Anniversary.......Fail

It comes around on the same date every year. Each February we celebrate our anniversary, the husband manages to surprise me with something, and I celebrate it.

It seems after 31 years I could get it right and find a sweet surprise for him but I haven't been able to match or come close to his creative gifts.

Just days before our anniversary I looked into a restaurant that is not your typical sit and eat place. Somewhere we haven't gone before, which is hard to find because we have pretty much exhausted our selection of restaurants.

Has something go do with being empty nesters and eating out way more than we probably should. So when the husband asked where we wanted to go for our anniversary dinner we both kinda laughed but I was sure I had the perfect place in mind.

The particular bed and breakfast Inn I was thinking about is a historic landmark which has been around for 100 years. It provides an elegant dining experience with a five course meal in a romantic atmosphere.

Sound perfect? I thought so.

I found out by calling for a reservation they have finicky hours for dinner and only open during selective days of the week. As a matter of fact I left a message and never heard back.

Fail #1

Not on their part, but my lack of planning.

After stopping by the house for lunch I found a card sitting on the counter from the husband. The card was extraordinary as was the sweet sentiment he wrote. That in its self was exceptionally sufficient, but a card alone is not the husbands style.

Inside the card was his surprise. He arranged for my sister and I to attend a Neil Diamond concert this summer. A very unselfish act indeed as Neil has been the 'other man' in my life ever since I've been a young girl. 

He sings to me in my car, when I sew, clean house or any another time the husband is absent from my presence.

My sons grew up with Neil in the house. When I told my oldest about the surprise concert he said, 'You mean he isn't dead yet?'

No Neil is alive and well and my sister and I are going to spend an evening with him.

I knew I should do something special and came really close to booking a weekend getaway for the two of us. Not with Neil, but with the husband.

It's a tricky task committing the man to surprise getaways, so I took the tricky out of the surprise and decided to approach the idea over dinner.

We found a favorite place to celebrate our anniversary and while we ate, I asked about the weekend getaway. He was appreciative but work wise, it was not a good time.

Fail #2

When the waitress brought our bill, I remembered I had a gift card. This was it, dinner could at least be on me. 

Three's the charm after all.

She came back almost immediately and handed us the card. We both thought perhaps the card was empty but actually, it was for a different restaurant.