Love in the Lil Smokies

25 years...

Tim and I celebrated our Silver anniversary last week with a romantic getaway in Brown County, Indiana.  And what a beautiful setting it was...

Part of the fun of vacation for me is researching new places to visit and discovering stops in all the nooks and crannies along the way.  Having never been, but often recommended, Nashville, Indiana - or "The Little Smokies" as it is known seemed like the perfect place for two lovebirds.

We stayed in a cabin between Nashville and Bloomington, which gave us the best of both worlds.  Peace and quiet, rolling hills and windy roads where we slept; a picturesque drive to shopping in Nashville (comparable to downtown Gatlinburg), or big city choices in Bloomington.  

Stopping at a Farmers Market grocery store (one of the highlights for me!), we stocked up on healthy snacks and breakfast goodies for our cabin before checking in.  Truly, we'd have been content to stay there the entire time.  Between the hot tub in the back, deer and wildlife watching, and swinging on the porch in the summer rain, I was in my happy place.

But we did enjoy our ventures out too.  

The curves demanded you slow down and the hills all but made our phones useless, other than for occasional GPS and photo taking, so we were forced to spend time talking and window watching.  

Not that we needed the excuse.  

We were content doing so and some of our best memories on the trip come from our time just exploring the countryside.  

For our anniversary dinner, we drove out in the middle of nowhere to an abandoned town, named Story.  Just when we thought we were lost, a quaint storybook setting appeared.

Story Inn

I couldn't have written a better location to celebrate our 25th.  Full of history and ambiance, we lingered over our farm-to-table feast by candlelight.  After dinner, strolling the town felt like we stepped back in time.  The early 1900s is one of my favorite decades and I could envision what life might have been like then.

The next day we escaped to Bean Blossom in search of a covered bridge 

and had lunch on a flower and herb farm.  

Whisked upstairs in a tea house, we dined alone in a bedroom 

full of knick-knacks and antique memories.  

The weather was perfect nearly our entire trip.  

Raining only long enough to cool down the summer air.  

The soft drops played music on the wooden bridge and 

made our path exploring flowers even prettier.  

On our last morning, we stopped just outside of Bloomington for a lovely brunch overlooking the lake and hillside.  This was our warmest day but still pleasant enough to eat alfresco.  Truly, I would've sat through any temperature to take in this view...

How sweet it was.

I'm still smiling from the trip and moments shared.  

Blessed to have this husband of mine for 25 plus years and 

joyfully expectant for what the future holds. 

Faithful Friday: Platinum Love

To have and to hold...

20 years.  I look at the fresh, young faces from our wedding day and it seems so much longer than just two decades ago.  And then again, it seems like only yesterday we were nervously saying, "I do."

We've certainly packed many moments and memories into that time.  Through it all what has held us together and made us stronger was holding onto not just to each other, but also to God.

"Love comes from God..."  1 John 4:7

Knowing that today, our actual anniversary, would be the kids' first day back from camp, we celebrated early.  While they were away, we snuck off for a few days at the lake.  And it was blissful.

"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away...."

Song of Solomon 8:7

 
Amazing weather for June, with only one somewhat humid day.  Sparkling smooth waters.  Not good fishing, but we made the most of the peaceful quiet on the lake.  Being there during the week nearly gave us our own private oasis. 

 

It gave us time to talk and just be. 

Lots of wildlife watching, including a family of ducks we somewhat adopted during our stay.  Wherever they were on the lake, if they caught a glimpse of us, they'd quickly waddle over, knowing their new friends would have a cracker snack to share.    

Of course, not all the wildlife watching was this peaceful.  Most people who know me know that I don't like snakes.  To say I'm terrified of them is an understatement.  I think even Tim forgot how terrified I was...until this trip.  As I'm lazily basking in the sun, deep into my thick book with the waves gently rocking the boat, I somewhat notice Tim pulling up anchors.  Not giving it much thought, as I figured he had probably grown tired of yet another "no bite zone," I almost ignored his sentence.

"Heather, don't look behind you."

After twenty years, not many words are necessary in our relationship.  Often times we read each other's thoughts, finish their sentences.  There was something about his tone that made me look up and into his eyes.  Those eyes told the rest of the sentence he didn't want to say aloud.

Thinking that not saying the word would keep me calmer was not exactly working out as he'd planned.  (Insert mental breakdown here)

For what seemed to be an eternity, but was probably mere minutes, I fell into the boat, in a futile attempt to flee my spot.  In my mind, the said (snake) was making his way into the boat, surely ready to attack me at any moment.  In a crumbled mess at the bottom of the boat, arms and limbs scattered up under and around seats and fishing gear, I sobbed and screamed incomprehensibly.  Meanwhile, Tim - my calm constant - was focused on getting me out of the reptile zone. 

Though it was not funny at the time, even retelling the story to the kids last night found me back in tears, we did joke about it during the rest of our trip and I can chuckle (in the safety of my living room) as I type today.

 

In fact, that laughter is probably one of the top reasons I love Tim and our relationship.  Any marriage will be filled with a mixture of good times and bad. 

Ours has had more than our share of bad but the good patches up those holes.  Laughter heals.

And it wouldn't be fair to share only my funny story from our anniversary trip. 

Walking down the hall one afternoon, I heard Tim spitting and gagging into the sink.  Knowing he was brushing his teeth, I wondered what was causing such a reaction.  Again with no words, it hit me.  And I began laughing hysterically and uncontrollably.  I laughed so much my bruised body ached.  I laughed so hard that Tim thought I'd planned the mishap.  But I honestly didn't.

Looking back, it probably wasn't the best placement for my small tube of sunscreen I used for my face.  Yes, the tube was the same size as the toothpaste and being right beside each other... well, you can imagine what happened next.

 

Love you, honey.  Thank you for making me laugh for 20 years.

Here's to 20 more...

 

"A cheerful heart is good medicine..." Proverbs 17:22

Faithful Friday: Love Never Fails

An annual anniversary tradition, the black videotape was dusted off last night so we could relive our wedding.  Watching those fresh, young faces so full of nervous love, I wondered if we realized the depth of the vows recited to each other.

I remember having a conversation about it, because I chose to remove the word obey from our ceremony.  It just didn't convey the partnership that we had.  In fact, we chose to go another non-traditional route, having Tim meet me halfway down the aisle.  I joined him and walked together, symbolizing that we would always meet each other halfway in our marriage.

Listening to those soft and youthful voices, I caught a verse that I didn't really remember from our wedding.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."
-Ruth 1:16

I don't recall selecting this verse, so it was more than likely the preacher, but I felt it fit our relationship perfectly.  Tim married a stubbornly independent, opinionated girl but, through love and patience, we've both learned to bend and move as needed.  Two became one.

We've gone places in our marriage we never expected - good and bad.  Nineteen years later, neither of us sleeps well or is happy when we're apart.  I want to stay wherever Tim is.  Though we both brought an eclectic group of wacky family members to our marriage, we've accepted them all with open arms.  I'm sure we didn't truly consider the symbolism of each of us hugging the other mother and handing her a rose all those years ago, but it's how we've remained.  And God has been the foundation on which our marriage was built, has rested, and continues to be held.  He is most certainly our glue.

Prior to our video viewing, we were treated to a dinner under the stars at a quaint little table that was mere steps from our doorway.  Our back deck once again became Blair's Bistro, but a welcome surprise was that we were waited on by our sweet boy.  I don't know many twelve year old boys who willing would want to participate in an evening of romance.  Most would run screaming the other direction.  But our Noah never ceases to amaze us and the manners, service and loving touches he added made the night extra special.

Although I cooked our meal, once my chef hat was removed, I was whisked away to a reserved seat outside.  "Ma'am what would you like to drink tonight?" I was asked.  Moments later a chilled diet Dr. Pepper in our fanciest glass appeared at my side.  As if practiced for weeks, candles were lit, cloth napkins (aka dish towels) were placed on our laps, and soft music filled the air. 

We were then informed of the solo special that was promptly served to us, velvety ribbons of pasta in a cream sauce with jumbo shrimp and a side of crusty garlic bread.

In perfect timing, our dessert menu was later produced, with a choice of elegant cupcakes.  I was tickled that he took an extra step to place them in glass serving bowls.

We were able to take that photo because this restaurant allowed us to "rent" a camera to capture the evening.  Our waiter was even kind enough to take a few memento shots for us.  He then politely instructed us to retire to the theatre for a video and surprise.  After watching our wedding, we were handed two Wii remotes as the tune from Super Mario played in the background.  Recreating our first kiss, we giggled like teens in love, challenging each other to a game.

What a beautiful, blessed anniversary it was.

And I'm looking forward to each and every one to come.



All these years...

Tim and I are home from a wonderfully romantic weekend at the lake.  Eighteen years ago, we honeymooned at Kentucky Lake and have been returning every few years or so.  We try to combine each trip with a mixture of old favorites and new finds.  More important than anything we do however, is just the planned one on one time we get to reconnect as a couple.

This year was our first to vacation at the lake as boat owners.  I remember the many trips we'd made before, lingering at the piers and wishing.  Our "lil piddly", as I deemed her this trip, may not be a regal or majestic vessel like what surrounded us, but she got us where we wanted to go.  Whether we were bird watching, fishing, or speeding down the waterway, we thoroughly enjoyed our hours in the boat this weekend.  The largest part of the time, Tim would fish, I would read, and we'd listen to old country songs in the background.  Our first night there the weather cooperated and we soaked in a sunset while rocking gently on the glistening lake, hand in hand.

No plans or itineraries were made for this mini getaway, which is not the norm for me, but I wanted to be free to do whatever, whenever.  We were intentionally lazy, napping midday, or when a thunderstorm soaked other plans. Diets were tossed out the window at our first stop to fuel up, as we binged on road trip goodies and mega fountain sodas.  A trip to the lake is not complete without a stop at the Liteside Cafe for a scrumptious muffin (or two), or a meal at Patti's, which usually includes their famous two inch pork chops.  We grilled at our cabin one night and enjoyed lots of time on the back deck overlooking the lake. 

I enjoyed reading there one morning, while Tim went on an early fishing outing.  At the beginning of the third book in the series, the author wrote a dedication to her husband.  I connected to her words and felt it was an accurate description for Tim and me.  "I could fill a thousand book with words of love and still not have shared but a small portion of who you are to me." -Cindy Woodsmall

I felt then it was a beautiful way to sum up our weekend, our marriage, and our life together.  All those years ago, as I stood before him and said "I do" I didn't think it possible to love him more.  Now, I know love grows with each passing day, as the life you make together just strengthens it.  Whether it be through the joyous times, or those of pain, each milestone, every moment and memory adds to your relationship.  But to truly describe all that Tim is to me...impossible.  There are no words, as what we have can only be shared through the heart.  What I can say is that this weekend was amazing and I am beyond blessed to share my life with such a man!