One Year Celebrations: A Night in Natchez

While we had a blast camping the great outdoors, it was so nice to finally see home. It's true, one night was enough for both of us. As soon as our feet hit the gravel driveway, we headed straight for the pool for a quick dip. Refreshing it was! We couldn't stay here long though we had to get packed up for Natchez, a town run down from old age yet our special place in this world.

We grabbed our fast packed suitcases and headed out the door. We had a suite booked at the Natchez Grand Hotel, a tourists highlight right beside the water overlooking the bridge. We didn't really have much of a plan once we got there so decided we would play it by ear.

The room was nice, but honestly it wasn't as "grand" as they made it out to be on the many eye popping billboards on our way there. I walked out of the balcony and stretched my arms out thinking I was alone to soon find a lady right beside me sitting on her balcony with only a metal fence separating us! Well hi there vacating neighbor, they didn't mention that part in the description of this room I thought! All was fine.

There was a "Blue Berry Festival" going on right below us, tents lined up along the street with funnel cake stands, a man selling photographs he had framed up to sell, and a pair of dancers performing in the grass. By the time we made our way out of the room, they were getting all packed up to leave. Sore crowd I suppose, because the banner announcing the festival broadcasted it would keep going until dark. It was still early I thought, we were getting hungry at this point so we decided to grab a good bite at our favorite restraunt: Cock of the Walk.

We made our way to the casino after we ate. The moment we put our ticket in the machine it was bad luck from there. Usually we win at least ten bucks but we were sore losers this go around. We were really hoping to come out millionaires. Because that would have been a great anniversary gift ya know.

The last thing to do for the night was purchase a famous margarita from Fat Mamas. I usually don't go for such a drink but since we were here why not!? The drink ended up being a little too much for me but I managed to make it back to the hotel with the help of my dear designated driver husband. Classy way to end the night, right?

Natchez was great, the atmosphere was just what we needed but it was time to go home again. I don't know about Garrett, but the drive home was almost deja vu for me, I kept thinking of our drive home from our honeymoon and the thoughts I had in that moment then. Thoughts like: I'm someones wife now, this is for real! And how is it going to feel walking in our home and starting life together from here?

We were home once again, and were welcomed back with anniversary gifts just as we were with wedding gifts the day we came home from our honeymoon. Garrett surprised me with his "paper gift" he had made all by himself: A yellow paper rose. We had discussed how we wanted to go along with the special anniversary gift every year tradition and boy did he really put his heart into this one. My planned paper gift idea being toliet paper was to be a joke rather an actual gift, I kind of felt bad after he stunned me with his well thought of  gift! It is perfect though, it sits pretty on our buffet table and I will cherish it all the days of my life. I'm so blessed to be his wife, his heart is good.

There was one more tradition that couldn't be forgotten on this day though, we had to eat a piece of our year old cake! There were a many of times during the year Garrett had to slap my hand from snatching a bite from the freezer, but today was the day, the wait was over! I cut two of the prettiest pieces from the best side of the cake and handed one over to Garrett. At this point, I was a little skeptical about actually eating it. The icing was a bit slimy from defrosting from the freezer, so I made Garrett eat the first bite. To his surprise it was good! He even made the clever remark to put it back in the freezer for another year, silly husby. We wouldn't be doing that though, we decided to let the furbabies in on the celebration so they were handed the left overs!

 The evening was falling so we decided to go out to eat one last time, I had planned to cook him a meal but he insisted that we eat hibachi! I wanted to wear something special though, this wasn't just an ordinary date night so I pulled out my going away dress I wore leaving from our wedding to go to our honeymoon. I hadn't worn it since then, not that planned to wait for this day, but I never found the right place to wear it again. And it was because I was suppose to wear it again, tonight. I felt like I had that day, a brand new wife to my groom, it was a bittersweet feeling. I don't plan to wear it again though, I've decided to put it up for sentimental purpose, I would love to save it for in case I have a little girl, maybe she would want to wear it on her special day as well, but I just don't know if the material would keep good.

This anniversary was bittersweet, it will weigh heavily on our hearts on every anniversary that comes I do believe. I thought of being married for five years, ten years, twenty-five years gives me the love goosies and I know they will be just as perfect. The memories we will have made by then and the things that will come to be are beyond my imagination from where I'm standing now, I pray they are filled with even more love than I can comprehend.