Where to start with the highlights from our weekend trip... kid-free, lots of wine, delicious eats, fireplace snuggles, wedding vids, 70 + sunny... the list goes on. Case in point: Napa is a DREAM. As we waved goodbye to the grape lined streets, the only thing withholding my tears was the confidence in knowing this was not our last trip.
Without Jack, it harkened us back to Our Dating Days; delighting in the freedom of our own timeframe, schedule, and spontaneity. I savor these moments with Ben -- opportunities to connect and learn more about each other's hearts, dreams, goals, frustrations, delights. In the shuffle of the everyday, our focus is often shifted to Jack and we have to intentionally ask the bigger questions, silly questions, and even difficult questions to pivot the conversation back to one another.
On my favorite day of the trip, we had a 5 course plated meal with wine pairings as we sat in a valley of sun watching the straight edges of vine rows disappearing into looming mountains across the horizon. We savored the crisp of the rose followed by full-bodied reds, trying our best to presently absorb the beauty of the moment. Shortly after, finding ourselves in a German vineyard surrounded by laughing groups of picnickers and a delicious cabernet led us to remember our Favorite Day - two years ago - and reminisce on those first few weeks married. I'm not sure I will ever live a happier day than 2/18/2017; though I know I will come close.
Some days I am still in awe that I get to call Benjamin my husband, Jack our son, and San Diego our home. In many ways, three years ago I didn't know if this could ever be my future. I remember falling in love with Ben realizing for the second time how intimately God knows the dreams of my heart. The first was when He led me to Spain, the second was when He led me to Ben. For those who doubt, I offer this quote: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen" (Ralph Waldo Emerson). God is faithful, unexpectedly and unexplainably so. When we look back over the course of our lives, we see His gifts. He has been with us in the past and He remains with us every step into the future. He placed the dreams in our heart and it is He who allows them to materialize in a way that always brings glory back to Him.
