3 years of lovely matrimony :: anniversary weekend

so as i mentioned ben & i celebrated three great years of marriage earlier this month.  its funny how it can seem so short and so long all at once.  i guess because we have known each other for so long [pre-marriage] that marriage just seems like an extension of that.

our anniversary landed on a tuesday this year so we took the weekend before, labor day weekend, to be 'our weekend.'  this has been the tradition the past three years and i don't see it ending any time soon.  benny  had family [aunts, uncles & cousins] come in town for the holiday from chicago so for the first part of the weekend we got to be with them.  it was really nice to see them & visit.  ben went laser tagging with the kiddos, pop and uncle & i went to round up groceries with the ladies.  its really fun to be a part of such a hospitable, fun family.  we also got to go for walks and eat lunch with some of our best friends.

we came home sunday afternoon to have some date/alone/anniversary time.  we each kind of planned things for the other & it was really sort of perfect.  i kicked ben out of the house to set up a little something in the living room.  its been something i've been scheming and wanting to give him for months and months.  basically, ever since i saw these pics [below] i've been dreaming of building a fort to play in with my husband.  is that weird? 

[here & here]

anyway, mine wasn't nearly as perfectly executed or pretty but it didn't matter, a bundle of pillows and blankets, poms and sheets and we had a really sweet hangout spot for the weekend.  we ate dinner in the fort, we watched movies in the fort, we slept in the fort [twice two nights...hilarious correction for my friends whose minds are in the gutter, we literally slept, like rem].  quality time is something i really cherish so it was basically pure bliss.

monday morning wasn't exactly as planned since rain just kept pouring but we decided to move along with our day nonetheless.  ben had planned a trip to the gorge for us, a little day hike.  neither of us knew where we were going but it didn't really matter.  it was a wonderful adventure together. 

even in the rain, it was lovely.  God made the great outdoors pretty stinkin' great.  and since it was rainy we basically had the whole place to ourselves.  other than a giant millipede crawling on the hood of my raincoat [i know, traumatic] i wouldn't change a thing.

i only have car pictures because of all the rain.  i didn't want my camera to melt.

eventually we made our way out of the woods and back into civilization.  ben had planned a fancy dinner for us out at malone's and gave me the sweetest gift by picking out a dress for me.  he knew that i'd really love to see what he'd choose for me and he did a fantastic job.  it fit me perfectly and is just my taste.  i got to go out in my spankin' new dress on the arm of the most handsome man i know.  so good.  after utterly stuffing ourselves with some of the best food in lexington and enjoying sweet talks about life and the future we retired for the night knowing full well that we are abundantly blessed.

what a pretty dress right?  i wish you could see the neckline & all but it was too cool to not wear a jacket.

i have a fantabulous husband.  you are so dear to me!  here's to a million more forts, adventures, dates, dances, laughs, drives & dinners together.  you're the best.