A Weekend Away

Andy and I took a belated weekend trip to Nashville this past weekend.  Seven years ago, we got engaged at the Opryland Hotel, so we decided to take another trip for our five year anniversary.  Our first stop was the Grand Ole Opry to see the Rockette's Christmas Show.  It was amazing! They didn't allow cameras inside, but I managed to snap a few outside of the building.

After the show, we made our way next door to the hotel to get changed and to relax a little before dinner.  We arrived during their Christmas kickoff and everything was decorated for the holidays.  It was so beautiful and festive.  Our room was in the Delta section of the hotel and it was so pretty there.  Right outside our patio we had a New Orleans street and a river walk.

Looking out our patio door.

The view from our room.

Having dinner without kids was so relaxing.  Andy and I were able to have a nice, long dinner and have a conversation without being interrupted.  After dinner we walked around the hotel and then took a boat ride that takes you around the hotel.  It was so pretty with all of the lights and decorations.

The next morning we went to Ice!, which is an indoor ice sculpture tour.  The theme this year was Merry Madagascar.  Being there without the kids made me a little sad because I kept thinking how much they would have loved seeing everything.  They give you these huge parkas to wear, which is good because it is SO cold inside.  There is even an ice slide, and we gladly acted like a couple of kids to slide down it.

It was so nice to get away, but it was even better to come home to these two little monkeys.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my and Andy's five year anniversary.  I remember when I first met Andy, he was just this cute guy I worked with who didn't really talk much.  So much has changed since then.  Now, he's this really cute guy I live with who doesn't really get a chance to talk much. My, how things change. ;)

This past weekend, we had the chance to go on a lunch date together and as we sat there talking, I couldn't help but be struck by how different our lives are compared to when we first began dating.

2002-Newly Dating

We were just a couple of twenty-somethings, working, going to school, and having fun.  My biggest problem at the time was if I was going to have to work all weekend or if I was going to get the chance to spend some time with my friends.  We both worked at Kohl's and we thought it was pretty cool when we were scheduled at the same time.  Our dates were mostly to the movies, to dinner, or hanging out at O'Charley's on The Strip.  Our conversations were mostly about our friends, school, and there was nothing remotely serious about anything we said.

 2006-Newly Married

We were both recent graduates and had our first "real" jobs.  We were renting a townhouse that we didn't have enough items to furnish.  I was learning how to juggle being a wife with being a first year teacher.  We would come home and have the rest of the evening to do whatever we wanted; go to dinner on a whim, go to a movie, go to the pool, or just hang out and watch TV.  We talked about our dreams of having a family of our own someday, but having kids was the furthest thing from our minds.

2011

We are now a couple of thirty-somethings, working, taking care of our kids, and having fun.  Our conversations are peppered with words such as, "mortgage", "home-equity," "good school zone," "insurance," "baby-proofing," and "discipline."  Finding time to spend with just the two of us is rare and usually spent wondering how the kids are doing.  Spontaneity is a thing of the past. Going to dinner, a movie, or the pool are life-changing events that require more preparation than a NASA shuttle mission. We don't have big problems, but lots of little worries: 

"Will Emma ever be potty trained?"

"When will I have time to mow the yard?"

"Do you think Sophia's teeth are coming through?"

"What are we having for dinner tonight?"

I look around and see lots of strong, healthy relationships that I admire and strive for.  We are blessed to both have our parents still happily married.  I know that five years doesn't seem like much, just a stepping stone is our lives, really, but when I think about all that we have accomplished in our five years together, I'm pretty proud of us.  

We have committed our lives to each other.

We bought our first house and turned it into a home.

We brought two of the most beautiful baby girls into this world and are doing a darn good job of raising them.

We love each other more now than we did five years ago and are thankful to know that our love will continue to deepen as we grow together.

Through it all, my husband still makes me feel like that twenty-something without a care in the world.  And that is definitely something to celebrate.