a promise kept

When I was very pregnant with our first child, I remember taking a long walk with my husband. (I even remember what I was wearing – one of his old rugby shirts, orange & grey stripes, with black yoga pants and one big belly). On that walk I’m sure we talked a lot about how excited we were to start this new chapter of our lives but I only specifically remember one part of our conversation. We promised each other that even after our children were here, we’d always take time for each other. No matter what was going on, we wouldn’t be those parents that never go on vacation alone. We promised that we would take a trip together each year – just the two of us.

I’m happy to say that we just passed our 17th anniversary and we’ve kept that promise. Some years the trip is long; other years it is only a weekend. Length of time doesn’t matter – taking time to remember that we are a couple does. It’s a time to remember that we like each other. A time to talk without looking over the heads of our children. A time to do things without a time schedule or a carpool.

This year (as in many years) we took a long weekend in Northern Michigan. The weather was chilly but beautiful. The trees held their color better than they have in years. My Lake Michigan didn’t disappoint with her views of expansive blue. We hiked, we wine tasted, we had fun & yummy dinners, we drove through one of the prettiest spots on earth.

As we were taking the long way home on Sunday – so I could catch a few more glimpses of Northern Michigan’s beauty – we passed a sign that said Point Betsie Lighthouse. Now, I am known for swinging into these sorts of side trips – my husband often (not always, but often) somewhat reluctantly. It’s also fair to say that we’ve had our share of times where I’ve noticed something while he was driving and he pretended not to hear me or just rolled his eyes and kept going.

He kept going this time too. But about 100 yards down the windy road he made a u-turn just for me. It was a pretty spot and not far off the road either. We stayed for maybe 10 minutes to watch the waves crash. I was looking for a Petosky stone (one of these days I’ll find one) when I saw a purple rock in the midst of the whites & blacks. Not a Petosky stone but a small reminder of a promise kept – even when it involves a u-turn.