Monday, October 15, 2007

It all started with a kiss...

Friday morning I awoke to the radio DJ's mumbling about something at a volume high enough to wake the neighbors in a three-block radius. I rolled out of bed as I do every morning and turned the talk-box off; no need to delay getting out of bed on this fine day! I had plans that were going to make the day of the one I love; no matter what!

I quickly ran through the morning routine. My entire plan hinged on the fact that he believe I am at work during the morning hours. If I didn't conduct myself in the 'business as usual' manner, he would begin to suspect and then the day is shot. I quickly run in to give him a kiss, tell him I love him, and then head out the door; as if this were any ordinary day.

This is where the ordinary in my day ends. We have been married for five years as of Friday, October 12, 2007. My drivers license expires this month; obtained five years ago the month I changed from the name my parents gave me at birth to the name I will have for eternity. I decided I had some time to kill so I would pop in and renew the silly thing. The pop in theory did not work quite as I had intended. The state of Missouri requires that you supply everything that points out to them that you are who you say you are; just short of donating a pint of blood and a urine sample. I didn't have these items when I arrived so I had to return home for the necessary paperwork. Luckily, my husband continued in his normal morning slumber and didn't realize I had returned home. I went back to the license office and stood in line once again only to discover "We do not accept plastic; we are against it". I had to then run to the bank for some much needed cash. You guessed it, I returned to the license office to stand in line for the third time. I guess I did say that I needed to kill some time. After almost two hours, I have my new identification in hand!


I bolt out of there and head to the gas station, where I fueled up for the day and purchased some much-need caffeine. I prepared for the remainder of the day over the next couple of hours. When the time was right, I sent a text to my husband to make sure he was awake. He promptly returned my message stating that he was; which I expected to be the case. We sent texts back and forth while I told him he needs to be prepared to go to lunch; all the while, I am preparing. When I am finally ready, I head to the house to get the man I married for a romantic anniversary surprise!


Once he is dressed and ready to go, we jump in the car and drive to the scene of the crime; the park where we married five years ago. I take him to the falls and tell him to look around as I prepare our picnic. I set up the table and snap a couple of photos before calling him over. He is stunned at what I have prepared. We sit down and I begin to read to him; Bible verses from the day we were married. For some reason, I couldn't help but cry - so happy that we are together and he is intently listening to me. We read our vows to each other as a gentle reminder of our promises to God and to each other. We share a kiss and then a quiet little lunch...


Our meal complete, we walk across the park to a cache (http://www.geocaching.com/) that has been placed in the cache; a tradition of ours to sign the log on our big anniversaries. However, what my husband doesn't know, is that I have prepared a special 'cache' for him on this day. I hang back while he searches for the cache. He notices that the container is different than previously and suddenly it dawns on him that this cache is special. He opens it up:


I prepared a scavenger hunt for the remainder of the day; all about us - where we have been and where we are going. All of the locations for the day were set in the GPS I had just given to him and cards had been prepared with clues to each. He simply had to figure out where we were going and direct me to it.

The next location on our journey was to the place we met; the pool hall. We spent only a couple of hours shooting pool as I didn't want to wear him out! I gave him the next clue and off we went. Unfortunately, we discovered that the GPS maps are not quite as good as I had hoped; they don't zoom in all the way to the street level. So he couldn't quite get me to the location based on his new toy. However, he did finally figure out where we were headed and off we went. We were to spend the evening at the Steeple Inn & Spa in Liberty (http://steepleinn.com/). When we arrived, the home owner welcomed us; as did the smell of natural gas. Unfortunately, there had been a gas leak; no romantic fireplaces for us. I showed my husband our quarters for the night. Pleased with the reaction, I gave him the next destination.



We were to eat dinner at Carrabba's in Independence - a wonderful Italian restaurant we both enjoy. We arrived and were seated promptly (thanks to call-ahead seating). Dinner was delightful; as we expected. We headed back to our Inn for the evening for a wonderful String Duet concert prepared by the Inn Keepers and a desert to die for. A much unexpected surprise for the both of us; and the concert brought out a hidden love of music for us both.



At the conclusion of the concert, I handed my husband his next destination. The only clue I provided was 'PLEASE'. He quickly figured out the dogs needed a break from being inside all day. That, and the fact that we needed to pack an overnight bag...We spent a few minutes at home and then returned for the night to our resting place.

The rooms are very cosy for an old church. The bed and a fireplace rest on the ground floor. A staircase leads to a loft which has a two person hot tub and yet another fireplace. The Inn boasts a beautiful grand piano and huge cathedral windows and ceilings. The entire setting is very romantic. We shared the remaining wine as we soaked together in a tub with no working jets. After a few enjoyable hours together, we retire for a much needed rest.



About 7 AM my husband wakes me. Storms had rolled into the area and were producing fantastic lightening shows, amazing claps of thunder, and torrents of rain. Part of the rain had made its way through the tiles in the roof down onto the pillow where my husband was resting his head. We discovered the roof of the Inn leaks. We both arose and decided that breakfast would be next on the agenda; even though we really just wanted to remain in bed together enjoying the remaining moments of our anniversary evening.



The entire experience was fantastic! I have no complaints; even with the few issues with a new Bed & Breakfast as is the Inn (I would recommend it to anyone coming to the area). My dear - here is to another 5 years; where I may have to consider reading our vows at the scene of our honeymoon instead...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

People should read this.