12 years together

Today is our 12th anniversary, and I must say it seems quite miraculous to both of us that we've made it this far. (Some days more than others.) We're doing pretty well right now, though, so we were happy to have the chance to go out and celebrate tonight, with the help of our nice babysitter.

It felt like a special day, so I baked a blueberry streusel pie and Rocket Boy brought home flowers (which he NEVER does). Oh, but I was struck by how imperfect our lives are, and, by extension, how imperfect everyone's lives must be. Here I am, making the pie, with Kid A helping me (he loves to help cook). In the other room, Rocket Boy and Kid B are playing chess. Idyllic, right? I mean, doesn't it sound like something out of a Hallmark commercial? And yet, at the same time, a frustrated Rocket Boy is saying "You've got to move your king! I've got you in check!" and Kid B is screaming at the top of his lungs that he doesn't WANT to move his king and he is NOT in check, and Rocket Boy is saying "If you don't move your king, I'm leaving!" and Kid B is screaming some more. Kid A did pretty well, helping me with the pie, but there was still a certain amount of screaming involved, i.e., "No! I wanted to put the sugar in! Mom, no! Let ME do that!" etc. Not a Hallmark commercial. Not even close.

The babysitter arrived promptly at six, and we were out the door by ten after.

We usually go to the Teahouse for our anniversary, but we had such a bad experience there last year that we decided to go to Chautauqua instead. I like to go to Chautauqua for my birthday, but of course I wasn't in Boulder on my birthday this year. So we drove out to Chautauqua and although it was terribly busy -- there was a wedding reception going on (seems like there's always a wedding at Chautauqua in the summer), and a concert scheduled for later in the evening (ditto) -- we scored a parking place. Someone must have left the wedding early. They pulled out and we pulled in. A good omen!

Sadly, the meal, while not as bad as the meal at the Teahouse last year, was not very good. The same people who run the Teahouse are now also running Chautauqua and I think that's a problem. We were seated on the back porch, which disappointed me, but it's still very pleasant there, so that was OK. Our waitress kind of waved at us, but it took her a while to actually stop by our table and talk. She asked if we wanted anything to drink besides water and we both ordered peach sangria (the same drink I had at the Teahouse last summer and didn't like -- should have reviewed that blog post before the meal). She brought the drinks and then asked what we wanted to eat. No niceties, no mention of specials, no suggestions. I asked about the "market fish," and she said they'd just sold out of it. Sold out? At 6:40 in the evening? We ordered the other two fish dishes on the menu (trout for RB and redfish for me) and just like that she was gone. I had been planning to get a cup of soup too, or maybe an appetizer to share, but there was no time. What kind of service is that?

Our food came very quickly, and it was OK, but there was so little of it. Where were the vegetables? I suppose they were in those other courses that we didn't have time to order. I think our waitress must have thought we were trying to get to the concert, so she was hurrying us. Never mind that we were opening anniversary cards... and of course she didn't ask, and we didn't say... Anyway, the food was OK and we ate it. While we ate, we talked about high points in our 12-year-marriage: our trip to Germany in 2003, our trip with my mother in 2002 to see the sandhill cranes in Nebraska and the Grand Canyon, all the visits to hot springs here and there, the trip to Arizona, the trip to Michigan, all the trips to California. It reminded me that despite the expense, travel is worth it to us. We talked about trips we'd like to take in the future, with and without twins, and wondered when we'll be able to go back to Europe.

The waitress stopped by to ask if we'd like dessert and we said yes (even though we had pie at home, it's so fun to order dessert in a restaurant), and we each ordered something: cheesecake for RB and "s'mores trifle" for me. And they were both awful. I mean, this is probably the first time in my LIFE that I haven't finished a dessert. RB did finish his, but said it was pretty bad, kind of chunky, and with fake whipped cream from a can on top. What is wrong with this restaurant? I know, I know, the problems of spoiled rich white people, but still.

Fortunately, the bill wasn't TOO horribly high. I paid it and we spent the next 45 minutes happily wandering the grounds of Chautauqua, listening to bits of the concert through the walls of the auditorium, enjoying the sunset and the rising of the full moon. It's such a lovely place. Maybe someday they'll have a well-run restaurant again.

Came home, paid the babysitter, put the twins to bed, and had a second dessert -- my heavenly blueberry pie. It's a happy anniversary. Let's see if we can make it to 13.