Anniversary Celebration: Covid Style

"How do you want to celebrate our anniversary this year?" Chris asked me last week.

Saturday, July 11 was our 11th wedding anniversary. Typically, our anniversary is celebrated by going to a fancier restaurant, eating amazing food and having a very intentional conversation. It has been my favorite date every year.

Coronavirus has put a damper on many of our plans. I didn't want it to change our anniversary tradition, too. We talked about it all week, finally deciding that we would do take-out and eat after the boys were in bed so we could continue with our tradition of having that special conversation. And go on a family outing on Sunday morning.

First, I have to say that we've been on a paleo diet (attempting whole30) for 40 days. Our anniversary was our excuse to end the streak and so we went all out (don't worry, I'm back on it again)! We opened a bottle of wine that we got from Chris's parents. It was amazing. And I don't think that's because we hadn't had a drink in 40 days. Paradigm is one of our absolute favorites.

And then we ordered Italian food for dinner. Getting take-out after making three meals a day for 40 days in a row was an amazing gift in itself. Having it be food that I had restricted myself from was an absolute treat. It was delicious. Not pictured is the chocolate dessert we ordered. It was so rich, I couldn't even finish it!

And don't let those take out dishes disappoint you.  Not having to do dishes was part of our plan. It might not look pretty or fancy, but clean up was a breeze.

Dinner was a success, but it was the conversation and attention we gave each other that made our "date night" so special. Our anniversary dates are reserved for reflecting, dreaming, and making plans together. And this year, not even Coronavirus could take that away from us.

______ ______ ______ ______

Since the pandemic is requiring many of us to stay home, work from home and be with our partner much more than we are used to, I thought I would share how our conversation goes... perhaps you want/need to set aside a night to have an intentional conversation too.

There are three things we cover during our anniversary date (usually after our meal/catch up time)

1) Affirmation. We usually start by sharing things we've noticed and appreciate about our partner. Affirming decisions made or character traits tested in the past year. Or things like "Thank you for taking the boys to the park every Saturday so I can ______).

2) Reflecting on the year.  These could be events, trips, big moments or decisions that stand out to you. They could be favorite memories, new places you've been, or new things you've tried. Or they could be really hard moments you've lived through or changes you weren't ready for.

3) Dreaming of the future. What plans do you want to make for the coming year? What changes do you want to incorporate into your relationship? What's your dream and what do you need from your spouse to make that happen? Here is a great opportunity to set intentions for the following year -- for your marriage, career, and vacations and family life. 

Blessings.

"How do you want to celebrate our anniversary this year?" Chris asked me last week.

Saturday, July 11 was our 11th wedding anniversary. Typically, our anniversary is celebrated by going to a fancier restaurant, eating amazing food and having a very intentional conversation. It has been my favorite date every year.

Coronavirus has put a damper on many of our plans. I didn't want it to change our anniversary tradition, too. We talked about it all week, finally deciding that we would do take-out and eat after the boys were in bed so we could continue with our tradition of having that special conversation. And go on a family outing on Sunday morning.

First, I have to say that we've been on a paleo diet (attempting whole30) for 40 days. Our anniversary was our excuse to end the streak and so we went all out (don't worry, I'm back on it again)! We opened a bottle of wine that we got from Chris's parents. It was amazing. And I don't think that's because we hadn't had a drink in 40 days. Paradigm is one of our absolute favorites.

And then we ordered Italian food for dinner. Getting take-out after making three meals a day for 40 days in a row was an amazing gift in itself. Having it be food that I had restricted myself from was an absolute treat. It was delicious. Not pictured is the chocolate dessert we ordered. It was so rich, I couldn't even finish it!

And don't let those take out dishes disappoint you.  Not having to do dishes was part of our plan. It might not look pretty or fancy, but clean up was a breeze.

Dinner was a success, but it was the conversation and attention we gave each other that made our "date night" so special. Our anniversary dates are reserved for reflecting, dreaming, and making plans together. And this year, not even Coronavirus could take that away from us.

______ ______ ______ ______

Since the pandemic is requiring many of us to stay home, work from home and be with our partner much more than we are used to, I thought I would share how our conversation goes... perhaps you want/need to set aside a night to have an intentional conversation too.

There are three things we cover during our anniversary date (usually after our meal/catch up time)

1) Affirmation. We usually start by sharing things we've noticed and appreciate about our partner. Affirming decisions made or character traits tested in the past year. Or things like "Thank you for taking the boys to the park every Saturday so I can ______).

2) Reflecting on the year.  These could be events, trips, big moments or decisions that stand out to you. They could be favorite memories, new places you've been, or new things you've tried. Or they could be really hard moments you've lived through or changes you weren't ready for.

3) Dreaming of the future. What plans do you want to make for the coming year? What changes do you want to incorporate into your relationship? What's your dream and what do you need from your spouse to make that happen? Here is a great opportunity to set intentions for the following year -- for your marriage, career, and vacations and family life. 

Blessings.

Family Outing: Stow Lake

For the past three and a half months, our family outings have been fairly routine. We've taken a drive 30 minutes north, we've gone to the beach a couple of times and walked to our neighborhood parks. Many of the grand adventures we had planned for the summer had to be postponed.

We wanted to make this weekend a little more special because it was our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. Every time we've gone for a hike at Stow Lake the boys ask me to rent a boat, but Chris was never with us. And since we can't go on real dates right now, this family outing seemed to be the perfect idea. The weather even cooperated and we had the most beautiful morning rowing a boat.

Kind of hard to admit that we've lived here for 10 years and never thought to do this.

It was the most beautiful morning. We saw geese, ducks, turtles and even discovered statues of rats and spiders hiding near the water's edge. Other than the boys getting bored after the first 20 minutes of our hour-long rental, we had a really great time. I loved it.

* Sometimes we just forget we can take off our masks!

For the past three and a half months, our family outings have been fairly routine. We've taken a drive 30 minutes north, we've gone to the beach a couple of times and walked to our neighborhood parks. Many of the grand adventures we had planned for the summer had to be postponed.

We wanted to make this weekend a little more special because it was our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. Every time we've gone for a hike at Stow Lake the boys ask me to rent a boat, but Chris was never with us. And since we can't go on real dates right now, this family outing seemed to be the perfect idea. The weather even cooperated and we had the most beautiful morning rowing a boat.

Kind of hard to admit that we've lived here for 10 years and never thought to do this.

It was the most beautiful morning. We saw geese, ducks, turtles and even discovered statues of rats and spiders hiding near the water's edge. Other than the boys getting bored after the first 20 minutes of our hour-long rental, we had a really great time. I loved it.

* Sometimes we just forget we can take off our masks!