John and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend. What a weekend, it was!
Two weeks ago, John surprised me with tickets to the Michigan/Northwestern game at the Big House on our anniversary weekend.
Unfortunately, we were already committed to deejaying a youth dance, and hosting eight kids for a Priest/Laurel conference being held in the area. When John has surprised me with things like this before, I have told him that it can't happen because we already have other things on the calendar. This time, he told me that he would take care of finding other people to take care of our responsibilities.
And in the words of Captain Picard, I said, "Make it so, Number One".
The weekend couldn't come fast enough! I got the playlists ready for two dances, and John found deejays for both of them (thanks, Cheese and Glo, for covering the first night). Too, there was plenty of housing for the visitors, so it was just the girls and the dogs here all weekend (with Ethan dropping in at night).
We left after John got home from work on Friday, and drove to Youngstown, Ohio. The hotel prices in Ann Arbor were astronomical, so we decided to split the drive in half. Good thing too, because after a full day, we were exhausted. We ate at our favorite salad restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, and settled into some Gold Rush. In the morning, I didn't want to leave the comfortable, king-size bed, but Ann Arbor called!
We got to Ann Arbor, bought Hannah's new viola, Charlotta, parked off of S. 7th Street and walked over to the stadium. Words can't describe how excited I was. I was happy to just walk through the tailgating section of the Pioneer parking lot (but of course, I couldn't resist reminding John that this experience could always be ours if we would just move to Ann Arbor!)
It was surreal, standing in that stadium. The turf was greener than it looks on TV, the field looked close enough to touch, and I could hardly believe that I was within screaming distance of Denard Robinson :-) Of course, John ordered the perfect fall day for us too--clear skies, 60 degree weather (in mid-November) and a cool breeze.
Unbeknownst to me, John also ordered up the most exciting football game I've seen in a long time. Granted, it shouldn't have been so close, or so exciting, but going into overtime only prolonged the fun. Thankfully, Michigan pulled out a win 41-34.
I don't know how many times I sang the alma mater "Hail to the Victors", or shouted "Let's Go Blue" with the marching band. We stood the entire game. I loved being part of the 112,500 people who showed up that day for the same reason. It was over way too fast!
Afterwards, we walked over to The Melting Pot, and enjoyed an entire meal there. It was just a mile up from campus, but in my favorite part of Ann Arbor: downtown. It felt like the party had just moved from the stadium with us to the restaurant. The 2-mile walk back to our car felt effortless.
A funny story that I hesitate to share, but that my kids will totally appreciate: John ate a lot at the restaurant, much more than his belly could take. On our way back to the car, he was thankful to visit the porta-potties scattered around the field for the tailgaters. Being on a diet study, it took a bit longer for my belly to reject the small amount of rich, delicious food I had eaten, and the only porta-potties in sight were the ones that stay year-round on the high school athletic fields. While John had enjoyed freshly stocked toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, and lighting, mine had nothing but the toilet seat. A toilet seat in the dark.
So, while I ran in (and I mean ran), John scoured the pockets of my fleece to find random paper towels I had stuffed in there for my incessantly running nose. These were tiny paper towels. Too, he was wearing an old Michigan sweatshirt of mine where (again) he found a used Kleenex from who-knows-when. All the while he was looking for these, he was serenading me from the outside of the porta potty (in the dark) to "So This Is Love", the duet sung between Cinderella and Prince Charming from Disney's Cinderella. Of course, he couldn't let the opportunity pass by to substitute his own lyrics, involving toilet paper, and porta-potties and other lovely things. Too, he didn't want me to be completely in the dark, so he held his glowing iPhone into the porta-potty while I was in there. I don't know which one of us was laughing harder!
And that, BABY, is what 23 years of marriage has gotten me. More unconditional love, laughter and thoughtfulness than I could have ever imagined when we got married. Thanks, babe, for all the "times", both good and bad. I sure do love you.
Two weeks ago, John surprised me with tickets to the Michigan/Northwestern game at the Big House on our anniversary weekend.
Unfortunately, we were already committed to deejaying a youth dance, and hosting eight kids for a Priest/Laurel conference being held in the area. When John has surprised me with things like this before, I have told him that it can't happen because we already have other things on the calendar. This time, he told me that he would take care of finding other people to take care of our responsibilities.
And in the words of Captain Picard, I said, "Make it so, Number One".
The weekend couldn't come fast enough! I got the playlists ready for two dances, and John found deejays for both of them (thanks, Cheese and Glo, for covering the first night). Too, there was plenty of housing for the visitors, so it was just the girls and the dogs here all weekend (with Ethan dropping in at night).
We left after John got home from work on Friday, and drove to Youngstown, Ohio. The hotel prices in Ann Arbor were astronomical, so we decided to split the drive in half. Good thing too, because after a full day, we were exhausted. We ate at our favorite salad restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, and settled into some Gold Rush. In the morning, I didn't want to leave the comfortable, king-size bed, but Ann Arbor called!
We got to Ann Arbor, bought Hannah's new viola, Charlotta, parked off of S. 7th Street and walked over to the stadium. Words can't describe how excited I was. I was happy to just walk through the tailgating section of the Pioneer parking lot (but of course, I couldn't resist reminding John that this experience could always be ours if we would just move to Ann Arbor!)
It was surreal, standing in that stadium. The turf was greener than it looks on TV, the field looked close enough to touch, and I could hardly believe that I was within screaming distance of Denard Robinson :-) Of course, John ordered the perfect fall day for us too--clear skies, 60 degree weather (in mid-November) and a cool breeze.Unbeknownst to me, John also ordered up the most exciting football game I've seen in a long time. Granted, it shouldn't have been so close, or so exciting, but going into overtime only prolonged the fun. Thankfully, Michigan pulled out a win 41-34.
I don't know how many times I sang the alma mater "Hail to the Victors", or shouted "Let's Go Blue" with the marching band. We stood the entire game. I loved being part of the 112,500 people who showed up that day for the same reason. It was over way too fast!
Afterwards, we walked over to The Melting Pot, and enjoyed an entire meal there. It was just a mile up from campus, but in my favorite part of Ann Arbor: downtown. It felt like the party had just moved from the stadium with us to the restaurant. The 2-mile walk back to our car felt effortless.
A funny story that I hesitate to share, but that my kids will totally appreciate: John ate a lot at the restaurant, much more than his belly could take. On our way back to the car, he was thankful to visit the porta-potties scattered around the field for the tailgaters. Being on a diet study, it took a bit longer for my belly to reject the small amount of rich, delicious food I had eaten, and the only porta-potties in sight were the ones that stay year-round on the high school athletic fields. While John had enjoyed freshly stocked toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, and lighting, mine had nothing but the toilet seat. A toilet seat in the dark.
So, while I ran in (and I mean ran), John scoured the pockets of my fleece to find random paper towels I had stuffed in there for my incessantly running nose. These were tiny paper towels. Too, he was wearing an old Michigan sweatshirt of mine where (again) he found a used Kleenex from who-knows-when. All the while he was looking for these, he was serenading me from the outside of the porta potty (in the dark) to "So This Is Love", the duet sung between Cinderella and Prince Charming from Disney's Cinderella. Of course, he couldn't let the opportunity pass by to substitute his own lyrics, involving toilet paper, and porta-potties and other lovely things. Too, he didn't want me to be completely in the dark, so he held his glowing iPhone into the porta-potty while I was in there. I don't know which one of us was laughing harder!
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This is what we do, baby!
ReplyDeleteI love it that you two seem to find the humor in ...most everything. Best wishes to your next 23 years together.
ReplyDelete