Time Flies

Six years ago today, all the preparations came to an end and Cliff and I were married in Naperville, Illinois, with treasured family and friends in attendance. It was a wonderful day, a point of great celebration in our lives.

These six years that have followed have been full of many highlights, as well as difficult moments that God used and continues to use to teach us to rely on Him. I am so thankful that God brought us together years ago and my prayer is that we can enjoy many decades of marriage to come.

Last night we had the opportunity to celebrate together. Cliff planned a wonderful evening. We started by heading to dinner at Spring Hill in West Seattle. The restaurant opened a few years years ago to great acclaim, has been noted in many national culinary magazines, and has been on my list to try for awhile. It certainly lived up to its reputation.

As we looked over the menus, our server brought us complimentary glasses of sparkling wine to help us celebrate. Before our entrees arrived, we enjoyed homemade bread and a crab cake that melted in our mouths. For dinner, Cliff ordered the halibut which he described as the best piece of fish he's eaten-not even a hint of "fishiness". I had a hangar steak smothered in caramelized onions and served with homemade french fries. Delicious and particularly enjoyable as all of the food is homemade and/or local.

We absolutely loved the delicious food, but the unassuming and unpretentious atmosphere really made us feel at home. We could not have enjoyed our dinner more.

We then headed out to the Washington Dance Club for a Tango lesson. We arrived to a somewhat empty ballroom, where we signed in and got ready for our lesson. There were about ten other people there for the hour long class. The instructor did a good job of walking us through each step, but doing so with patience and a sense of humor. Even though I have dance experience, I don't know a thing about ballroom dancing and was certainly out of my element. We did our best to keep it lighthearted and had a great time together.

After the lesson, many other people began showing up for the social dance that followed. There were some very skilled and serious dancers that arrived. Cliff and I took one Tango tour of the dance floor and then left the rest of the evening to the professionals. We had a great time laughing and learning together, but that will likely be a once in a lifetime experience for us!

Our evening echoed what the last six years have been like:

• full of new experiences
• moments of uncertainty and challenge
• me learning to look to Cliff as the leader
• accidentally stepping on each others' toes, then asking for forgiveness
• laughing together

I look forward to many more! Happy 6th Anniversary, Cliff! I love you.