twenty years of wedded bliss

from this......

to this.......

Twenty years!!!

So maybe not all of those years have been blissful, but I'll take 'em.  The good, the bad, and the ugly. It's the average that counts, right?  The average is looking pretty good.

When we were trying to figure out where to go for this anniversary, we figured we should make it a ski trip, which is Brian's favorite thing to do, and go somewhere we've never been before, which is my favorite thing to do.  So Whistler sounded just perfect.  We had lived in Seattle for 4 years and had never made it up there.

We flew into Vancouver, then drove the 'Sea to Sky' highway up to Whistler.

It was so beautiful!  But so frustrating because there were very few places to pull off to get a picture!  I was dying!  Dying!!

We stayed here......

And this was the view out our window......

And when we checked in there was this waiting for us......

Some lucky housekeeper got a free bottle of champagne that night.

Man, I could sure use a little Four Seasons right now!  It was deluxe.

And then the skiing......

It looked like this most of the day.  Snowing.

And let's just say that I am a wussy skiier.  The best part of my ski day is when we're sitting in a cozy lodge, preferably at Deer Valley where the food is amazing, with my boots & goggles off.  And then there's my still-healing broken toe.

So...... very low visibility + broken toe crammed into a ski boot = profanity muffled by a neckwarmer.

It wasn't pretty.

I really don't know why Brian even wants to go skiing with me.

Here I am, pretending that I'm having a great time.  When I really just want it to be over and drinking hot cocoa.  Totally wussy.

And here's Brian, in total heaven.

The forest is so different here, compared to what we're used to in Utah.  There's moss hanging on the trees.  Snow-covered moss.  Very interesting.

And I have a fascination with snow on branches.  I think it is the most beautiful thing ever.

So I wanted to stop to take pictures constantly.

What a good sport Brian was, being my little camera sherpa. He carried my big camera in a backpack the whole day.

If I knew how to put a thought-bubble on this picture, Brian would be thinking,  "Oh. My. H.E.Double-toothpicks.  How many pictures does she have to take of snow on trees? And I don't want to say anything or I might not get any action tonight...."

That look right there says it all.

When you've been married for 20 years you know these things.

Man, we had some good food on this trip. And we love to eat good food!

We ate at this little creperie almost every morning.  It was so yummy!!  A banana & Nutella crepe with a Diet Coke is a fabulous way to start a day.

We had some sunshine towards the end of the trip.

Brian skiied a second day without me, while I hung out in our room, reading, blogging & ordering room service. With no kids around.  I think it was one of the best days of my life.

On our way back to the Vancouver airport, we stopped at a suspension bridge that crosses a gorge.

Does this freak you out?

I sure miss the Northwest in alot of ways.  It is absolutely beautiful.  And could it be any more opposite of the Arizona desert?

Then back to the kids and reality.  It's so good to escape for a little bit.  But I was really missing my little Caroline.  The others, not so much.  Kidding! (not really)

The kids thought it was really cool that we went to Canada.  The first thing Jake asked us went we got home was if we ate alot of Canadian bacon.  So funny.

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Thanks for the wonderful trip.

And thanks for putting up with me for twenty whole years!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo