bit more romantic at first, but the moment he loaded the kiddies into the car, I began to unwind and relax, and enjoy our home, the peace, and the enjoyment of our home--all to myself. We went to lunch, saw a movie, took naps, ate sushi, went to the Dodger game, ate more, saw another movie, went to church (we were still late), ate some more, went shopping, and napped again, and watched a few Netflix...he even gave me another hour to soak up the peace while he went to get the kids at 4:30 Sunday.
I could have not asked for a better "planned out" weekend to celebrate together. As it turns out, it was romantic, and I would not have changed it for the world. I think that perhaps next year, I may be hoping for the Friday night to be worked into the plans as well. :-)
Thanks, Love...You did good by me.