Dear Blog ...
Hi … my name is Darla. Remember me?
I’ve been gone for a few weeks …
Sorry about that. It’s just that I needed to live some life to have something to blog about, right?
And live a bit I did!
Bill and I just returned from Lake Tahoe where we celebrated our 20th anniversary. It was originally planned as a family vacation but then high school volleyball (eek - high school!) came into our life and said “no vacations after August 1”. I tried a few other alternate plans but nothing worked out and so I booked myself a flight. I was not letting a condo in Tahoe go to waste … knowwhatImean?
Bill asked if I was crazy … leaving my family and heading off to the wild West? And I said “no” … “mama needs a vacay”. And then one day …. even though things at work were at an all time crazy …. he said … “I’m going to meet you out there”. And I said … “Mirror, mirror on the wall, those are the fairest words of all”. It did not fit with his work schedule, his boss was on vacation, there were literally fires to put out in some natural gas facilities … but he left and met me in Tahoe. As it turned out it was the week of our 20th anniversary so it worked out absolutely perfectly.
I had a day of quiet all to myself where I felt like Thoreau exploring Walden Pond. Lake Tahoe is stunning, beautiful and spectacular. All in one. Mark Twain said of Tahoe … “I thought it must be the fairest picture the whole earth affords”. He also said … “Come to Lake Tahoe … for surely this is the air the angels breathe”. And I know exactly what he meant.
So, back to Bill … it was all really quite fun because for three days I felt like a mom who said “enough.” and raced away as far as she could get. For two of the three days a friend from Sacramento came over and we had a wonderful visit. Then … and this is where it gets exciting …. Bill came out and, in my fairy tale story, I imagined him coming to beg me to come back to the family. :) Of course he wouldn’t have to beg. I love that man and my kids so much … and I had to come back to my kids because no one offered to put them on a plane and send them to us out there.
And thus began 5 days fun, adventure, excitement and beauty. It was perfect and wonderful and fun and refreshing. Did I mention perfect?
Anyway … lots of stories and memories (Bill brought our wedding video and we enjoyed a trip down memory lane). But all of that to say … I married a very special man. He loves me fiercely and I love him that way right back. I very naively felt a little embarrassed for people when they told me upon my marriage … “you will love him more in 20 years than you do now”. I felt a little sorry for them actually that they must not have loved their spouse as much as I loved Bill when we married. But 20 years later …. I understand. I get it. And I do love him more than I ever could have imagined 20 years ago.
Happy 20th Bill … you are my dream come true.
Darla
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=14082037&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0
Happy 20th Anniversary Bill! from Darla Baerg on Vimeo.