16 years and counting...

I remember shortly after Jack and I were married, meeting couples who had been married 3, 4, 5+ years and thinking how long that seemed. The jury was out on if we'd even make it to two but wow, we've made it to 16! I feel this is a pretty amazing accomplishment considering the times we live in and the scarey statistic that says more than half of all marriages fail after the first 10 years. It's no secret that Jack and I were complete opposites when we got married but over the years we've figured out that we are actually more alike than we thought and that we actually make a fantastic team! I feel so lucky to have him as my husband. I can't imagine life without him and tell him often that when the time comes for us to have to leave this life, I better be the first to go.

As most of you know, we hardly ever go out to dinner. I figure we get enough of eating out when we vacation and I just can't stand to spend money on something that I have nothing to show for, with the exception of maybe a bigger belly. Besides I enjoy cooking. Well, Jack received this fat gift card from a colleague at work probably close to a year ago. It was for a restaurant in Seattle called Canlis which I had heard was amazing. Being that the gift card came in a leather pouch, I knew this was one to save for a special occasion. So at 2 p.m. on April 30th (our anniversary), I decided it was time to dust off the gift card and head out on the town. Thankfully the stars were aligned that night and within a few hours we had a babysitter booked and were on our way into Seattle. Oh my gosh, we are hooked. Canlis just beat out Metropolitan Grill for our favorite restaurant. The service and food were amazing. The owner took us on a tour of the place giving us the history behind this three generation hot spot. Hats off to their valet service who had our car waiting for us (and heated) as we walked out the door. They must have some undercover person that texts valet alerting them when you leave your seat. We've had some amazing anniversary dinners but this was definitely one of our more special ones. Now we just need to save up so we can go back! Cheers to many, many more...