Last week this guy and I celebrated 14 years of marriage! We usually like to do a getaway weekend just the two of us, but Father’s Day was the weekend before and we had a family wedding to attend this past weekend. We plan to get away in July but enjoyed an evening out on our anniversary.
I dropped our kids off with my mom and arrived home at 4:30. Hungry, I opened the fridge to get a snack, half an avocado and a string cheese. I had to open the brand-new package of string cheese, so I set the avocado down. I needed the scissors to cut open the package, so I walked to the knife block, cut it open and threw the package in the trash. When I came back for the avocado, I couldn’t find it! I am seriously losing my mind!
Just then Will walked in.
“Oh, you’re home! Don’t look,” he said carrying a large box and a Target bag.
“Oh, you’re home! Um. . . I can’t find my avocado.”
We had a good laugh and searched for the avocado for about five minutes. I finally found it in the deli drawer with the lunch meat.
“Do you want to save some wrapping paper and open your gifts now? Or do you want me to go wrap them?”
“I can just open them. I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything!” We took a trip together in April and have another coming up, so I was going to suggest not doing gifts. But we’ve been so busy lately I forgot to bring it up!
He handed me the anniversary card he had just purchased but hadn’t had a chance to sign. Then he said, “This is your Plan A gift. You’ll see when you open it, but I have a Plan B gift.”
When he flipped it over, I saw that it was a Magnolia box! As in a Chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia box. As I unwrapped it, I saw the packing slip that said, “Grow Old Along with Me.”
I panicked a little inside. I bought this exact sign a year ago. It sat on the floor in our bedroom waiting to be hung for about nine months. I recently moved it to the floor in our closet because we had the carpet cleaned. I opened the box and just didn’t know what to do: Do I tell him we already have this? How did he not notice it? Maybe I can just return it without him knowing.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it . . .”
“You love it so much that you already have it!” he laughed.
He explained how he had this sign saved in a gift idea folder in his email. He was so excited to order it a few weeks ago because he knew I’d love it. A few days after the package arrived, he noticed the sign sitting in our closet!
I forgot that he had a Plan B gift, so he handed me the Target bag, which had a pair of wireless headphones I’ve been wanting. We had a good laugh!
Still in my casual clothes, I wanted to put on a dress. I quickly changed and we got in the car. About five minutes from our house, I looked down and realized I should have changed to a strapless bra! It didn’t look completely terrible because the dress was brown lace and covered the straps. It helped that the bra was nude or else we would have had to drive home for a quick wardrobe change. Goodness!
We went to a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant and decided to go to a movie. I hoped I could stay awake, I had been up since 4:30 AM because of our dog. (She is seriously making me crazy! It’s like having a newborn again.) We had about 45 minutes between dinner and the movie, so we decided to make a romantic pit stop at . . . the car wash! These days we try to take advantage of any free time to check something off our to-do list. We posted a little Facebook Live video on my personal page to commemorate the occasion.
This is 14, you guys. It’s being thankful to squeeze in a kid-free night out on your anniversary. It’s giving an unsigned card. It’s buying presents your spouse already has and realizing it later. It’s not buying each other presents. It’s forgetting to change your bra and going to the car wash. We’re tired and we’re forgetful with all that’s going on during this season of raising children. Getting to 14 has been busy and crazy, but it’s such a gift. We’ve come so far and I can’t to walk hand-in-hand toward the next 14.
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