Celebrating our Anniversary

Since Ed and I were not home for our anniversary this year (more about that trip to come), we ended up rescheduling our "official" celebration for a more convenient day. For us, this ended up being this Friday.

Ed was out in Santa Cruz for the day, so I used my time to plan out a menu, buy the ingredients and cook. Believe it or not, this took most of the day!

Since our honeymoon was spent, in part, in Tuscany, this seemed like a fairly easy theme to go with for out dinner. We had already set the stage by buying sunflowers at the farmers market earlier in the week, and we had wine and olive oil that we brought home from our honeymoon to savor for this very night (we've been using the olive oil since we got it, but had a goal to finish the bottle by our first anniversary - there was just a bit left).

After some consideration for what I could make versus what would be romantic and fitting of an anniversary dinner, I decided on the following menu:

Appetizer: Pugelise bread, with asiago cheese, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, figs, and grapes (I also ended up adding the leftovers to the sauce I made, which ended up being a kind of fig jam that was delicious!)

Salad: Mixed greens with figs and goat cheese with balsamic vinegrette

Main Course: lamb chops with spicy fig and port sauce, served with three cheese risotto

Dessert: Tirimisu, served with a glass of port

I'll be posting recipes later, but since there are so many parts, I'll do a different post for each one (otherwise, this blog will be ridiculously long). 

While the dinner preperations began around 1pm  (with shopping, then cooking), it officially began at 6:30, when Ed got home. He was supposed to arrive at 6, but had a little trouble....

Up at the cabin where we spent the last week with my family, Ed and I were talking with my dad, when my dad gave Ed some "instructions" abut anniversaries (he made it clear that these were instructions, not advice). For every anniversary, my Dad said, it is imperative that you go to Papyrus, nowhere else, and buy a blank card. Inside of this card, you write a heartfelt message. And, you do this every year. 

Now, in our whole relationship, Ed has bought me maybe 2 or 3 cards. He doesn't really like cards, himself, and despite my pleading, hasn't gotten me too many, but promised he would get one for our anniversary. 

So, 6:00 went by, then 6:10, then 6:20, and I started getting worried. After a couple calls, Ed finally answered and reassured that he was on his way. 

When he finally got home and settled he told me that he had learned a few important lessons today. First, did you know that the Halmark store does not sell Papyrus cards? Second, did you know that Lucky's does not sell Papyrus cards? And finally, did you know Target has a plethora of Papyrus cards?

Ed really took my dad's instructions to heart, and went to three different stores to make sure that he followed them to a tee. The card he picked was perfect, a bicycle with sunflowers on it, reminding me of all the cards that had bikes on them that I got into buying him our first year together and the sunflowers we saw in Italy. 

He did perfectly. 

Our anniversary cards - Ed gave me the one with the sunflowers

Before we exchanged gifts, we feasted on some Italian inspired appetizers.

Gifts were also a little up in the air for this. Since about April, I knew I was going to make Ed a book full of photographs from our first year of marriage. This was also my loophole with the cards. Ed didn't want a card, so instead, I wrote a message to him in the book - all the meaning of a card without actually purchasing one. 

I also took pictures of some things in our backyard that looked like letters to spell our last name, which I had seen on a website and thought that I would try. It may or may not be a project we'll keep (I might try to redo some of the letters) but it's fun. 

Ed got me a dress back in May that we decided would count as my present, but he decided he also wanted to "give" me something else. 

So, after I gave him his present, he took my hands, pulled me up to my feet and, right in the middle of our living room, resaid his wedding vows to me. He even took my wedding ring and put it back on my finger. It was totally unexpected and incredibly romantic.

"I, Ed, take you, Adelyn, to be my wife,

my partner in life and my one true love.

I will cherish our union and love you more each day

than I did the day before.

I will trust you and respect you,

laugh with you and cry with you

I will love you faithfully through good times and bad,

Regardless of any obstacles we may face together.

I give you my hand,

my heart,

and my love,

from this day forward

for as long as we both shall live."

Adelyn, with this ring,

I give you my promise

To love you,

To honor you,

To be faithful to you,

And to share my life with you

In every way

Always."

It was perfect. 

After gifts, I finished making dinner, and then we ate. Despite my best efforts, our later start meant we didn't have dinner until 9:30. 

Still, it was lovely. During our evening, we got to reflect on our last year of marriage and the evening flew by. Before we knew it, it was 1am and time for bed. Of course, we had to have dessert before we went to sleep!

This was the perfect celebration for us: personal, homemade, and lovely. 

(and, even better, I ended up making more than enough food to have a repeat of our entire evening tonight! The celebration continues :) )