Anniversary Surprise

Now back to two incomes, our money situation loosened up slightly. We were approaching our 2nd anniversary and decided to take a late mini honeymoon to Pigeon Forge. We were only going to be gone for the weekend, but it would be the longest I'd ever been away from our youngest.

It made me think back to our wedding day. At our reception, I had commented to my new husband that I would love to get everyone back together for our 1st anniversary in the same spot for a barbecue. Throughout that 1st year, there was a house that I happened to see online that was available and exceptionally well priced. I fell in love with it. It was a fixer upper and needed some work, but I tried every avenue available to buy it.

While it was empty, we used to drive up to it and daydream about the life our family could have there. We even got a realtor to show it to us, and I took a picture of our baby on the deck, hoping it would be the 1st of many. I had also seen a necklace in a department store I really liked. I'd never been a jewelry person so I hadn't really thought much about it again.

On our 1st anniversary, he told me he was taking me back to the spot where he proposed to enjoy our year old wedding cake. On the way, he asked if I'd like to stop by the lake and reminise where we held our reception. Of course I thought it was a very romantic idea and was all for it. I cannot even begin to put into words how surprised I was to find the majority of our reception guests there waiting at a surprise cookout, just as I had suggested a year earlier!  As we were getting out of the car, he presented me with the necklace I had mentioned in passing.

Just when I thought the night couldn't get any better, he said we had to leave to go have our cake. Again I thought he was taking me to our original destination. Instead, he pulled into the drive of my little dream house on the hill. We sat there and ate our cake while we talked about how we'd do it all over again.

Our trip to Tennessee was a much needed getaway, but nothing aside from whisking me away to our beach could have topped that day. My heart broke a little when the house sold, but I knew that memory was forever all mine. There'd be other houses, but there would never be anyone else I would want to share them with.