perfect ten

After juggling baby b. and getting home late last Tuesday night, I almost didn’t get on the plane on Wednesday. When I told my husband, “I don’t really want to go,” referring to our long-planned anniversary trip, he just looked at me: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” And so I went.

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect trip. We took advantage of my husband’s frequent travel perks and upgraded to first class for the flight to Arizona. Let me just pause and say here that whoever said money can’t buy happiness never had much money, because, honey, flying first class is pure happy! (Though I suppose if you’re a miserable person in general, it wouldn’t make much difference.) Our four-door practical sedan rental car turned into a flashy red sports car when the rental agent found out it was our anniversary. How fun is that?

And traveling with my husband of ten years, I was reminded all over again why I fell in love with him in the first place. As we were driving around in our zippy sports car, looking for a good spot for lunch, we agreed that fast-food was strictly forbidden. We drove by a number of places before we saw it: Mariscos Chiuahua. “That’s it!” we shouted in unison. We are foodie soul-mates! Of course, while dining at the lovely Mariscos Chiuahua, I relied on my fading Spanish skills to discover that the people at the table next to us were probably saying, “Hey! Look at the white lady trying to choke down that octopus tostada! Ha!” Not really, but the tostada was an interesting culinary experience.

Our actual anniversary was unbelievably perfect. Well, except for lunch. Let’s just say that sushi in Sedona is a bad idea. Anyway, we took a beautiful early morning hike, had lunch, and napped. After using “points” for our hotel—the beautiful Hilton Resort and Spa—we were in the mood to splurge. And splurge we did! After our naps, we headed over to the spa for a couples massage. My husband was a good sport in going along with this, and he did enjoy it—though it pushed him right to the edge of his comfort zone.

After our massages, we had just enough time to dress up and make our reservation at Rene’s for dinner. After a few years of mostly The Patio, Applebees, and McDonalds, this was a genuine treat. Our table was right next to the live musician of the evening, Vibhas Kenozia. Oh, and did I mention the beautiful earrings my husband gave me for our anniversary? I had to ask, “Can we still afford a new fence?” And, yes, I would have returned them if the answer was no!

I could go on, but I fear this post is starting to sound like one of those happy Christmas letters where everything is Always Great. But, the truth is, everything isn’t always great. So much of life and marriage is hard. Really hard. And so we celebrate the magical, romantic moments; we make memories that will carry us through long afternoons at Chuck E. Cheese and long nights holding sick children. We take time to remember why we committed our lives to each other in the first place, and we give thanks to God for His many good gifts. And at the top of the list? A wonderful sister-in-law and brother-in-law, willing to love on our three boys while we were away, and Grandparents willing to pitch in with carpool and babysitting to make that fantastic slumber party possible. It is no small thing to be able to leave for days at a time, without a single worry about the children. God bless you, one and all! We owe you big time! ☺