A Decade (Times 3)

This past weekend, we celebrated my (gasp!) 30th birthday. I can remember so vividly how "old" 30 used to sound, and sadly, I don't think that was too long ago that I last thought that. I can specifically remember when I was in high school that I thought I would be well done having kids by the time I reached 30. Little did I know that I would barely have a toddler by that ripe old age.

Believe it or not, your life isn't always exactly how you imagined it at the mature age of 16-going-on-25. But, I will be the first to admit (and by admit, I mean jumping up and down and screaming to the top of my lungs), it is so much more than I ever imagined was possible. I have THE job that I know the Lord created just for me, I have a precious baby boy that has expanded my heart in ways I never imagined possible, and I am married to my knight in shining armor that is crazy about his wife and his little boy. I'm not sure what else I could ask for, because I'm pretty sure the Lord has met all of my needs and then some, by this milestone of a birthday.

My sweet husband planned a surprise get away weekend for the two of us, and if you know Hunter, you know this is so his style. He loves planning surprises for us, and his thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me. He wanted to go somewhere within driving distance, so that we could maximize our time relaxing and minimize our time traveling. The only thing he told me prior to our trip was that is was "somewhere in the Southeast," and to therefore pack clothes for warm weather. As soon as he told me that detail, I bothered him nonstop with texts like "Those beneigts from Cafe Du Monde sure are going to be tasty," "I can't wait to eat at Paula Dean's restaurant in Savannah," and "I sure am excited to go back down to the beach!" Ha! I was so off course, and I think he enjoyed every minute of my incorrect guessing.

He actually took me to the very last place that I guessed...Atlanta. I never thought that he would be taking me to Atlanta, given that we lived there when we first got married. But, after he explained his rationale, it was perfect. He wanted an easy, quick drive, he wanted somewhere nice, and he wanted it to have sentimental value. So he definitely accomplished all of those things, and I was also very thankful that we didn't have far to drive!

Mr. Will was not part of our plans for our weekend get away, as much as I would have liked for him to be. My sweet mom volunteered to have Will duty over the weekend, and I think that was just as good for her as it was for us, considering she doesn't get to see him as often as either of us would like. He, of course, did much better than I did. But I agreed, Hunter and I needed some time to ourselves without having to worry about getting back to Will by a certain time.

Will headed to Kentucky with my brother on Friday night, and Hunter and I kicked off the weekend by taking our time with dinner, and finishing off with some frozen yogurt. We didn't leave until Saturday, so it was nice to have that evening to ourselves and not to feel rushed to leave right after work.

Saturday we headed east, and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool, and doing something that I had kind of forgotten about in the blur that the last 15 months of my life have become- actually taking my time getting ready. I had forgotten what it was like to actually get ready from start to finish on my own time, and not be interrupted to entertain our little sidekick.

Saturday night we had a very, very nice steak dinner at our favorite restaurant in Atlanta- Hal's Steakhouse. I have only eaten here a couple of times, but it is always a special occasion. The first time we ate there was the night before he asked me to be his wife, and the other time was to celebrate Hunter's birthday. So that place definitely has sentimental value for us, and that was probably one of my favorite highlights of the entire weekend.

 

Sunday was one of the most relaxing days I can remember having in a very, very long time. We took our time getting up, and then spent the remainder of the morning on the sundeck of the hotel, where we were served breakfast (and a side of cupcake).

 

That afternoon, Hunter treated me to a couple's massage. I was in absolute heaven. Seriously. It was SO nice. Later that day we accomplished a few more items on the birthday girl's agenda- a trip to Trader Joe's and IKEA.

We took our time getting ready that night for another nice dinner at a new sushi place called Amura. I would highly recommend it as well! Prior to us leaving, the hotel staff brought us celebratory strawberries and champagne for the birthday girl.

 

It was a wonderful weekend away with just my hubby, and I am so thankful for the time we were able to share together. However, come Monday, we were both ready to see our little munchkin again.  Once we got him home, he let us know loud and clear that he fully expected to be invited on the next trip!