Celebrating 7 Years: Real Life & a Walk Down Memory Lane

I woke up this morning so irritated at D. Last night was our last night sleeping on our comfy rental mattress. We have to give it back today and start sleeping on an air mattress again (our stuff STILL isn't here--shoot me). Instead of sleeping soundly (like one hopes to sleep their last night of comfort for a while), I slept horribly...mostly because D stole all the covers. Blanket, sheet...the whole shebang. I tugged and fought the sleeping bear, but continually lost. He happily snored away, oblivious to my dilemma...and I shivered all night until I finally got up to find another blanket. Naturally, after getting up, I couldn't fall back asleep. Story of my life.

D got up at his usual time to get ready for work. I silently rejoiced that he was gone. I was ready to get one solid hour of good sleep in before I needed to get up myself. Unfortunately, sleep alluded me again, so I rolled out of bed and grumpily made my way downstairs for breakfast. When I walked in the kitchen, D was standing there with a sheepish look on his face. He knew I hadn't slept well...and he knew I was going to give him crap about it. But before I could get an angry word out of my mouth, he walked over gave me a big 'ol D-sized hug, and said "Happy Anniversary, my love. Best 7 years of my life!" 

Well, dang it. Not only did he steal my furied thunder, he made me remember what I forgot--our 7th wedding anniversary. I mean, I knew last night that our anniversary was today, but in my fog of annoyance and lack of sleep, I forgot. We'd also kind of already celebrated our anniversary last weekend at Disney, so again, I forgot. The look on his face, the words he said...how does one yell at another after such a sweet morning greeting? One can't. So, I held my tongue. Then, he handed me a hot cup of coffee, fixed just the way I like it, and all that anger I woke up with just washed away.

This is what 7 years of wedded bliss looks like, folks. Waking up on the wrong side of the bed, forgiving cups of coffee, and eating crow after your husband remembers an important milestone and you...well...don't. Most days, you'll see all our bright-shiny marriage moments. Those are my favorites to share. You bloggers know what I mean. We looovee to share the good...what bad?! There's no bad! Just don't look behind the curtain. Even after all the years we've spent together (13.5 including the dating years), the gosh honest truth is...we don't always get it right. We argue and bicker, we overlook and forget. We nitpick and hold grudges, we say things we don't mean and let our own agendas overshadow the important moments in life. This morning, I almost let something so silly as a bad night's sleep tarnish the beginning of a special day. Thankfully, D knows me better than anyone and knew just how to melt my icy attitude with a few simple words.

Even in the not-so-shiny moments, one truth remains constant--our love and respect for one another and our marriage. This morning, I felt 7 years of hard work, trust, and heart-racing, passionate love bear-hug me right there in our kitchen. No amount of lost sleep could be more important those 15 seconds. So, I swallowed my grief, smiled up at D, and thanked him for giving me the 7 most incredible years of my life. We drank our coffee, ate our eggs, and I sent him off to work with one heck of a kiss. I'll suffer through 100 more years of crappy sleep if it means I can wake up to that man every morning. And that's also the gosh honest truth.

Happy 7 years, best friend. You make me better. Everyday.

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And now for a fun & embarrassing walk down 7 years of memory lane....

Engagement announcement photo 2007 // Wiesbaden 2014

Just hitched! July 28, 2007 // Wiesbaden 2014

First dance as husband and wife, July 28, 2007 // Wiesbaden 2014

Still enjoying alcohol together...typical. ;) July 28, 2007 // Salzburg, Austria 2014

Jamaican Honeymoon, July 2007 // Wiesbaden 2014

Day we brought Tuck home for the first time 2006 // Reunited with our baby dog! June 2014

First Married Christmas in NC 2007 // 6th Married Christmas in Germany 2014

 1st Anniversary--Destin, Fl 2008 // 2nd Anniversary--Emerald Isle, NC 2009 // 3rd Anniversary--Tulum, Mexico 2010

4th Anniversary--Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany  2011 // 5th Anniversary--Lake Constance, Germany 2012 // 6th Anniversary--Riquewihr, France 2013

7th Anniversary--DISNEY WORLD!! 2014

❤❤❤Can't wait to see what the future brings! ❤❤❤

Riquewihr, France: Alsace Wine Region

Doesn't this town look like the perfect place to celebrate an anniversary?! 6 year anniversary, to be exact! Last July, as the first of three heat waves made its way into Europe, D and I took a 3 hour drive from Wiesbaden to the beautiful village of Riquewihr, France. This too-cute-for-words cobblestoned town is part of the famed Alsatian Wine Route and is just about the epitome of French charm. Colorful houses, wine-filled shops, and flower boxes bursting at the seams with fresh blooms…if France ever had a storybook village, THIS WAS IT. One of my favorite things about living in Europe these last 3 years have been quaint towns like these, nestled in between vineyards and oozing picturesque scenery. The only other town that I could compare to this would be Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany…also one of my very favorites. Riquewihr, while also walled like Rothenburg, was much smaller and surrounded on all sides by lush, green vineyards. This place was practically begging me to stay there forever!

We stayed just inside the old walls of the town at the most adorable hotel with the most lovely views (Hotel à L'Oríel, in case you were wondering). Everyday we had a traditional European breakfast in the sitting room with the owner's friendly cat. Every night we dined al fresco with chilled wine, stinky cheese, and under the romantic ambiance of the French countryside. Sounds like a total dream, right? It was. Granted, it also reached 108°F one afternoon (no, seriously…I have photos of town thermometers), but with such sweet scenery surrounding us on our weekend of love, we almost didn't notice. Allllmost. 3 cold showers a day kept the heat tolerable, but I digress. We spent the morning of our first full day in Alsace wandering around the alleyways of Riquewihr, stopping in for wine tastings at various winery stores and shopping for French treats unique to the region. The rest of the afternoon was spent a short drive away in Colmar…the widely-known "capital of Alsatian wine". More French fun to come! 

The Anatomy of a Date Night...and a Really Delicious Recipe

Parmesan & White Bean Orzo

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

--Serves 6--

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked orzo pasta

1 medium red onion, diced

1 1/2 cups of button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

3 cups of raw baby spinach, rinsed

1-15 oz. can of white beans (Navy, Great Northerns, or Cannellini beans will do), drained & rinsed

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp.  crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like a little spice)

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Cook orzo according to directions on the package, place in large bowl, and set aside.

2) Sauté red onion in olive oil in a skillet set on medium heat until onions are translucent.

3) Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are browned.

4) Add in the garlic and baby spinach. Allow spinach to wilt then turn heat down to low. Stir occasionally.

5) Add white beans to the skillet and stir together. Allow the white beans to warm up a bit. Add in the crushed red pepper flakes, dried rosemary, and Italian seasoning and stir again.

6) Pour the contents of of the skillet into the large bowl of orzo pasta. Add salt, pepper, and 3/4 of the grated parmesan and toss together until incorporated.

7) Garnish the top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Serve with a nice crusty bread and ENJOY!

You can revisit all of my Lake Constance posts here.