Year Four

Ben and I celebrated our 4th anniversary this past week. I asked Ben if he would be in charge this year and keep it a surprise. The night began with a sunset boat ride along the channels in Tampa. Captain Larry was our guide, and although I was a little nervous about it when I first figured out what was going on, I quickly relaxed and we had a nice little ride through Tampa. Captain Larry dropped us off at the restaurant That’s Amore! – an Italian restaurant in Tampa, located right on the water with a fun atmosphere. Ben ordered Gnocchi and I ordered Eggplant Parmesan. Both were wonderful! After dinner we drove along Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, Ben turned on Howard Ave, and we pulled up to Bern’s Steakhouse! We ate the most delicious Dulche De Leche Chocolate cake, Creme Brulee, and Mexican Vanilla Souffle in a quaint little room in their upstairs dessert room. I must take a moment to describe this place to you: you feel like you’re in a dark old castle and all the waiters/waitresses are very stoic and eerie. In many ways, I felt like I was in a haunted mansion at Disney World. In fact, at one point, I got up to go to the restroom and after going down several long hallways and not being able to find it or anyone, I got spooked and decided it wasn’t worth the trauma after all. But I found the restroom on my walk back, so it all ended up okay! Afterward we went for a walk along the water (which was necessary because we probably each ate 2,000 calories that night). It was my favorite anniversary to date! Perhaps I especially appreciated it this year because it’s such a rare treat to have Ben to myself for an entire night lately.

Today in Sunday School I taught the youth about eternal marriage and the lesson suggested that the youth make a list of qualities they are looking for in a spouse. I had remembered doing the same exercise in a lesson, so I went through my journal to find it this morning before church. After reading through the list (and it was a really long one) I realized Ben perfectly represents each trait and characteristic that I jotted down in my sloppy hand writing sitting in a sunday school class over a decade ago. I might get a little snippy sometimes and he may have lots of responsibilities that prevent him from being home as much as I would like; but at the end of the day, when it’s just him and I, life is exactly how I wanted it to turn out!