16 Years

(I've been trying to get to this post alllllll week!)

16 years? Wow. Time is funny. That sounds like a long time, but it doesn't feel like it's been as long as it sounds. Weird. 

This summer Ryan went on three big fires and was gone for a total of almost 6 weeks. He finally came home for good on our anniversary, September 12th. Which was the very best. I'm so thrilled to have him hom that I'm not even giving him a hard time about that massive beard. Well....at least, not too much.

We had Weston snap some pictures of us before we headed out on our date. And we were not trying to match!

Ryan and I started going to the Market Grill when we were in college and dating. He took me there the night of the Winter Formal and when he came to pick me up for the dance (after dinner and we got changed) he asked me to marry him. That was a pretty great night.

So, we often go back there for anniversary dates. I love it.

I don't know what it is, but I love their salads! And they're just simple iceberg lettuce salads, but they taste so good. It's probably because I'm always starving when we go. 

Love this handsome cowboy of mine! It was so nice to spend some time with him without our happy and fun brood of kiddos in tow. Well, we did have one tag along...

But Rory just sat through the meal staring and smiling at me. And that's just fun. Who doesn't like to have a constant admirer hanging around? 

It's a bit of a yellow picture, but this is our favorite dish at the Market Grill, their giant portioned Chicken Fried Steak and mashed potatoes. Seriously, so so so good. Oy! This picture is making me hungry.

At first I wasn't sure what to give Ryan for our anniversary. And then I got to thinking about how hard it is for us to get away on dates. And not because we don't really have the time or it's hard to get a babysitter (we have a teenage son now! It's awesome.) But more it's just hard to remember to schedule it into our day to day life, so I gave him this...

17 Dates for our 17th Year. And I filled it with envelopes...

And in each envelope there is either a gift card for that date (that was a lot of driving around town to pick all those up!) or there is some moolah to cover or go to the expense. Some dates are places to go out to, but some are ideas for staying in. 

It can be hard to squeeze in a "going out" date every week. So, I thought it would be nice to have a few stay-in-dates. 

Ryan was really excited about this present! And I am, too. 

(Should've written the Historic Theater on that one!)

Ryan brought me this lovely bouquet of roses in the middle of the day. Well, they were much prettier a week before! I forgot to snap a picture of them when he first gave them to me. They remind me of peaches with their pretty peachy yellow color and bright red edges. Lovely. 

And then later that night he gave me another bouquet of flowers! He said he couldn't choose between them and thought I'd like them both. He was very right. I love sunflowers, too. 

Since he'd been gone fighting fires he told me I'd have to wait a bit for my anniversary gift. He planned a surprise date for this last week. We were going to go out on this last Thursday night. But then...well, there was a dental emergency for one of our children who had a bit of a biking accident. So, we went out last night instead. He was very mysterious about the whole thing. He gave me a clue. "I'll get to watch you."

Mr. Mysterious driving me on our date.

What? I couldn't figure it out. 

Then we had to pull over to nurse the baby real quick and while we chatted he told me he was taking me shopping for clothes. "Whatever you want, no matter the price." Wow! That was a pretty sweet and awesome gift! After having a baby, my wardrobe is....somewhat limited. 

So, we went to Downeast Outfitters and I picked out some jeans, two scarfs and two shirts. It was so much fun! And Ryan followed me around holding Rory and telling me to choose certain things. Like a very very bright orange shirt. Um, no...I don't think so. And then I'd try things on and he wanted to see. Which is where the "I'll get to watch you" clue came from. 

Rory made a new friend at the store. He smiled and chatted with his little buddy.
It was the cutest thing.