Our Anniversary - the travelog version :-)

So Saturday was Steve's and my 14th Wedding Anniversary. If you missed the pics of the beautiful countryside I saw, you can see them here and here.

This was where we stayed on Friday and Saturday night.

(In fact, that was our room: the one where the maid's cart is parked.)


It was wonderful! Rarely do we get a motel room on our anniversary, but after all of the excitement of the past year, we needed to get away! So we used our anniversary as a great excuse to go on a little mini-vacation, just the two of us.

We did romantic stuff, like going to dinner, watching New Moon, holding hands and cuddling like teenagers, but it was wonderful to be secure enough in our relationship with each other where we could be together but separate too, know what I mean?

Like he worked on his novel for a bit; I can't remember what it is called, but it is the 50,000 word novel challenge they have going each November. While he worked on that, I looked up the website for a local natural history museum to see if the photography art show was going on; it wasn't and the site talked about open entries and deadlines and previous winners. (Photography has become my newest passion. I love it! I wish that I had a fancy-dancy camera instead of a point-and- shoot, but thank heavens for my point-and-shoot! I don't know what I'd do without my nice camera from last Christmas!) Anyway, so we sat side-by-side, him on his laptop and me on the motel's lobby computer and surfed the net, wrote some facebook posts, together yet separate.

We read, watched tv (maybe I shouldn't admit this, but when I was watching tv on Friday looking for Smallville I happened upon "Grounded for Life" on MTV. I *loved* it! It was so over-the-top funny... like Roseanne. Family moments aren't the ideal in these shows, but sometime seeing someone else's problems be worse than your own is comforting. :-), snacked on Grasshopper cookies (can you say, "cheap year-round substitute for Girl Scout cookies"? Absolute heaven!!), and had a wonderful, wonderful relaxing time.

Oh yeah, and I dragged him to the laundromat. But only for an hour or so total, I swear! I have found that I'm way attached to one particular comforter. It is light and fluffy, yet toasty warm. I've never been attached to a "blankie" before, but better late than never, no? It had had some of Michael's formula spilled on it, so it had been out-of-commission for a week. I couldn't stand to have one more restless night's sleep w/o. So with Steve, who never complained a bit, we went to the laundromat. My husband is a prize I tell you! After the laundromat, we went and saw _New Moon_.

Have you seen it yet? Our viewing session comprised of probably 97.9% women; just a few men tagging along with their wives, probably hoping to be rewarded later for their sacrifice since they really didn't look like they were excited to be there.

So the girls and women "awwwww"-ed in all the right spots, and when Jacob took off his shirt to hold on Bella's bleeding head a chorus of "ooooohhhhhhh"-s were heard and one lone man in the back loudly said, "Oh come on!" That made me laugh! Poor men!

At Walmart later on that night we talked to a guy who was trying to make up with his wife via texting; he stopped me and was asking for the perfect word to describe how Bella needed Jacob. That was an interesting conversation! Steve came over and offered his word-knowledge-help... okay, I asked for it. After finding the word, the guy told us he'd gone to see _New Moon_ with his wife earlier in the day. He liked it and thought it was a great movie, but that the meadow scene was too long and boring. And the fighting scene with the bad vampire and the werewolves would have been so cool and they hardly showed any of it! It's all about perspective, I tell ya.

I liked the movie. I felt sorry for Edward's lack of physique after seeing Jacob, though! So even though Jacob's six-pack abs were amazing, I have to tell you that I can't think of the guys in the movie in any way other than I do my sons. It's a great story and I loved the books even better than the movies ... but they are just boys and girls. I think I'm getting old. :-)

Oh! Have you seen the preview for _Letters to Juliet_ yet?! That is the next movie I'm going to drag poor Steve too. And he saw the preview for the new Sherlock Holmes movie and was impressed, so I'm sure we'll go to that one too.

So through all of my wandering thoughts in this post, I've told you of the many reasons I love and appreciate being married to Steve: we are sweethearts, lovers, but most of all: best friends. We bend and go see movies that we don't mind seeing but probably wouldn't choose for ourselves. We can sit in silence and it's comfortable. We are aware of each other's imperfections (and our own!) and love each other anyway. It is a very comfortable, companionable, sweet, loving relationship.

I've said very often to him, that as independent as I am it is a wonder that I'm married and stay married. I think Steve feels the same way about himself. We are a good fit. A wonderful match. I'm glad, and very thankful, that I have him.

See, I am the hard-headed, independent, hard-to-get-along-with woman like Princess Leia, or Jessica - from _The Man from Snowy River_, or Buttercup - from _The Princess Bride_... you get my point. I'm not the soft, gentle woman that is easy to get along with. I'm feisty and prickly. I think that most men would get to know me and run... as fast as they can! So I'm glad that Steve is kind, and patient, and easy to get along with. In his birth family he's the oldest; I'm the baby ( but more like an only child). 'Nough said. I truly feel that it was only because of God's hand that we got together in the first place, and how thankful I am for that!

So, Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart! Our marriage has been eventful, to say the least! But I'm glad that it is with you that I'm taking this crazy rollercoaster ride called life! Thank you for being my everything!

Love,
Mel