July 8, 2006
You can teach an old dog new tricks, it just takes a little longer. I’ve learned that with my dear hubby, Cam, who is a fabulous husband. He’s witty and kind and loving and trustworthy… I could go on forever telling you about the many reasons that I love him. Still, he has a downfall. He doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body. I have to hand it to him, he wants to be romantic. He wants me to be happy and he wants to treat me like a princess, but it doesn’t come easily to him. That’s why I’m so thrilled that this year, on our sixth anniversary, he finally got the anniversary thing figured out. Five tough lessoned learned, but the old dog really did learn some new tricks.
Lesson #1: Plan ahead
July 8, 2001: Our Paper Anniversary:
I got home from work to find the house as I left it, with my husband sitting on the couch watching the news. No plans, no presents, no paper. I had won a gift certificate at work to a steakhouse so we headed there last-minute (and admittedly, had a great dinner). When we got home, we attempted to eat our year-old frozen cake top from our wedding but it was too frozen (and honestly, it was kind of gross) so we had ice cream instead.
Lesson #2: Never, never forget the gift.
July 8, 2002: Our Cotton Anniversary:
We were staying at my parent’s house and I woke up expecting something exciting considering it was our two-year-anniversary. My husband woke up like it was any other day. I handed him a mushy, romantic card and a new outfit from Macy’s. He smiled at me with a goofy grin. He had forgotten to even buy me a card. I cried. I yelled. I cried some more. I made him take me to the mall and buy me an entire new outfit (including the shoes!) and take me out to a steakhouse. OK, so we like steak.
Lesson #3: Practical isn’t romantic
July 8, 2003: Our Leather Anniversary:
Grrrrroooooowwwlll… so it was our leather anniversary… and I was expecting, well, leather. You know, a leather purse, a pair of leather shoes, a skin-tight pair of black leather pants, um, you get my drift. Unfortunately, my husband (who was smart enough to remember a gift this time) had no idea that anniversaries had themes. He had bought me a nice, cotton pair of sweats from the Gap with matching hoodie. Ok, so, I love them. I still wear them all the time, but I felt a little disappointed that I didn’t get something a little, well, more leathery.
Lesson #4: There is nothing romantic about the in-laws:
July 8, 2004: Our Linen Anniversary:
I love my mother-in-law. She’s a wonderful woman who I get along with fabulously, but as well as mothers-in-law go together with linen, they do not go well with linen anniversaries. So, when my mother-in-law happened to be visiting from Oregon on our fourth anniversary, I was a little disappointed. We had a nice day and even a nice, family dinner, but there is nothing even remotely romantic about sharing your anniversary with the in-laws. Important memo to guys everywhere, the in-laws are the antithesis of romance.
Lesson #5: There is nothing romantic about my parents, either: July 8, 2005: Our Wood Anniversary. To be fair, my parents can do about as much to put a damper on romance as the in-laws can. Once again, I love them to death and I love spending time with them, but having salad dinner at my parent’s house on our fifth anniversary, is not what I dreamt about as a little girl. At least this time, he took me out for steak (hey, we like meat, what can I say?) a couple of days later in honor of our anniversary.
The new tricks that the old dog learned: July 8, 2006: Our Iron Anniversary
I woke up to a bedside tray covered with six long-stemmed roses, a magazine and a mocha from Seattle’s Best. I enjoyed my coffee and magazine while my husband entertained the baby.
We went out to breakfast at a local café and enjoyed French toast with berries and bananas.
Cam gave me a gift certificate so that I could go buy a sparkly tank-top that I’ve been wanting.
My husband arranged for my parents to baby-sit Joey so we could go out to dinner. We went to the Melting Pot. We split a bottle of wine and enjoyed a four course fondue dinner complete with chocolate fondue for dessert. If that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is.
We came home early (and sent the parents home…refer to lesson #5) and spent the evening sitting on the couch, talking and holding each other. It was romantic. It was sexy. It was wonderful. It was nothing less than I would’ve expected from our iron anniversary.
Lesson #1: Plan ahead
July 8, 2001: Our Paper Anniversary:
I got home from work to find the house as I left it, with my husband sitting on the couch watching the news. No plans, no presents, no paper. I had won a gift certificate at work to a steakhouse so we headed there last-minute (and admittedly, had a great dinner). When we got home, we attempted to eat our year-old frozen cake top from our wedding but it was too frozen (and honestly, it was kind of gross) so we had ice cream instead.
Lesson #2: Never, never forget the gift.
July 8, 2002: Our Cotton Anniversary:
We were staying at my parent’s house and I woke up expecting something exciting considering it was our two-year-anniversary. My husband woke up like it was any other day. I handed him a mushy, romantic card and a new outfit from Macy’s. He smiled at me with a goofy grin. He had forgotten to even buy me a card. I cried. I yelled. I cried some more. I made him take me to the mall and buy me an entire new outfit (including the shoes!) and take me out to a steakhouse. OK, so we like steak.
Lesson #3: Practical isn’t romantic
July 8, 2003: Our Leather Anniversary:
Grrrrroooooowwwlll… so it was our leather anniversary… and I was expecting, well, leather. You know, a leather purse, a pair of leather shoes, a skin-tight pair of black leather pants, um, you get my drift. Unfortunately, my husband (who was smart enough to remember a gift this time) had no idea that anniversaries had themes. He had bought me a nice, cotton pair of sweats from the Gap with matching hoodie. Ok, so, I love them. I still wear them all the time, but I felt a little disappointed that I didn’t get something a little, well, more leathery.
Lesson #4: There is nothing romantic about the in-laws:
July 8, 2004: Our Linen Anniversary:
I love my mother-in-law. She’s a wonderful woman who I get along with fabulously, but as well as mothers-in-law go together with linen, they do not go well with linen anniversaries. So, when my mother-in-law happened to be visiting from Oregon on our fourth anniversary, I was a little disappointed. We had a nice day and even a nice, family dinner, but there is nothing even remotely romantic about sharing your anniversary with the in-laws. Important memo to guys everywhere, the in-laws are the antithesis of romance.
Lesson #5: There is nothing romantic about my parents, either: July 8, 2005: Our Wood Anniversary. To be fair, my parents can do about as much to put a damper on romance as the in-laws can. Once again, I love them to death and I love spending time with them, but having salad dinner at my parent’s house on our fifth anniversary, is not what I dreamt about as a little girl. At least this time, he took me out for steak (hey, we like meat, what can I say?) a couple of days later in honor of our anniversary.
The new tricks that the old dog learned: July 8, 2006: Our Iron Anniversary
I woke up to a bedside tray covered with six long-stemmed roses, a magazine and a mocha from Seattle’s Best. I enjoyed my coffee and magazine while my husband entertained the baby.
We went out to breakfast at a local café and enjoyed French toast with berries and bananas.
Cam gave me a gift certificate so that I could go buy a sparkly tank-top that I’ve been wanting.
My husband arranged for my parents to baby-sit Joey so we could go out to dinner. We went to the Melting Pot. We split a bottle of wine and enjoyed a four course fondue dinner complete with chocolate fondue for dessert. If that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is.
We came home early (and sent the parents home…refer to lesson #5) and spent the evening sitting on the couch, talking and holding each other. It was romantic. It was sexy. It was wonderful. It was nothing less than I would’ve expected from our iron anniversary.
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