Our Anniversary

Ben and I had our 8th wedding anniversary on Dec. 29th. We trade off who is in charge...I have even years and Ben has odd years. Last year I was very great with child (Clay was born 2 days later) and in no mood to do anything but have a baby. So this year, I wanted to do something special. It has been a tough year for us in many ways, and I wanted this anniversary to be the beginning of a happy new year in our marriage, family, and home.

This summer I was able to find a 3 day 2 night package (through a 3rd party) to Boyne Mountain which is a resort in northern Michigan. It was a SUPER good deal and I couldn't pass it up. I bought the package and booked it for our anniversary. Then I found a babysitter for the kids...yes, I left all 4 of them! Everything was set, and Ben had no idea. :)

3.5 weeks ago someone (from the 3rd party) called and cancelled it. They said that because of the economy they could no longer offer the discounted prices so they would refund my money if I wanted to. So I spent 2.5 weeks scouring the internet looking for B&B's, cabins for rent, hotels, anyplace that we could go that wouldn't break the bank. I finally settled on a hotel in Livonia, MI (priceline is a beautiful thing) and we left after church on Sunday.

It was heaven! I do love my children, but I have to admit that 2 whole days with no diapers, whining, fighting, or crying was so great! We could sleep when we wanted to, eat when we wanted to (who knew that food could taste so good when it is still hot?!?), go where we wanted to, and just had to worry about ourselves. We came back Tuesday afternoon and the girls who were babysitting did a FANTASTIC job. I couldn't be happier.

I'll admit that I needed the break more than Ben did. He was missing the kids by Monday afternoon and I could have stayed another day or two, but all in all, we got the break we needed, the kids had fun with their favorite babysitters, and we are now ready to enjoy the next 8 years!