Anniversary Trip-Day 1

We had such a wonderful time on our ten-year anniversary trip. For quite sometime, I had no clue where we going because Shawn had some surprises up his sleeve, and wanted to leave me in suspense as to what we were doing. About a week before we were supposed to take our trip; Shawn splurged and told me that we were going to Gulf Shores, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida. I quickly solicited the help of some friends who I knew were frequent tourists in these areas, and did a little bit of my own research online. Before I knew it, we were packing our bags and getting ready to hit the road. Our first stop was to Longview where we dropped off Faith and Jaxon to stay with Grandma Sheryl. My mother-in-law also surprised us and asked if we wanted to take our trip in her new sports car…we couldn't say yes quick enough! Our car trip there was absolutely wonderful, full of conversation after conversation, and it was such a blessing to be with Shawn alone; dreaming of our future together and as a family. After conversation quieted down a little, Shawn asked me if I wanted my present. I was flabbergasted as I thought this trip was my present. He reached into the backseat and handed me The Love Dare book. Forty-days before our anniversary trip, Shawn had been journaling and writing his prayers for me in this book, music to my ears. With every turn of a page, I was just bawling my eyes out and I felt like the luckiest wife in the world to have him as my husband. This was a stretch for Shawn, not only did it take a lot of time and effort, but my husband only reads stats and football articles, and doesn’t write unless he really has to. He’s more of an analytical guy than a linguistic guy. So, needless to say, for him to read everyday and write lengthy, meaningful and romantic words was a little slice of heaven. Aside from my wedding ring, I’ve declared this book the most valuable and sentimental gift I’ve ever received from Shawn; a treasure I will always hold close to my heart. A couple of hours later, we arrived to our brand new hotel, unpacked our things, and got ready for dinner at Lulu’s. We pretty much had one of everything on the menu, and I knew once this trip was over that we would need to eat vegetables for several days. We enjoyed browsing around the gift shop and picked out a ring for Faith to bring home to her. Also, Lucy Buffett now has her own line of baby shampoos and lotions. After dinner and shopping, we hopped in the car and cruised Beach Blvd., and then went for a walk on the beach. You’ll notice in the pictures below that we are all bundled up. A week before our trip, the temperatures in Gulf Shores and Pensacola were in the mid-70’s, but as soon as the big arctic blast hit; temperatures lowered to the 40’s. This was probably the only downfall to the entire trip, but we still walked the beach and enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset each night. Best of all, we were together. That evening, we did get to put on our bathing suits despite the weather, and relaxed in the hot tub in our hotel.