Our Magical Ten Year Anniversary

Rob and I had the most romantic ten year anniversary at the end of September! Our dear friends, Lucy and George, sent us to their magical hideout in the woods on Washington Island, a short ferry ride north of Door County. Their charming place sits on Lake Michigan's rocky shore and peeks out from the pine trees -- the scenery was breathtaking. I couldn't stop inhaling that incredible evergreen scent that brings me right back to the Minnesota North Woods.

The greatest gift was the quiet. Just lovely, beautiful, rare, peaceful silence. We read for hours by the fire, slept in past 6am, visited the island coffee shop and talked to locals, flew a kite, searched for fossils, rocked in the hammock and explored every corner of the island,  including Schoolhouse Beach, which is one of the only smooth limestone beaches in the world. It was such a wonderful time to reflect on the past ten years and all our blessings. We laughed a whole lot. I love my guy.

I gave Rob a themed gift, "Ten things I want to do with you in the next ten (times ten) years." Each item had a coordinating gift. The list went:

1. Fly fish (an Orvis book on family fly fishing)
2. Fly a kite (a kite, which we promptly launched on the beach!)
3. Ride in a hot air balloon (lanterns that we'll release with the kids this summer)
4. Eat dinner at Roseangelis (where Rob took me in Chicago's Lincoln Park the night he proposed) (spaghetti sauce)
5. Take our children to an Illini football game (an Illini Tervis)
6. Visit New Orleans and San Francisco (a creole cookbook)
7. Be healthy. Run ten 10k's. Live well and long (a Jawbone bracelet)
8. Do the Fox Trot at our children's weddings (a framed newlywed picture of our first dance)
9. Host a Vlach Tie party for a special occasion (a Brooks Brother's tuxedo bow tie)
10. Travel to Paris avec nos enfants (French CDs)

And Rob gave me a dazzling diamond solitaire necklace, which I haven't taken off once since he put it on me. It represents so much more than I can put into words.

Sandie was such a rock star to watch the kids while we were gone....they had a blast! Before we left, we had a family anniversary party! The kids decorated a cake (wow, did they ever!), we read them our vows (they were bored to tears) and listened to Ella Fitzgerald's "Our Love is Here to Stay" during dinner.

Ten years sure did fly by! Chicago, Peoria, Nashville, Milwaukee. Madeline, Charlie and John. And we're still going strong!!!

John helped make the party cake!

We read our vows to the kids! (They were bored to tears)