Hard to believe that at 19 years old I stood in the blazing hot sun, distracted by a bee buzzing around my head, and married my sweetheart: 10 years ago.
Since then our lives seem to be surprisingly the same and yet different. I feel that we've grown together fashionably and have created a little life that I can be proud of and people that we can be proud to be together.
It is hard to put moments and thoughts into words especially when there are so many details but I would like to share our sweet little weekend away and our reflection on our lives together so far.
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June 12th, Friday (our actual Anniversary)
Picked up Abe from work and went to Avenue Bread to get the famous vanilla sugar twist. Although I knew we'd be getting out of town late for our camping trip and weekend away, Abe for once didn't seem stressed and he just told me: this is our special day, we're going to do everything together and we'll have fun, we don't need to stress out! I had spent the morning working on some much needed painting on the house and didn't have enough time to get the groceries or packing done.
After we went home, we gathered up our goodies from camp stove, dog leashes, shorts, sunscreen, deodorant and all the essentials. We went to Fred Meyer and collected needed items for eating and drinking (essential). Then we attempted to pick out new camping chairs as ours had disintegrated last year. As with most things in life, you start without a lot of assumptions, preconceived notions or opinions until you actually go start looking at things. Who knew Abe would want a nice reclining camp chair and I'd want one without having to lower oneself too far down towards the ground; oh but what about a table, a cup holder or a neck rest? Needless to say, we couldn't decide so we went to REI and Starbucks on our way out of town. Never mind, that was WAY too expensive for camp chairs? How much do people spend on these types of items?
We hit the road enjoying the beautiful afternoon sun with the backseat full of all our goodies and the doggies resting in the back. Got to the Anacortes Ferry about 5 minutes before it was supposed to leave and the man mentioned that we might be able to "squeeze" on. Luckily the ferry was running late and squeeze we did. There was only one other car that was loaded after us on standby. We were literally at the back of the ferry. Granted it wouldn't have been a big deal but the next ferry wouldn't have left for almost another 3 hours. Enjoying the warming sun, the slight breeze and the view of the San Juan's from the water, we walked around on the Ferry and enjoyed the view. Seeing as how it was getting later by the time we arrived on the island of Orcas, we decided to get some dinner in Eastsound before heading out to the campground. We ate at Bilbo's Festivo. While nothing special (and the service left a lot to be desired), we had a great discussion and it was nice just to sit and talk together.
Arriving at Moran State Park, we pulled into our private camp site (#100) with a large open area with a great flat spot for our tent and a fire pit. The dogs were perfectly behaved and hung out while we set up tent and camp. We went to bed relatively early and enjoyed the stars through the netted areas of the tent. The only sad part was that our air mattress somehow got a hole in it and it was sinking fast! Abe sent me out to other nearby campers in the dark to ask for medical tape, band-aids or the like to try to repair the hole. I gathered a small square of duct tape but it didn't do the trick. A somewhat sleepless night was not desired but it wasn't too bad either.
June 13th, Saturday
Abe woke up early and made some great French Press coffee and built a fire. We relaxed around the campfire for awhile before deciding to head into Eastsound and get some breakfast. We found a great bakery at Teezers and got some lattes and delicious pain au chocolat and cinnamon rolls and sat outside under a shade providing tree. The day was perfectly lovely with a slight breeze coming from the water and blue skies to boot. Afterwards, we checked out the local history museum, housed in a historic building (quite interesting if you like local history) right off the "main drag." Then we wandered around the local Farmers market checking out plants, yummy smelling foods and local wares such as jewelry and knitting. The dogs were in heaven meeting lots of dog loving people, kids and other canine companions. What could have been chaotic because of all the other dogs went well and the dogs exhibited awesome leash behavior (thank goodness). We bought a new air mattress, walked around on the shell filled beach, hit up a dog park and a small consignment shop and then wen back to the campground.
After walking around in the sun all day we were a little pooped. We filled the new air mattress and took a lovely afternoon nap in the tent. We enjoyed rejuvenating ourselves for the afternoon and then drove up to little summit at Mount Constitution and then hiked up to the lookout tower (about 4.4 miles round trip). There were amazing view of the San Juans along the way and the top boasted a 360 degree view from the top of a small lookout tower that gave a history of the tower and the park's benefactor: Robert Moran. He was an especially interesting man starting first as a mayor in Seattle who was told he had a short time left to live, he moved to Orcas Island to enjoy the rest of his short life and then lived another 40 plus years relaxing and becoming an advocate of outdoor life. He donated the land that is now the wonderful Moran State Park.
After our lovely day, we trekked back to the car and rushed back to make a camp dinner. We used some chicken sausages and made a stir fry with onions, Mexican rice, corn, olives, and bell peppers; this meal was accompanied by a new Belgian Wheat Brew and finished by several rounds of smores. It was very satisfying and probably one of the easiest camp meals I've eaten in a long time.
June 14, Sunday
The time to return home comes with any trip whether a day, a month or a year. And the coming clouds and the overcast day sent us heading back towards Bellingham earlier in the morning than I had originally planned. We were again on standby with the Ferry but got on with more than enough space to spare. When we landed in Anacortes, we decided to spend a little time browsing the antique shops before heading home. They had a nice variety with reasonably priced items. As with most antique wanderings, I find a few things I think I want and then by the time I find Abe and show him, I've decided that I don't really "need" the item or want to spend any money on it. So, needless to say, I walked away without anything but I saw many neat things and I always enjoy looking around. It gives me ideas for what I want to do to decorate, look for in the future, change, etc.
The ten years seemed to go by so fast and yet there are so many things we have done, said, seen, watched, listened to, gone to, people we've met, etc, that is hard to summarize. I look forward to each and every day with my husband. Although each is not as picturesque as the day we were married, that is real life and if you push through the mundane, frustrating or stressful days a lot is to be gained like a best friend to live your life with.
