Nine Years and a Good Meal

D and I celebrated nine years of marriage this week. Hard to believe we've been married that long (seriously, where does the time go?) Of course, we have two beautiful boys and a solid partnership to show for those nine years. The boys alone are pretty darn amazing proof of why signing on the line nine years ago was the best decision we ever made. But of course, the wedding anniversary is about us, and our bond ... it's when we take time to appreciate each other. We can talk about the boys, but we give ourselves permission to go out and enjoy each other as a couple and celebrate each other. (I'll get to the meal in a minute.)

Eight years ago, we decided to follow the traditional wedding gifts ritual. I must say, it's been quite fun and I highly recommend it to any new couples. It's nice to have a challenge finding a gift that falls into a specific category (and there are some interesting categories) and D and I sometimes allow creative liberties. This year was the year of pottery. I started on D's gift back in September ... commissioning a custom cookie jar with our last name inscribed. The piece surpassed my expectations. D presented me with a lovely sculptural hand to hold some of my jewelry ... super excellent since now I will have it readily available and easy-to-remember so I can better accessorize. As per our usual, the gifting element was fun and rewarding to see each other's joy upon receipt of the gifts.

Now ... on to dinner. Back in July, I went to The Corner Table with wine club, and I mentioned how I wanted to get D to go their and do the tasting menu. So, that's where we went ... but alas, D was so enticed with the menu that he wanted to go ala carte versus the tasting menu. Which, was fine, as the menu offered plenty of treats.

I won't go into a long diatribe of my meal, but let's just say I was a very content, happy and full woman. First course: pork belly, and D and I shared a charcuterie platter:

This was followed by a lovely duck breast (yes, I know ... I had duck last time, too ... but I can't help myself!) D had beef brisket ... and it was absolutely amazing, so I am glad he gave me a bite. The two purees on my duck were scrumptious, and they did substitute the croquettes for me with potatoes ... so loved the accommodation.

We capped it off with an unbelievable sweet potato pots de creme that was topped with what I can only call caramel utopia. Fortunately D had ordered an additional side with his dinner, so he only had room for a little dessert and I was able to indulge a little more.

Of course, dinner paled in comparison to my company for the evening. D and I laughed (as we always do) and reminisced over the past nine years. We talked about the future and our wishes. And, most importantly, we just relished each other and our time together. It's pretty awesome to still feel very fortunate to have such an amazing partner after nine years (and add the three dating years before that.)

I can only hope that everyone finds someone special to relish and enjoy life with side-by-side.