For the last three months or so Jonny has been alluding to some major activity or event on the horizon. Only once or twice this summer did I catch him on the phone making special arrangements of some kind, but overall he was pretty clandestine. Still I knew it had to do with our anniversary since it is our tradition to do something extravagant each August 25th instead of buying gifts for one another. The 25th this year fell on Monday, Jonny’s first day back to classes. He spent the morning on campus and came home around 4:00; we dropped Kylie off with Nammy and Papa and left before the grandparents realized what they were getting themselves into, then just to be on the safe side, we turned off the cell phones.
Jonny had made reservations at the Oxford Bell Tower Suite, where we arrived to drop off our bags and get settled in. The bed was covered in rose petals as were the living and dining room floors and the fire was crackling in the hearth (I know it’s August but the fire certainly added to the romantic ambiance even if we did have to turn the thermostat down to 55). Half an hour after checking in we went to dinner downtown. Forty five minutes of navigating Boise’s narrow one-way streets and waiting at the city’s enervating timed traffic lights, we arrived in front of the Grove Hotel. Jonathan made a brief phone call to make sure all plans were in order. As we walked to the front desk we were approached by the manager and escorted to the fourteenth floor of the hotel. Waiting for us on the private terrace of the penthouse suite was the manager of Emilo’s restaurant and the waiter who would be attending us throughout the evening. We drank Mormon Champaign and enjoyed our entrees by candle light as the sun set over Boise’s beautiful south west valley.
After dinner Jonathan took me to The Reel Theatre to see an independent film, “The Visitors”. When the previews started, there appeared the words, “Seated in the audience today is the luckiest man in the world. Two years ago he married an amazing woman who changed his life in ways he could never have imagined. This brief tribute to their lives is the least he could do.” Then, to the tune of Josh Groban’s, “When You Say You Love Me” pictures of us began appearing on the screen. Three minutes later the audience applauded as I wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed my husband on the cheek.
I would have to say that this was the best Anniversary so far. 100+ more years to go!
