Marriage... such a beautiful stage in a relationship. We lived in our car, were not working, had no children, gave zero fucks. But marriage could not freeze that moment. In reality, marriage moved our relationship to another, very different moment: urban house, unfulfilling jobs, weekends that pass by in a blink, a small child with another on the way. The only common ingredient? Us.
We had no idea what marriage was truly going to be like. We ran our love life by intuition. We were told it would be hard. We were given much advice, but what someone should have told us was to be incredibly forgiving. At times, your partner will fail to understand you. You are attempting such a complex thing with someone. You are trying to find your best friend, your co household manager, your co household parent. But you can't get it all right. There will be misunderstanding and failure and a certain amount of sober melancholy is a real asset when heading into the land of love. A good partnership is one where each partner has real expectations about all that.
"A good partnership is not so much one between two healthy people (there aren't many of these on the planet), it's one between two demented people who have had the skill or luck to find a non-threatening conscious accommodation between their relative insanities." -ALAIN de BOTTON
We've muddled our way through. 10 years gone and I am still learning who I am. But a mirror has been held up to my disturbances. He has witnessed my fury. I have witnessed his. And I have never been more grateful with my choice.
Our life is nowhere near perfect. Or even what I could have imagined it to be on that day 10 years ago. But I am happy. I recently threw away all my old journals but not before quickly flipping through the pages. I was happy to stop on an entry from the very beginning of our journey where I wrote "he makes me want to be a better person." He still does.
To celebrate, we are planning an anniversary trip. Adults only! Should we choose solitude or comradery? Nature or music? All day drinking or all day drinking? Well, that's at least an easy choice! Come along as we explore our top 3 options.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is a unique natural area located in the northern third of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. It extends nearly 199 miles along the international boundary. The BWCAW's northern border is contiguous with Canada's Quetico Provincial Park, also managed as a wilderness area, and together they form a core wilderness area of approximately two million acres. Great glaciers carved the physical features of what is today known as the BWCAW by scraping and gouging rock. The glaciers left behind lakes and streams interspersed with islands, and surrounded by rugged cliffs and crags, gentle hills, canyon walls, rocky shores, and sandy beaches.
Time of year: September or October
Distance: 13 hours
Approximate cost: $800
Days Gone: 5
Phish in Mexico
Phish are going back to Mexico! The return of Phish: Riviera Maya, a 4-night all-inclusive concert vacation, will take place on January 13-15, 2017. The band will perform three nights on the beach in one of the world's most beautiful spots - Mexico's Caribbean coastline. The concerts will take place at Barcelo Maya Beach, which sits on a mile-long stretch of white sandy beach.
Time of year: January
Distance: Mexico
Approximate cost: $4,640 + Air ($400)
Days Gone: 5
Colorado
In the fall, Colorado is transformed into a natural arena of shimmering colors, with the state's signature gold Aspen trees serving as the main act. We will find solitude while camping or renting a yurt in the backcountry. Time can be spent hiking, rafting, sleeping, reading, making yummy food, and indulging in lots of local beer and other legal activities.
