Category: romantic

Our Time

So true! My husband and I have been together nearly two decades, but we still hold hands, snuggle, kiss hello, and text each other all day long like teenagers. We had to walk through fire and go to battle for our love, and because of that, we value our relationship and each other even more.

We also have the opposite extreme to compare it to, having spent far too long with people who had (and still have) no clue whatsoever what real love is. They will never know what it feels like to have what we have, and that actually makes me a little sad for them.

I am grateful that we found each other. Anything we went through over the past 19+ years was worth it, to have a true partner and best friend in my corner and in my life, in my arms, in my heart. I wouldn’t trade him for anything.

Yes, it’s our time. Time to fully enjoy each day, plan trips, revel in quiet moments, build even more memories together. No matter how long we have been together, you see, we still have time to make up for.

Sunsets

I am not a summer person. At all. I would rather bundle up in a coat than sweat just walking to my car. Sweaters, blankets, boots, fireplaces, hot tea, chilly evenings…that is what I live for.

The beach is hot. There’s sand everywhere. Did I mention it’s hot? I don’t even usually like water all that much.

So why do I love going to the beach with my husband? He made a comment recently that maybe I go mostly to make him happy.

It’s true, I rarely went to the beach before I met my husband. For years, he and I took the kids there, and I helped build sand castles and watched them play in the water, and I took pictures we could enjoy later. My husband and I never took trips just for the two of us–we always planned them so the kids could go with us.

A few years ago, when we started planning a weekend trip, it was so odd knowing that it was going to be just us two, now that the kids are older. The idea of going to the beach came up, and it seemed like such a novel idea. What ever would we do with ourselves, without four kids to keep up with?

We figured it out pretty quickly. We practically ran from our room down to the beach, and soon we were floating blissfully in the water, the warmth of the sun kissing our shoulders and faces, a gentle breeze dancing across the water, and we were hooked. Jumping in the waves, laughing as the tide tries to carry me off, lazily drying off in beach chairs, listening to the waves, heading out to dinner later, exploring…I love all of it.

A weekend beach trip here and there has become something we look forward to every summer now. And my husband has it wrong: I don’t go simply to make him happy. I may not enjoy summer, or being hot, or sand getting everywhere, but when I am with him, it’s just different. It’s fun. It’s relaxing. It’s magical. Because he is with me, and it is our thing, our time together, something we love doing together.

We have another trip coming up soon, and I have already been exploring new places to check out next year. I like the idea of creating experiences, not just buying stuff. Building memories, seeing new places with each other, walking or driving around to see what is over there, what can we get into here?

Ending the day on the beach to watch the sunset has become our thing, too. No matter how many we have watched together, each one is still exciting and beautiful.

So sure, I will be thrilled when the temperature drops, when we need to stack firewood beside the fireplace, when I pull down sweaters from the top shelf of the closet, when the air is crisp and cool and energizing. But for now, if we absolutely have to endure summers, then I will just keep browsing beach websites, checking out hotels and resorts, and shopping for dresses to wear to dinner after our beach day. I will look forward to our next weekend getaway and enjoy all of the pictures from our last one.

For me, it isn’t just the beach itself that I love so much. It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s what it all makes me think of that makes me smile. I see waves and remember how much fun we have jumping in them. I hear those waves crash and feel the peace and tranquility of sitting beside him, chatting, dozing, so relaxed. I see sand and think of walking down the beach, holding hands, picking up shells, waiting for one more sunset.

We have so many memories at the beach now that I love it for one simple, powerful reason: because it’s a place I love sharing with him. I love our framed photos from our beach walks, knowing each one is a piece of our experiences together that no one else has. Just us. And I love the idea of collecting even more together: more memories, more smiles, more shells, more pictures, and always…more sunsets.

Full Moon

Typically when my husband and I take a trip or attend an event, I like lots of lead time. I like to plan, research, draft an itinerary if necessary, sketch out every last detail. So when I saw an announcement of a full moon lighthouse climb only a day or two before the event, I thought, oh well. Maybe we’ll catch the next one.

Then I stopped and asked, why? Will the world stop spinning if we just go and don’t know every tiny piece of information first? So I mentioned it to my husband, and he was excited about it. That settled it: we were going!

Last night we stopped for a quick dinner and then headed out to the lighthouse. A band was playing, and a bonfire was snapping and crackling in the darkness. I went first up the lighthouse steps, and at first we were joking and talking, my husband slapping my butt playfully, but after what seemed like a million steep steps, we got a lot quieter, and I was wondering if we would ever reach the top!

We kept circling, winding our way up one step at a time. Someone had written “halfway there” on the wall, and then further up had added the note “Almost there!” The steps got even tinier and narrower, then finally, we were at the top.

There’s no describing the view from the top of that lighthouse. The full moon was glowing proudly, reflecting on the water in the distance, a silvery glint on the treetops. It was beautiful and peaceful.

My husband stood beside me silently, then reached for my hand on the railing. We were still out of breath from the climb, but it was very worth it. I felt dizzy from the height, and the walkway was extremely narrow, so we were standing practically on the edge by necessity. I’m not a fan of heights, but I didn’t want to leave, either. It was all too pretty.

From the top, we could see the glow of the bonfire, and we could see people walking around on the ground, so tiny. The circling light from the lighthouse danced across treetops. We could see the shimmer of the water, which looked like it was floating above the thick trees from that height.

On our way home from the lighthouse, my husband got excited about the big, bright moon reflecting off the water, so we pulled over and walked down to the beach. We stood together and enjoyed the beauty of the view, and we induldged in a few kisses (how could we not, in that setting?)

I admit I’ve been planning our summer trips since the fall, but now I feel inspired to maybe add just a few more spontaneous, “let’s-just-do-this” kind of things, too. When we look back over our lives together, years and years from now, I like the idea of being able to say, “Remember when we stood in the full moon at the top of a lighthouse?”

*Photo credit: Wrightsville Beach Full Moon Fever, taken by Lee Capps

Escape

I am never ready for a weekend to be over, but this one was extra difficult to say good-bye to. Last week was so busy, hectic, and crazy that my husband and I kept commenting to each other that we couldn’t wait for the weekend, and when it finally got here, we decided to enjoy it to the hilt.

Saturday morning we slept in a bit, even though we had a lot to do. It was just nice to be together, snuggled up, cozy, peaceful. We spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon in the yard together, mowing and trimming and cleaning up. It was a beautiful day, perfect to be outside. We got a lot done, then went inside for much-needed showers before heading out to date-night dinner.

I had just gotten a new dress and hadn’t had a chance to wear it yet. I had considered returning it, because I thought it was a bit too long. (When you are barely over 5 feet tall, pretty much everything is too long). But when I tried it on, my husband told me, “Your butt looks really good in that dress”, so I decided to keep it. Who wouldn’t?

I wore the dress to dinner, and my husband joked that he felt underdressed next to me. I typically relax in jeans and t-shirts on weekends, so wearing a dress was a change for me. It was nice. My husband told me I looked pretty, and I felt like we were celebrating something. I was happy just to be with him.

After dinner, we were standing near the entrance of the restaurant, putting our leftover boxes into a bag, when my husband said, “Well, hey! Turn around.”

I glanced over my shoulder to the restaurant door but didn’t see anyone. My husband laughed and said “The other way”, so I turned the other way and was surprised to see my older stepdaughter standing behind us, smiling.

She hugged us and told us about a trip she recently took with her senior class, and we joked around and just chatted until her table was ready. It was cool to run into her out of the blue like that. She was happy to see her dad, and he was definitely happy to see her. She is most certainly Daddy’s girl, and watching the two of them together is beautiful.

It was chilly on Sunday morning, and I joked with my husband that he is my favorite blanket. It was plenty warm, wrapped up in his arms, his hands gently stroking my skin. We contemplated staying in bed most of the day, but I don’t suppose my cat was going to serve us breakfast in bed, so eventually, we reluctantly got up.

The day went by so quickly. My husband said, “How come the better the weekend is, the faster it goes by?”

Back at work today, against my will, and mentally, I am not really at my office at all. All I am thinking about is when to escape to head back home!

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started