The anniversary getaway Part I

My husband travels. A lot.

And last weekend we decided to take advantage of his frequent flyer miles.

Executing that getaway proved to be much more emotional than I had bargained for.

First off, in the weeks leading up to our vacation, we decided to write a Living Will.  This was the first time both of us had been away...just the two of us and on a plane no less.  We wanted to make sure everything was 'in order' in case there was a catastrophe. 

Well if you know me, then you know I went all 'worst-case-scenario' and wrote "Read this if I'm Gone" letters to each of the kids.  I KNOW, I'm a big ol ball of drama!

As you can imagine, those letters had me in tears all week.  

I mean really.....what would YOU say to your loved ones if you knew you were no longer going to see them?  It's a heavy task, not for the faint of heart!

So when I was finally sitting alone in the airport, having dropped off the kids, and ready to board a plane to meet Jarrod....I STILL couldn't shake the emotions.

I point all of this out, just to frame the bittersweet moments of our actual reunion.

It was glorious, and blissful, and just a tad melancholy all at once.

But I am smart enough to know that this was a good thing. ;)  We needed time away.

And that perspective was a gift.

It was a reminder to treasure every second we DO have together, as well as ALL the time I have with our kids.  (however exhausting/disorganized/mindnumbingly busy that time may be!)

I am a full, FULL time momma, and I needed to remember that I'm also a FULL time Lover.

(am I the only one singing Stevie Wonder right now?  Bah, I digress!)

So back to Oregon...

My hubby of ELEVEN wedded years booked us a spot at the Portland City Grill.  This hot spot is perched on the 30th floor of a building in the heart of the city. The view was amazing.  And the staff indulged us at every turn. We had one of those Loooong, drawn out, 5 course meals.  

They were expecting us, and they treated us like royalty!

And it's hard not to feel like we deserved this prize.  The whole getaway felt a bit overdue!  We had held off on taking a big trip in honor of our 10 year milestone.  Last year, it was difficult to plan anything around the time of Merrick's surgery.  And  as soon as he learned to walk again; we started househunting.

(But that's a story I'm sure you followed minute by minute ;)

Truly, though, a decade together is nothing to sneeze at.

We're finally beginning to feel 'seasoned' at this relationship stuff.

But this weekend away would test that 'seasoning.'

Even fireworks over dinner, and fancy hotels can't sugarcoat relationship issues.

I'll get more into that in our next post....and for now I'll highlight our happiest leg of the trip.

 After dinner we made our way to Portland's downtown Marriot.  

The ambiance was gorgeous....and in the morning I found the view from our window SO charming:

All in all, it was fun to hang out with my sweetheart.

He makes me laugh like no other.

And he enjoys picking my brain to find the quirky for me...

You know...like they say....Two heads (or four or six?) are better than one:

For instance, he was very excited about finding this gem of a breakfast spot.

A walk up window where we ordered THE yummiest Waffle fare!

He's happier about his research than it looks here.....

He had this caramel banana concoction to look forward to:

I opted for a savory dish.  Prepare yourself folks;

this beauty consisted of a crispy, sweet waffle topped with jalapenos, perfectly cooked bacon, guacamole, and cheese.  It. was. UNIQUE. And quite perfect!

An absolute treat for my tummy.

And the fact that our food was served up on grandmas old eclectic china and eaten at a bistro table on a street corner in Portland......it was completely, beautifully memorable!

We spent the rest of our time, in Portland, at two Powell's Bookstores.  One hundred and fifty dollars later, we owned the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (his thrilling surprise for our kids) and had a half year's worth of hard-to-find books for school!

After lunch we jumped in the company Rent-a-car and headed up to Seattle.  The two hour drive was peaceful until the end.  But like I said, that will have to be outlined in another post.

Goodbye Portland, and hello conflict.