Saturday, April 01, 2006

Our 5th Anniversary

It's hard to believe, but Brett and I have been married for five years. We had talked about going away for the weekend but realized that it probably wouldn't work with Ella. Whenever she wakes up a night, she wants her Momma and not even her dear Da Da will do. So, we figured we'd stay in the valley, but to my knowledge, we didn't have any specific plans.

I was trying to surprise Brett with completing our wedding album -- I only have a few pages left to go and some embellishments to add. But, he surprised me instead! He left work early and showed up at lunchtime with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and plans for us for the rest of the day. So much for finishing the album on time!

But, it was a lovely day full of surprises! For lunch, we got some sandwiches from El Rancho Market then ate them at the picnic tables at Gainey Vineyard. Ella had a blast running around the lawn and trying to put rocks in her mouth. We took turns chasing her down and getting the tastings of wine.

After lunch, we headed over to Los Olivos where Brett had booked a massage for me. Actually, he bought the gift certificate for me nearly three years ago for my birthday but I had never gotten around to making the appointment. So, he made the appointment for me and it was quite a nice surprise to be pampered...massage/reflexology, candles, nice relaxing music, lovely aromotheraphy. The aromatheraphy scent was called "Serenity"...I loved it. So, an hour later, I emerged refreshed and relaxed. Brett picked me up and as I got into the car, I was hit with a whole new aromatheraphy. I like to call it "Reality" -- Ella had created the foulest odor and was in serious need of a diaper change. I'm pretty used to "Reality" by now but this far surpassed anything I remember emanating from her. As another gift to me, Daddy took care of the diaper change right then and there.

After airing out the car, we headed home for a little while. Brett washed AND vacuumed my car -- a much needed service. That way we could go out to dinner in a clean car. Then, we dropped Ella off at my friend Joanne's house (Brett secretly asked her to watch Ella) and had a fantastic dinner at Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos.

The last surprise was a thoughtful gift. Usually, we don't buy anniversary gifts. On our first anniversary, we decided to choose something together to celebrate our anniverary -- like a piece of artwork. But, he broke the rules and bought me a lovely wooden musical jewelry box, something I've been wanting quite some time. He even knew that WOOD is the gift for a 5th anniversary! I feel truly blessed to have such a loving and thoughtful husband. These last five years with him have been great and I look forward to many more together.

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