ANNIVERSARY

It has been a year. I CAN NOT believe that last year at this time we were sitting naked in a sea of discarded silver dove wrapping paper and Jimmy John’s wrappers watching Rome season 1. I know…try to get THAT image out of your head. I can’t.

But really, I can’t do justice to how lovely this year has been or how special my memories of that day are now. In fact, at this moment I am listening to “Business Time” to which we danced at our reception. Have I done anything with our wedding photos? Nope. But I will have an anniversary ring soon. Yippie!

Parts of the day didn’t go smoothly, but it was full of love from our friends and family and our ceremony was heartbreakingly beautiful thanks to Johannah, Sarah, John Donne, Arvo Part and many more. In fact, the very ones who’ve made this year what it has been. Thanks ya’ll. And most importantly, thank YOU hubby-head. You are the bring spot in my life. (Who knew bright spots could quarrel so damn often?)

ANYWAY…we were given a free weekend stay in the Storybook Cottage in New Buffalo, Michigan: owned by some friends of mine from church a long, long time ago, Rebecca and Bill Conway. Thank YOU, Conways.

After traveling all week and taking more than 2 hours to finally get to the cottage, we were ready for a drink and a bite of shrimp at the Stray Dog:

On the morning of our anniversary we biked to the farmer’s market to buy fresh produce, bread and cheese for our lunch. I do not have any photos of this because it was not as easy going as I had imagined. 🙂 On our way home we stopped at the antique barn next to Redemack’s. We arrived home a little sunburnt, a little butt-sweaty and very happy.

And yes, that is hubs being very healthy and very un-healthy at the same time. We HAVE quit smoking but I guess we started a new tradition of secretly smoking on our anniversary only every year.

Dinner at the Harbor Grand Terrace Cafe, where we spent our first night as the Shuffles: