Dahlias, dinner, and a patio to be named later.
No. 50 Celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary!
As someone who is not quite as “go with the flow” as she claims (hi, it’s me, I’m the problem, it’s me), the last several weeks have tested my preferred mantra a bit more than expected. And while my line of work requires a constant ability to seamlessly (and graciously) pivot between priorities each minute (never let them see you sweat), you’ll have to forgive me for having higher-than-average expectations for many parts of my own life. Joyful!
As we approach our eighth wedding anniversary on Tuesday, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we should be celebrating and what that “should” look like. There’s a lot of ‘should’ happening in my mind and frankly, it has got to stop. Who is to say what the right way is to celebrate an anniversary?
For weeks, I was torn on whether we should be booking a fancy dinner somewhere in Boston, booking a last-minute trip out of town (fact: this is impossible because nowhere I want to go allows for my preferred mentality of summer: spontaneity), or doing something else entirely. But when it comes down to how we ‘should’ be celebrating our anniversary, here is the truth: there is no right or wrong way to celebrate.
As long as you’re happy, healthy, and toasting the good fortune you have that you were able to even find another person that you want to spend your life with, then who’s to say how an anniversary should be honored. In reality, we should be celebrating it every single day. We’re spending our lives together, and that is, quite simply, grand.
The foundation of my and Seth’s marriage seems to be a mutual admiration for the finer things: relaxing, eating well, taking long walks, laughing, discussing our favorite foods, and having each other’s backs no matter what. Life, as we learn, is full of more curve balls than one ever anticipates, so having someone to share the twists and turns with is of utmost importance.
Sure, we also love going to new places, traveling (somewhere?), and going on actual adventures (Whole Foods on a busy Sunday doesn’t count), but what I have come to value most over all of these years is the sturdiness of our partnership. We’re in this together. So when we debated our options for how to celebrate this weekend, it all came down to one thing: where do we want to eat and can we be as comfy as possible?
I love couture as much as anyone else, but my preferred look will always be comfy jeans, a tee, and sneakers (or Birkenstock sandals - for summer). For the record, my wedding dress was Vera Wang and omg it was the best.
We found ourselves at Woodman’s of Essex for dinner on a Saturday night in late-July, which is the quintessential time of year for this North Shore destination. Not to say we don’t love visiting year-round, but the Woodman’s Experience is best during a warm summer evening with a great sunset and not many bugs. The line wasn’t too long, we ordered a lot of fried clams (gluten free!), and we had ourselves a Woodman’s picnic to toast our approaching anniversary. It was perfect. :)
In full transparency, I do love a ‘fancy’ night out. But as we discussed on the drive north, our favored slogan of ‘fancy all the time,’ which we’ve laughed about for over a decade, has evolved and grown up, just like us. The phrase used to mean going to very nice spots for any occasion that required an ‘impressive’ scene. These days, I find it refers to the ability to relax and unwind on our own terms - going to our favorite restaurants when the mood strikes, spending time outside at home, watching Pepper run around, cutting our dahlias for a new bouquet, and tapping my foot waiting for our patio to be installed. Wait, what?
Oh yes, the actual plan for our anniversary was to be lounging in our yard on a brand-new patio with chilled cocktails and a charcuterie board (sounds nice, right?). Since Pepper loves spending time outside even more than we do, it made sense to transform our yard into somewhat of an ‘oasis.’ However, the oasis doesn’t yet exist — the plans are in place, the materials have been selected, the furniture is waiting in the garage - the patio has not yet been installed.
My patience for what should be in existence is waning. Go with the flow they say. Things take time they remind me. But like, how much time? I have an oasis to enjoy and an anniversary to celebrate! Here’s hoping the next time we chat, I’ll have photos to share as I type from our new ‘outdoor living room.’
The current plan for our anniversary day is still up in the air. While I try my best to decide on a few options, the best plan, in my opinion, will be to just go with the flow and see where the day takes us, which is the current epitome of ‘fancy all the time.’ Seth and I will be together and that’s truly what matters most.
Cheers and joy,
Mollie