The cool thing about being married for over twenty years is that we finish each other’s sentences.
Me: Honey, where did you put my slippers?
Her: Did you check under the bed?
Me: Yep.
Her: Did you check the closet?
Me: Yep.
Her: Did you check—
Together: The bathroom?
The other cool thing about being married for over twenty years is that we can go on an anniversary weekend getaway without worrying about the kids.
In fact, just recently, that’s exactly what we did. For a number of years now, we’ve packed our bags, loaded the car and headed to wherever the wind would take us. This year we ended up going north into cottage country where the moose are aplenty and the wilderness is our friend. We booked a hotel in Barrie, Ontario and took each day as a blessing without worrying about what came next.
My wife took the liberty to grab the honeymoon suite with a gorgeous Jacuzzi in the middle of the room. I must say, she knows me so well. I should have been a water baby.
The first thing we did when arriving on the Friday night was to unpack, jump on the bed, then relax a bit before heading to our favorite sushi restaurant. It’s a tradition of ours to find a sushi restaurant and stick with it for life. We have a modest dive in our town that only seats twenty. The food is incredible, and we wouldn’t give it up for the world. Similarly, in the town where we were staying, we found a sushi place a few years ago that we always go to regardless of the drive.
I would say the best part of the trip is the unwinding part. Whatever we had brought on the trip, we left in the sushi restaurant when talking about the day. A funny thing happens when we do that. It feels like a cloud lifts and we officially hit vacation mode. In between the Salmon Maki and the Chicken Fried Rice, our life suddenly become less complicated after knowing we have a few days of relaxation to do whatever we want.
From there, we headed to the theater to watch Tomorrowland. My wife enjoyed it. I, however, was so tired by the week that I fell asleep about halfway through the thing. Interesting tidbit of the evening: A couple of teenagers were sitting next to me doing nothing more than kissing up a storm. I was surprised to find by the end of the night their seats hadn’t caught fire with me going up in flames next to them.
On the Saturday, we spent the entire day in the hotel room. Yes, some of you might be thinking what a waste, but if you knew the hectic schedule my wife and I have during the week, you would take a month in deep cryogenic stasis to regain your energy. Besides, it had a Jacuzzi in the middle of the room—I mention that, didn’t I? I don’t think I need to say anything else.
That evening, we headed over to Boston Pizza then took in Avengers: Age of Ultron. This time, I did not fall asleep. What a great movie.
The next day, we checked out early. My wife suggested we try out the marina about ten minutes away. Wow, if there ever was an idea so awesome, this was it. We stayed there a few hours taking a walk on the boardwalk, talking about our future. We dreamed of having a boat someday. Actually, it was I dreaming about the boat and it was her saying, “You’ll have to take care of it. You know that, right?” My feet came back to earth and we continued hand-in-hand talking about other dreams.
We wound the day by heading home, sweet, home where we took the kids out to eat in the evening while talking about our weekend getaway.
In the midst of it all, my wife and I eventually concluded as much as we love our getaways, there’s nothing quite like family.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE SEARCH FOR PARADISE, on sale October 20.
Do you take weekend getaways with your significant other? What is your fondest memory?
Looking to God 
At forty years, your conversations will be more like:
You: Honey, where did you put my–?
Her: Did you check under the–?
You: That’s the first place I looked.
Her: How about in the–?
You: Not in there either.
Her: Where did you last–?
You: Oh, yeah. Beside the–
Her: –Shower.
We’re almost there!
Happy Anniversary, and with all the beautiful pictures I saw and the food…..I might as well tag a long for the nex anniversary.
Happy Anniversary
Sounds idyllic. You should get that boat, though, then you can call yourself Captain Jack.
Ha, don’t think I haven’t thought about it!
Happy anniversary! I’m glad you and your wife got a chance to get away and get some serious relaxation in. That’s always nice and rejuvenating.
The Hubs and also just celebrated our anniversary too. We took a week and drove from Texas to Washington DC to check out the museums. A lot of beautiful country can be found in the southeastern US. Seeing as I live on the edge of the semi-arid Hill Country, it was paradise to my eyes.
Congratulations! I’m glad you all had a good time.
Happy Anniversary! I’m glad there were no zombies involved. I love the food pics, and the Jacuzzi sounds great.
This was such an enjoyable read. We are going to do that when the young ones finally launch. 🙂
Thanks! Have fun with your own getaway! 🙂
Congrats on your anniversary. It sounded like you had a chance to unwind, which is always great. My hubby and I will be spending our anniversary travelling to an author signing in Toronto this year. We’ll be staying a stone’s throw from the CN Tower, so no one’s complaining, but I doubt there’ll be any relaxing for me. Glad you got yours. Happy anniversary!
If you’re staying at the Fairmont, enjoy! It’s one of the most incredible hotels in downtown Toronto. Good luck with the signing! Oh, and thank you for the congrats! 🙂
Thank you. It’s the Sheraton actually. Should be a good experience. 🙂
Spending the entire day in the hotel room together with your wife plus the Jacuzzi in the middle of the room was I think the best part of your vacation.
Congratulations…looks idyllic!
Congratulations! 😉
Happy anniversary!
Thanks, Heather!
Could feel the love and relaxation through the entire narration. Congrats on the anniversary.
Happy Anniversary you love bugs! Mom is forever coming home and telling daddy, “Twenty minutes be in the car”. It’s a great thing to keep the love alive. After 27 years, they still act like kids. XOXO – Bacon
Wow, seems like a truly ‘dream’ getaway, Jack. I can barely imagine, since our kids are on the younger side, getting away for an entire weekend for my husband and me. The Jacuzzi and down time sound extra-wonderful, too. Thank you for allowing us to peek at your pictures and into your personal stories. Happy (belated) anniversary!
Thanks for popping over, Leigh. I appreciate the kind words as well!
What a wonderful post! My parents were much like you . . for 58 years.
Sounds like you had a wonderful getaway! !
Happy Anniversary 🙂
Sounds like a great weekend. Haven’t done one of those in years, but set to disappear for a weekend in June. Fingers crossed that it goes smoothly. So there was a Jacuzzi in the middle of the room? Cool.
Totally in the middle of the room. There was also another tub in the bathroom.
One would think that’s excessive, but it really doesn’t sound like it.
Sounds great !
People near marinas have all the fun….. 🙂