Two Years to Love

Sam and I made a deal before getting married that we would always take time to spend together despite work, family, kids, etc. We want to always take vacations for just the two of us, weekend getaways, time to reunite and remember why we love each other. One way in which we have chosen to honor this promise is by celebrating our anniversary each year. Last year, you may remember, we splurged big time for our first anniversary and went on a seven day cruise in the Caribbean. This year, we knew we didn't want anything that extravagant, but we still wanted some time for just the two of us. So what to do?

We have been fortunate to receive a fabulous Christmas gift for the last several years: a gift card to Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. We never used our gift card from the previous year, so we decided Atlanta would be a great place to relax and celebrate for a few days since we could eat for free much of the trip. I really wanted to stay at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, as we stayed there the night we got married and had a wonderful experience. Our first trip, we didn't arrive until after one in the morning and had to be up and gone by about six if I remember correctly. So they had comped us this big beautiful suite as a room upgrade, along with champagne, rose petals and chocolate covered strawberries that my sweet groom ordered for me. But I was exhausted, and still quite nauseous, so the brief stay was kind of a blur.

At first, it looked like our plan to return to our wedding night was a flop... rates were really, REALLY high. But then I discovered the one (and only) perk of my job... Government Employee rates! Whoo hoo! We got the room for almost 50% off! So we went to Atlanta Monday and scheduled a couples massage at Massage Envy. This was Sam's first massage, and I think he was a tad bit nervous, but it was great. My massage was a little more on the intense, purposeful side rather than the soothing, relaxing side. But still a very nice start to our mini vacation. We left Massage Envy and headed to the hotel to check in.

Our room wasn't a suite this time as we are trying to pinch pennies as much as possible right now. At first I was going to say that a standard room at the Ritz isn't really worth it. It's really just a basic room in the midst of a beautiful hotel. It doesn't have the luxurious bathroom that the suite has (bummer). So I was initially kind of sad and thankful that we had gotten such a great deal! But then the Ritz royal treatment began.... more on that later.

Vacations for Sam and I tend to circle around the food, and this one was no different. We were both really excited to try out some new restaurants in Atlanta. Sam and I headed out to Nava for our first night out. This is a high end Southwestern dining restaurant. They describe themselves as "innovative and flavorful... [with] Latin influences". It was a beautiful night, so we decided to eat out on the patio. The food was amazing, (pictures below) and as I cannot get pregnant for the next eighty six days at least, I even allowed myself a treat: Sam and I split a margarita (I would be toast if I had a whole one).

Before Heading out for Dinner

Mango Pineapple Margarita

Mojo Skirt Steak & Cilantro Garlic Frites

72 Hour Marinated Hangar Steak & Parmesan Fries

Leftover (oops) Banana Caramel Dessert

Now, back to the Ritz experience: We headed back to the hotel because A- Sam and I are boring and wouldn't know what to do in Atlanta after nine o' clock anyway, and B- the NCAA National Championship was on! To my surprise we walked in to this:

The Ritz always comes in to turn down you bed, but this was really unexpected! So beautiful! I made Sam sit in the chair to watch the game until we were ready for bed!

We woke up Tuesday morning headed out for breakfast. Let me tell you, we stumbled upon the CUTEST little place, and they had GREAT prices. West Egg Cafe is adorable, the food was great! The waiters were great and added to the overall experience. Lovely little place. If you're ever in the area, check them out!

Belgian Waffel with Honey Cinnamon Butter

Skillet Potatoes with Cheese, Bacon, and Eggs

After breakfast we went to the Georgia Aquarium. Sam and I had been before, years ago when it first opened. It was over Christmas break and the aquarium was still getting lots of hype... it was slammed. I remember sam offered to put me on his shoulders so I could see the tanks (I declined). This time sadly started off down the same road. I wasn't thinking when I planned the aquarium that 90% of Georgia schools would be out for Spring break... we arrived to a huge line! I really, REALLY wanted to see the Dolphin Tales. However, it was booked for the first showtime, and we didn't have enough time to stay until the next. So though I was bummed, there was a blessing in disguise: it appeared that everyone else there did manage to get tickets to the show. Once the show started, the place cleared out. We were able to see the whole aquarium at our own pace and get right up to the glass. My favorite exhibit is still the otters. They are too stinking cute!

After the Aquarium, we went to Atlantic Station to spend the afternoon. We went back to the Bodies exhibit. I'm so sad that we never made it to Dialog in the Dark, which left just a few short weeks ago. But the Bodies Exhibit is always cool. The best part. I have no need for an audio tour... the hubs knows just about everything I could ever want to know! The coolest thing is always the circulatory room. It is simply mind boggling to see human veins and arteries alone, just floating in a box. My favorite room was surprisingly the reproductive room (more on this later). Ultimately, we had a great time exploring the exhibit, pretty much by ourselves. Sweet!

After Bodies, we were hungry so we walked over to CPK for a quick bite to eat before going to a movie. Sam had purchased a set of Regal movie tickets through Deals Plus a while ago, and we had yet to use them. We ended up seeing 21 Jump Street. This movie was fairly raunchy, and quite dumb as I think all of Jonah Hill's movies are, but it was admittedly funny. Despite myself, I did laugh quite a bit. I also learned something: movie etiquette in Atlanta requires that you NOT observe the quiet rule. Instead you are to comment on everything and talk to your friends as well as the movie characters throughout the entire movie. But still, we had a good time.

After the movie, we wandered around Atlantic Station as we sipped on some iced Starbucks to cool off! After we had browsed our way around, we went back to the hotel to get changed for dinner. That night we headed to the Atlanta Fish Market. This casual seafood restaurant has tons of options... the menu is dizzying. Sam and I stuffed ourselves full.

Calamari

Flash Fried Lobster Tail

Strawberry Margarita

Blackened Swordfish

Broiled Mahi- Mahi

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

After dinner we went back to the room to toast our anniversary with a complimentary bottle of champagne. I'll admit, we smiled, sipped, and poured the rest out. I was hoping I would have acquired a taste for it since the last attempt, but alas, this bubbly drink is still repulsive to me! Regardless, it was a very sweet gift from the hotel staff.

Wednesday morning we went out for breakfast at another Buckhead Life place: the Corner Cafe. This place was definitely yummy, but kind of a letdown. The food was delicious and the portions were huge, but it was surprisingly pricey. I don't usually pay this much for dinner when we go out to eat, let alone breakfast. Glad it was on a gift card!

Pancakes, Sausage & Cheese Grits

White Chocolate French Toast

After breakfast, we went to Solomon Brothers to get our rings cleaned... sparkly! And then we went to Lenox mall to shop around. We made one fabulous purchase... A- it was free! B- I've been looking for this for a long time.

We got the medium size lantern (for free) and my plan is to find a simple vase to showcase the sugar flowers from our wedding cake. I'll post a picture of the final later.

To cap off our time in Atlanta, we went to the Cheesecake factory. Sam's groom's cake was an assortment of cheesecakes at our wedding, so in honor of anniversary number two, we decided to share a slice. We didn't have time to eat there, as we had to get back to rescue our demon dog before an additional day of boarding fees were charged. But mmmm, Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake is scrumptious!

And that's it ladies and gentleman, that is how Sam and I celebrated our second anniversary.

Now let me take a brief moment to tell of all the many blessings we received this past year in our marriage. Sam finished his first year of PT school (such a relief) and successfully passed his first clinical. Sam has also done WONDERFULLY in his second year of PT school, making excellent grades each semester. Sam had the opportunity to travel to Haiti for his first mission trip. Family and friends were so generous and Sam had an amazing time. It was an eye opening experience for him and the Lord really spoke to him during his time there. As for me, this year has been incredibly tough for me. We literally spent eleven of the past twelve months trying to conceive our first child. I lost our first baby, and I have begun to deal with the diagnosis of infertility. But through all of this I have been reminded again and again, that my husband is such an incredible man. He has been my blessing this year. It is not every lady who has a man who will simply hold her while she cries, make her smile or laugh when the tears have faded, listen to countless hours of hypothesizing and questioning the meaning of it all. No, not every man can quietly, stoically deal with a wife dangling from the edge of depression, but Sam has, and he has kept me sane through this overwhelming journey. I have truly been blessed in this marriage with an amazing, amazing partner to walk this journey with.