***Post warning: This is going to be disgustingly mushy and romantic. :)
Months ago, my husband asked to be in charge of our anniversary weekend, and started saving, unbeknownst to me. About two months ago, he told me I was going to have to trust him and quit asking questions. And quit looking at his checking account bank statements.
A few weeks ago, he let me know when we were leaving and when we were returning and who Danny was staying with. Last week he handed me a packing list and asked if I could be in charge of packing Danny's bag. He laid out instructions for the dog-sitter he had researched, found and hired.
I cannot believe the amount of forethought he put into this weekend. :-D My love bucket is full to overflowing for the rest of the year.
Friday morning started early, with cuddling in our pj's.
We finished packing the car and then Alejandro pulled out a special present just for Danny to enjoy while we were away: a Thomas the Train pillow. And yes, he loved it so much he squeezed its face, squealed,
and smashed his own face into the pillow. And that was five minutes after he received it! Kiddo has a thing for trains.
We got Danny settled and Alejandro pulled out all of my favorite snacks for the car ride: chocolates, beef jerky, breakfast fruit bars, nacho cheese Doritos, and we headed to another friend's house where he'd arranged to pick up their ATV to borrow it for the weekend.
He had told me to have my camera charged and ready. Knowing how much I love photography, he had planned to make the ride leisurely, and let me tell him to stop and pull over whenever I wanted to catch a certain photo. He totally let me go nuts with the camera!
We have a tradition of going to see the Fall colors every year and taking photos. I thought that in our busy-ness, it had escaped us this year. Nope. He remembered.
He even let me take a picture of him whenever I wanted.
The drive was gorgeous! The closer we got to our destination, the more he made me close my eyes. Ever time we passed a highway sign that indicated what highway we were on or what direction we were going, I had to close my eyes. Finally, he pulled up to the same bed & breakfast that we stayed at three years ago just before I got pregnant with Danny.
He checked us into the same room.
Now under new ownership, the B&B is also a goat farm! So Alejandro bonded with the goats. Yes, that's a llama in the background.
This baby goat was my favorite.
We enjoyed goat cheese and wine, and a leisurely afternoon in the town of Salida, Colorado.
The next day, we pulled out our gear, which he'd packed, the snacks and a picnic lunch he'd planned, and we had our first ATV experience! We LOVE mountain-biking, and this was similar, but without the sweat, and with the ability to go miles and miles up to around 12 or 13 thousand feet.
It was spectacular!
And he kept letting me stop to take pictures whenever I wanted.
Yes, that's a bike-helmet I'm improperly wearing over my snow beanie. Aren't you jealous of how hot I look? Not.
At the very top of the trail, we explored half a dozen old miner's cabins and searched for old stuff.
I have a fascination for old stuff.
Alejandro has a fascination for mines.
So we took LOTS of pictures of mines and old stuff.
And scenery. There are many more ATV pictures to post...
Then we headed back to Salida Town for our second dinner at our favorite riverside restaurant, the Boathouse, just in time for the sunset. All weekend, everything kept going just perfectly. We'd get somewhere just in time for something special. We arrived at the packed restaurant, and a table would open up for us right on the river, despite it being a packed night. We enjoyed $4 margaritas.
And last night, we sat in the B&B hot tub and looked at a million stars in the dark mountain sky. It was perfect. This morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, more time in the hot tub, reflecting on what we've done well in our marriage in the last year, and morning naps before checking out and heading to Salida Town once more for lunch and a quiet time with the Lord.
We grabbed the picnic blanket and sat right by the river, reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love out loud and talking it over. Perfect for a Sunday morning.
So very peaceful.
And on our way out of town? We grabbed ice cream and caught part of a skate/biking competition in the local skate park!
The only thing not quite so perfect? The half hour we drove in the wrong direction on our way home. But hey, it was another half an hour we got to spend together. The whole weekend was so rejuvenating, refreshing, renewing for our marriage, and totally romantic... So now, you know. ;) That's where Alejandro whisked me off to this weekend.
