Creepy

Creepy McDonalds toys. Madame Alexander dolls. This one is called the “Mad Hatter”. It’s eyes open and close.

Anniversary trip

Stephen and I were lucky to have a night away for our anniversary. My mother-in-law graciously watched the kids while we went to a bed and breakfast in Hermann. It was nice to have the day to ourselves, not worrying about nap times, diapers or snacks. We could do things when we wanted and what we wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my kids but the adult time was FABULOUS!!!

We visited a couple of wineries before we checked into our room at the Schiller Guest Suites.  The inn keepers were fabulous! Very nice people who were very accommodating to our requests. The Guest Suites are located above a bar, The Bank. I wasn’t really sure what to think about that but it turned out to be ok.  Upon checking in and learning that we were celebrating our anniversary, one of the inn keepers (they own the bar) gave us each a drink on the house. I had my first ever martini. Oh. my. Their Poma martini was delish! I could definitely down a few of those! After our drink, we were shown to our room. It was a very nice room, well decorated and spacious. One of the things that I was a little leery of was the fact that there were no televisions in the rooms. What the heck were we going to do in the evening?? Talk to each other or something?? The omission of a tv turned out to be a real blessing. We enjoyed each other’s company without having meaningless distractions.

After checking in, we decided to head over to Stone Hill Winery to check out the tour and have some dinner. The tour was really interesting. And, of course, there was wine at the end. A very good sampling I might add. We grabbed a bottle of their Golden Spumante and headed over to the Vintage Restaurant for dinner. The food was very delicious so it made up for the so-so service. We then enjoyed a trolley ride back to our bed and breakfast.

Hermann is a really nice, quaint little town. You can walk to quite a bit as well. After having some pie for dessert, we decided that we wanted to walk on the pedestrian path on their new bridge. The view was breathtaking. It was a beautiful night with the man who I love. After our walk, we decided to cap the evening off with another drink at The Bank. The place was rocking!! They had live music and was packed! Chocolate martini anyone? We were so tired that we fell asleep talking at 9:30!!  The music from the bar didn’t phase us in the least bit! We went to sleep early and woke up only when my sister sent me a text at 8am.

After church, we made the trip to Swiss Meats. TOTALLY worth the drive. If you are ever in the area, you must visit them. Totally worth the trip off the beaten path. They have something like 54 different types of bratwurst. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. After tasting their samples, we knew we couldn’t leave without buying some. Some being 8 packages! Seriously though, totally worth the trip.

Our vacation get away was rejuvenating. We love our family but feel it is really important to connect as a couple. You can’t be good parents if you aren’t on the same page and you don’t put effort into the marriage. We are truly blessed to have wonderful family that made this weekend possible. It was great to be away but it was super sweet getting back to our kids.

My family

Flowers from Stephen

View from the bridge

7 Years

Stephen and I celebrated our anniversary last week. 7 years on 8/9/10. Bought a lotto ticket…donated a buck to the state.

Can you ever forget the day you got married? Certainly not! It is one of the most special occasions in your life. The words “I do” hold special meaning. These two words bear the responsibility of a lifetime of togetherness.

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. I am blessed that I married my best friend. The past seven years have been great. We work through our differences and make it work. I love my husband more now than I do the day I met him. He has been there through the good times and the bad. Tears of sadness and tears of joy. It’s hard to believe that we have been married seven years..

One of the great illusions of our time is that love is self-sustaining. It is not. Love must be fed and nurtured, constantly renewed. That demands ingenuity and consideration, but first and foremost, it demands time.
— David Mace

Then

Now