Last Updated on October 21, 2020 by Stacy Averette
We’ve celebrated enough anniversaries to know how we like to celebrate anniversaries. Like many great lessons in life, we learned this one the hard way.
For the life of me I can’t remember how we celebrated any of our anniversaries for the first ten years of marriage. I think there were some flowers and cards and special home-cooked meals involved but since one or both of us were students with full-time jobs there wasn’t much time or money to have what we considered a “proper anniversary celebration”.
A Proper Celebration
Our idea of a proper celebration grew out of our honeymoon adventure to Gatlinburg. It was 1987 and we were both 20. I’d clipped a coupon from a magazine for a cozy little hotel and we had saved $300 cash for expenses. With that bundle of money we dined at McDonald’s and even splurged at Long John Silver’s for a meal. After three days, we decided to go home hoping we had enough gas money to make it.
For our 10th anniversary (and my second graduation from New Orleans Seminary), we celebrated with an 8-day Caribbean cruise. We snorkeled in Cozumel, swam with the sting-rays in Grand Cayman, and rafted down a river in Jamaica. Then we spent the next year paying for it.
“Let’s do Paris for our 20th anniversary,” I said.
Ten years pass and our 20th anniversary arrives. Our family of three has become a family of seven and Paris might as well be on Mars.
“I’ve heard Savannah has a French flair. Let’s go there,” I said.
Four days and three nights in a cute little bed and breakfast near Forsyth Park is sweetly romantic. Well, it would have been if we’d actually spent any time there. For fear we might never come back to Savannah I decided that we would make the most out of the trip and see every tourist attraction in the city—on foot. I’d packed all my cute clothes and shoes for this “proper anniversary celebration”. Four hours into “Day one of it’s-not-Paris-but-whatever” I dropped a chunk of money on the ugliest, most comfortable shoes I could find.
Fast forward nine years. Anniversary #29 is upon us.
“Let’s just go to Atlanta and do nothing,” I said.
And that’s exactly what we did. Our drive was short. The hotel was nice. The food was good. The conversation was interesting. The fellowship was sweet.
Our car never left the parking garage while we were there.
We had lots of coffee and people-watched for hours. We ate snacks and watched TV in bed. We even got in a 5 mile run at Piedmont Park. And we got a few texts from our kids.
We had a great time doing nothing.
What’s your favorite way to celebrate an anniversary?
Meg and I love traveling to a new place with no agenda. Gods surprises are always more fun than my lame attempt to be romantic. Thx for sharing and being real.
No agenda is the best. “Romantic” has many definitions and God has THE BEST surprises! Thanks for sharing!
Last year for our 31st, we went to Texas and stayed in a small cabin on a ranch. Rode horses, visited some friends and family and generally chilled out. We typically shoot for a beach trip, despite our anniversary being in January (brrrr). We mostly just enjoy each other’s company.
We made 35 last May! Booked a great little cabin in Mentone, AL and spent a wonderful weekend together. We rode a pontoon boat up the Little River for $10 each to see the rhododendrons in full bloom. Ate at the Moonlight Bistro and The Wildflower Cafe. Drove around a lot dreaming of retirement! Already have reservations for a repeat performance for #36 this May! God has been so good to us. We are so thankful! Happy Anniversary to you and Eric!
Karen, we love Mentone and the Wildflower Cafe! It’s been years since we were there and I had kind of forgotten about it. Sounds like the perfect anniversary celebration so that may be how we celebrate #30 next year. Thanks so much sharing!!
And, Happy Anniversary, too!
Thanks!
Hi Stacy – loved this! I may follow suit! We have our 29th this May, and I am so busy looking forward to #30, I almost missed making a plan for this year. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much Lynne! It is easy to fall into thinking we should only celebrate the decade anniversaries but every year of marriage is worth celebrating and reflecting, isn’t it? I’d love to hear how you plan to celebrate!