a special dessert and so much more

This year for our anniversary we kept things as simple as possible and for me, the end result was exactly what I had hoped for. I have a tendency to put a lot of pressure on special occasions such as Christmas and Valentine's Day, but I am learning that going all crazy and Martha Stewart like, only leads me to disappointment and the inevitable crash when I realize that I can't do it all. So this year we agreed, just cards and for me flowers (because a girl loves flowers) and for him a special surprise of a homemade Turtle's cheesecake.
Winslow doesn't have the same kind of sweet tooth as I do but I know what he likes, nuts and chocolate. So I went ahead and decided to make a decadent and romantic dessert for our anniversary. It was super easy to make, thanks to my new spring form pan and we all (including Noah) enjoyed it very much.
Earlier in the day my sister Sarah asked me over the phone, what are you going to do with all that left over cheesecake and really in all honesty I though, "duh...I'm gonna eat it". But then I thought twice about that and decided that it would probably be best if I shared some of it with my girlfriends. So after dinner and while Winslow was getting ready for his night shift, I packed up some slices and brought Noah along, and we took a piece each to our well deserving friends Sarah and Carol-Ann. Then today I popped over to my neighbour Suzie and gave her a piece too. Good, now I don't have to feel so guilty about all that extra cheesecake.
This anniversary that just passed got me thinking quite a bit about the importance of putting my marriage and my sweetheart at the forefront of my priorities. I'm not sure if it's with time passing, or having seen relationships around me fail (my parents and other people I know) but more and more I am so thankful that I am realizing that a real strong marriage takes work.
I don't think I had the best examples of what a good marriage was while I was growing up. For me, when I got married at the tender age of 25, I really don't think I knew what being married would involve. For the first year, it was all about our first apartment and fun getaways and the blending of our old selves into a new self. It was fun but also a very young time in our lives. Since then we have experienced so many things together and have grown in so many ways. We experienced the pain of having a miscarriage and then the joy of bringing a baby into the world. We experienced excitement as we bought our first home, making us real official adults having to pay a mortgage. We felt fear of the unknown when we decided to take a transfer that would move us all the way across the country and up to the North. And felt the excitement as our careers and dreams have become a reality for us. From the good to the bad we have been there together for it all and I really feel that this is something to celebrate and remember.
And so this year to me isn't just another year on the ol' marriage belt. No. It's been a year of realizing that I am extremely blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life. That I am blessed to have someone to share my life with and who helps me realize my dreams everyday. I've been taking notes and learning from people around me that when you have something this good in your life, you better work hard to hold on to it. I'm trying and will continue to try.
xox