10 years ago on May 24, 2009, James and I said "I Do" in front of all our favorite people in the world and started on our marriage journey. On one hand it feels like it was just yesterday that we were dating, planning our wedding, living in Seattle, and getting ready to do life together. And at the same time I look back on all that has happened in these 10 years: buying a house, having 2 kids, traveling, developing our careers, growing our little community in Snoqualmie, etc. It's been a full, rich, challenging (in a good way) and happy time--definitely the best decade of my life. One of my anniversary gifts to James was a word art piece that took over 150 words/phrases that meant something to us or signified a memory and the artist put them all together to form the number 10. It was such a fun and overwhelming exercise to think back on all that has happened and all that these 10 years have meant to us and try to capture them in words. I am so grateful for the gift of an incredibly loving and fun partner who so understands me and accepts me. And grateful for this life we've been gifted and have worked together to create.
To celebrate our anniversary we decided to travel to one of our favorite cities again--Victoria, BC. We also traveled there for our 5 year anniversary. We love it because it's just far enough away to feel like a real getaway and it has such a great European vibe to it. This time around we decided we just really love the Canadian culture and people. Everyone is very friendly, laid back, and polite. It was a nice break from the Seattle city intensity and "keep to yourself" mentality that we sometimes feel.
We took the ferry up to Sidney, BC from Anacortes, WA which is actually one of our favorite parts of the trip. It takes awhile, but it's so beautiful and relaxing. Random puzzles and games are left on the tables around the ferry and we got hooked on a puzzle that we almost finished. I can't remember the last time I worked on a big puzzle!
We stayed at one of our favorite places--Abigail's. It's a sweet little historical inn in the middle of the city (it's walkable to pretty much everywhere). After checking in and resting a bit, we ventured out to walk the city and explore since the weather was so nice.
Upon returning, Abigail's had their daily happy hour snacks out and we grabbed one of the bottles of wine we brought. Just as we were about to sit down, I recognized some people in the lobby. It was Carol and Paul Abodeely, DeeDee's parents! DeeDee has been a dear friend since childhood and so Carol and Paul feel like second parents (as do many of my childhood friends' parents). They were randomly staying at Abigail's too and just enjoying a long weekend in the city like us. They joined us for appetizers and we had a wonderful conversation. It was not lost on me that we had this serendipitous moment with a couple who has been happily married for a long time and truly enjoys life. Definitely a God moment. They are wonderful role models for us. We saw them throughout the weekend which was nice--such kind and loving people.
One of the highlights of our weekend was a long bike ride. We brought our bikes up with us because we're training for ChelanMan. I had no idea Victoria was such a bike friendly city. Lots of trails, bike lanes, etc. I guess many people commute by bike. We went along the Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails up north, took a short lunch break in Oak Bay and then rode back along the coast. It was beautiful and such a fun ride. I think we'll definitely do that again in the future!
Other highlights included visiting a new neighborhood area called Cook Village and eating at the yummy Pizzeria Prima Strada, an anniversary dinner at our favorite restaurant Il Terrazzo, an afternoon stroll through Butchart Gardens (and a fun ride on the most beautiful carousel), seeing the "Biggest Little Farm" movie in the theater, eating dinner at the bar and meeting new Canadian friends at Fiamo's, and the delicious breakfasts every morning at our hotel. The biggest highlight for me aside from quality time with James was he surprised me and gave me a diamond band to add to my engagement ring and wedding band. So sneaky! It took my breath away.
It was just the trip we needed after a busy winter season and just the right trip to celebrate 10 amazing years. Plus there was a bonus--our puzzle was still there on our way back on the ferry and we were able to finish it! Looking forward to seeing what the next 10 years brings!
