A Night Away

I dropped the kids off with relatives (thank-you Mom, John and Mimi!) Friday afternoon and met Dillon up is Seattle. It is a beautiful city when the sun is out. We stayed in a Hotel right on the waterfront just a half block form Pike Place market. Just walking through the city is fun enough for an afternoon. There are interesting shops around every corner and the people watching is quite splendid as well. We ate at the Rosebud which is a very romantic place with excellent food and service. It was the kind of place that serves smaller servings that look like works of art with bright colored sauces and unique vegetables. We loved it and it was affordable too! We saw Twilight Zone Live at Theater Schmeater which I highly recommend. (It's free to anyone under 18, by the way, though I wouldn't take anyone under 8). We visited Dillon's beautiful building which is almost done but completely empty of tenants. And just generally had a good time. There is a certain weightlessness to going about without the kids. Time with them is priceless but time away is, well i won't say it's freedom, because it sounds like having kids is bondage, which is NOT the case. Being without the kids allows for spontaneity, traveling light, moving around more easily, concentrating on one thing at a time, I'm sure most of you know what I mean. Anyway, we had a great time. it's so nice to have so many wonderful things to do right outside the door. Washington is a wonderful place.

**Sap Alert** (Kind of like a spoiler alert only this alerts you to the gushy goo about my husband that follows)

The reason for our little escapade was our Anniversary, which falls on Monday. We will have been married for seven years. I have to write a sentence or two about my love for my husband. I truly am his biggest fan. In my eyes, he has the perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses, hopes for the future and respect for the past. He is ambitious and works hard, but always keeps what's most important closest to his heart. Most of all, he loves me unconditionally, for who I am. Under our picture in our Senior yearbook it says, "the one I was meant to be with, if only for a little while." We put that there, knowing that we were too young to commit to anything more than a high school romance. Knowing that although our love was sincere and real, even at that young age, the timing is just as important as every other element in a relationship. I am so grateful that we grew closer together as we continued to grow up. Things haven't changed. The more time passes, the more intertwined we become, the more our love matures and deepens. I am so blessed and so grateful that our "little while" turned into eternity.