A Weekend Away...

For our first anniversary my parents gave us a weekend away in Canmore. It was wonderful to get away…especially because Benjamin would be born a very short while later. It very quickly became a tradition that I don’t ever intend to changeJ. When the kids were little we would just go for one night, but now we go for 2 nights. Most times we go well after our anniversary because of work…but we always make it happen. So…even though our 9^th anniversary was in September, we went away this last weekend to celebrate…with the way so many marriages fall apart nowadays every year is worth celebratingJ!

The majority of years we’ve stayed at one place…The Georgetown Inn…which I would highly recommend! This year, because money is so tight, we decided to try somewhere new. It was a beautiful inn & we had a wonderfully relaxing weekend! One thing we really enjoyed about the new place we went to was the steam room they had downstairs…so nice to sit in there in the evening! Ben also enjoyed beating me at ping pong in their game room…but make no mistake…I was closeJ!!

We arrived a bit later than we had hoped on Saturday, but got checked into the inn & headed out for supper. We went really fancy & headed to Boston PizzaJ. I guess it’s partly a tradition…partly we just like the food…and partly we go out so little that when we do, we’re excited about our favourites instead of trying something new. Other than some time in the steam room, the rest of the evening was spent relaxing in our room…reading, games…soak in the tub. The room was really neat…when you walk in it’s like a mini living room…couch, little fireplace, TV…the bedroom is upstairs in the loft with a huge skylight. It was really cool to lay in bed & see the stars.

On Sunday we slept through breakfast…that’s what holidays are for right? I had gotten into a book the night before & read while Ben slept some more…I probably should have joined him…J After grabbing a bite to eat we headed to Banff. We did a little walking downtown before heading up to the hot springs for our massage. We went to the spa at the Banff Upper Hot Springs…hoping to go for a soak before and/or after the massage. Unfortunately, they were closed for renovations…but we enjoyed the steam room at the spa & the massage! After our massage we headed to Tony Roma’s for supper (our all time favourite treatJ). After another steam…a game…and some reading, we watched the movie Fireproof. I’ve been wanting to see it since it came out…what a great movie!

We made it to breakfast Monday morning…kind of needed to…we were the only ones left at the inn by thenJ. After wandering through downtown Canmore, we decided to try somewhere new for lunch! The place we went to was gorgeous…the building & the view and the staff was great. We were a little disappointed with the food though…it wasn’t bad…just nothing really great or special about it. The one thing we both REALLY enjoyed though…which will come as a shock to any of you who know me very well…was the calamari. Ben loves anything seafood & in our married life has gotten me to try some of it…none of which I really enjoy. He had gotten calamari once earlier this year somewhere else & had me try it…it was OK, but not something I’d want to have more of. Well…his calamari came & as soon as I smelled it my mouth was watering! I couldn’t believe my own ears when I asked him if I could have a piece. Usually he has to majorly convince me to even try a bite. Not this time…I thoroughly enjoyed it! I know I wouldn’t enjoy calamari just anywhere…but at The Iron Goat they knew how to cook it right!! To end off our weekend we went for a very chilly walk along Cougar Creek & then headed home along Hwy 1A. After enjoying a sighting of some mountain sheep including a big ram & some little lambs (?), we were off.

For all you married couples out there (ESPECIALLY if you have kids) I have some advice…go away together with no kids at least once a year!!! Even if all you can do at first is one night in a hotel room in the town where you live…DO IT!!! It’s so important for our marriages to have that time to reconnect with no kids. To start you off, here’s my list of most important things to bring:

- CD player & CDs (music in the room does so much to create a mood…even if you’re just in a hotel room!

- Massage oil (give each other massages…way cheaperJ)

- Candles (and don’t forget some candle holders & matches or a lighter)

- Books (I like to bring separate books for each of us & something we might read together)

- Games for 2 (our favourites are battleship & boggle)

- Snacks/treats (we like to have sparkling juice & treats)

OK, that’s all I can think of for now…but you have a good start…so go do itJ!

Ben, thanks for taking me on these memory making weekends. I love you so much! Happy 9^th Anniversary!!!