Anniversary Trip Was Not A Cruise But It Was Still Good

We had planned to do a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary yesterday but Covid kinda put the kibosh on that.

Instead we exchanged anniversary cards ion the morning and had breakfast and then we headed out on a drive to Elmore, Ohio. 

Why Elmore?  Because their Schedel Gardens and Arboretum is open to the public while Ann Arbor's botanical gardens are still closed - yes open air gardens are closed still due to Covid.   Covidiotic.

So we headed to Elmore, which is a rather quintessential American small town.  Strangers actually cheerfully say hi to you when you're walking down the street. We stopped for lunch at the Village Inn which was delightful.   While service was slow, as everywhere is these days as help is hard to find, the food was worth the wait.  I had the Buffalo Chicken Chink -0 basically chunks of lightly breaded fried chicken in a buffalo sauce which was great, and Tash had the Greek salad.  We also tried a Birch Beer which was rather tasty and sort of a wintergreen root beer in flavor.  Good stuff.

Then we went to the Schedel Gardens and Arboretum.

To say its picturesque is an understatement.  Multiple themed gardens and really a beautiful place.

The Japanese themed garden was very serene, peaceful, and beautiful.

They have a large selection of Bonsai trees including this one Ponderosa Pine dating back to 1941 that is still going strong.

They also have a species of redwood tree, the Dawn Redwood that were thought to be extinct until rediscovered some valleys in China during the Second World War. 

 

Lots of things to see, though the peonies have yet to fully bloom and their vegetable and flower gardens are just starting to grow.  It was a very nice time.

After that we headed home, narrowly missing getting into a car wreck as a fellow made a left turn right into a car approaching straight down the road at high speed. Both had a green light but the left turn definitely lacked the right of way.  massive bang sound and just missed us.  Not fun.  Both cars had airbags deployed but they seemed ok and a sheriff's car was right there. 

We got home safely, rested and changed and then headed out to a nice restaurant, It's a Matter of Taste on Union Lake for dinner on their Patio.  Excellent food, service, and atmosphere.

It made for a very nice anniversary day indeed.

Happy 25th Anniversary To Us!

Today marks 25 years since I tied the knot.

25 years of marriage.  Kinda hard to wrap my mind around it.

25 years ago we said "I do", and we did.  We haven't done too bad a job so far, starting from little in a studio apartment and student loans to a home and two great kids and careers.  Ups and downs as you may imagine, but it's been more ups together than downs, so it all evens out positively.

More than 50% of my life has been spent being married to the most wonderful woman I know.

While we were going to do a cruise to celebrate our anniversary,  the world shutting down has kinda got in the way of that plan.  Maybe next year.

So instead, we'll be hanging out closer to home. 

I'm going to take her out during the day to a botanical garden she likes, then to a nice lunch, and then out for dinner to one of her favorite restaurants where we will eat outside on a patio overlooking a lake.  Not as nice, nor as memorable as a cruise, but we'll make do.

Happy Locked-Down 24th Anniversary To Me!

Well, it is my and Natasha's 24th wedding today.

Certainly, the most locked down one we’ve ever had.

Considering I distinctly recall the judge said I could have been a free man by now, being locked down for our anniversary is a tad ironic.

It’s been 24 amazing and loving years with Tash, with great adventures and wonders, including two wonderful kids, and I look forward to many, many more years together.

But - Next year for #25 though - we will get out and go somewhere special.

Twenty-Two Years Ago Today

It was on this date 22 years ago that two kids got married.

Since then they've managed to move up in the world, finish school (though not the student loans...yet), develop careers, and to this day continue to raise two amazing children.

Yes, my marriage with Tash has now made it for twenty-two years and is still going, which is rather incredible when I stop and think about it.

Certainly it has been an amazing time together, almost half our lives at this point, and it has certainly been the better half.

16 Years Ago Today

I'd be remiss if I didn't happily report that today marks my and Natasha's 16th Wedding Anniversary.

Apparently the traditional gift for a 16th anniversary is silver holloware. Here I was thinking the 16th was rust.

We celebrated in a rather low key fashion: We went to see Leah's ballet recital where she did a great job in her first ever ballet performance. Very proud parents we are indeed.

Then we went out to lunch at Noodles and Company which was quite tasty and had something for everyone, and then took the kids for cupcakes for dessert and headed home to relax.

Sixteen years, wow. It's been a great run so far, but I better plan something a little more over-the-top for anniversary number 17.......

15 Years Ago Today I Got Married....

And I've been happily hitched ever since.

Thanks to my darling wife Natasha for 15 wonderful years together and two of the best kids in the world. The time has certainly flown by and looking back I wouldn't have spent these past 15 years any other way.