My Valentine

Last weekend, Dan and I escaped to tropical (ha) Duluth and had just the best time. For the second year in a row, this is what we request as a Christmas gift from my parents--money toward a hotel and a weekend of watching our kids.

This particular trip was pretty cold and pretty snowy. Which was perfect for staying in and doing a whole lot of nothing! We ventured out (see photographic evidence below) for lunch on Saturday. And then back to our room and the romantic comedy marathon we'd happened upon earlier in the day.

At some point in the weekend, we realized that it was exactly 19 years ago that we were just starting to date. We'd started hanging out in January and were approaching our very fancy first "real date" on Valentines Day. More than once in the conversation, we said something along the lines of "What a difference 19 years makes!" (Oddly enough, I was 19 at the time. I have been with Dan as long as I was without him. Ha!)

Nineteen years ago we were young (so young!) and had no idea what lay ahead of us. We had no idea how much more we would love each other after almost 17 years of marriage and a handful of kids. We didn't know how hard life could be or how sweet. We certainly didn't know how much we'd enjoy a quiet hotel weekend, eating pizza in bed and watching Sweet Home Alabama. ;)

I love you, Dan Bennett! So glad you're mine. :)

So bright. So cold.