Anniversary #4

We've been married four years.

So much life has happened since Oct 27, 2017. We were scared to re-marry. It was an act of courage. The fear of losing a spouse again can be overwhelming. By marrying we knew that one of us was going to go through it again. It's very rare that a husband and wife die at the same time.

We chose companionship over fear and we are both very grateful to have made the choice of courage.

We've gained 4 more grandchildren. We've moved to Florida. We've travelled the world. We've travelled around the United States when most of the country was hunkering in fear. We became empty nesters. We've helped our children move. We've celebrated children getting out of school and getting into school. We've supported the marriages of 3 children. We've hosted multiple family get-togethers.

That's the short list :)

We chose to celebrate our anniversary by going to Restaurant Paradis in Rosemary Beach. We've tried to go here before but you have to reserve well in advance and they were fully reserved when we needed it.

However this time Mitzi was on it and several weeks ago got the reservation. We were not disappointed. This was the best meal we've had in Florida so far.

It's a beautiful setting and Mitzi being beautiful fits right in!

Cool refreshing water while reviewing the menu.

I was squeezing this lemon as Mitzi took my picture. It streamed directly into my eye. Twice!

We enjoyed some sparkling water and candlelight.

These were the best scallops we've ever had. Perfectly seared on the outside so it was crisp. Inside so tender and warm.

Enjoying the scallop.

The focaccia bread was soft and light, dipped in olive oil and pepper.

A deconstructed caprese of sorts. That mozzarella cheese was the real deal.

The pesto was fresh and aromatic and deserved to be completely soaked up by the bread.

The grouper entrée with crab and shrimp. Perfectly cooked, flaky and moist.

This is sushi grade ahi tuna. Dark delicious red. Seared. Mmmm. This entrée usually comes with tempura bok choy. The waiter said the chef wasn't happy with the quality of the bok choy they received and asked if substituting it for broccolini was okay. STRONG YES! We love broccolini. It was so good I ate the stem.

During the meal Maddy called. Mitzi had a nice time talking to her.

Mitzi suggested I decide on dessert. They all sounded so good and choosing just one would have left us less spoiled than we desired. So ... I decided on two – the carrot cake and key lime pie.

Seriously the best key lime pie we've had yet.

This is how good the key lime was.

After dinner we took a walk to the beach. Being close to halloween we were glad to see these black cats out and about on the walkway.

The hotel looked pretty at night so I tried a hand at capturing the light with the Leica.

We are grateful for four years together. Grateful for the companionship. For the adventures. For our children and grandchildren. For the fun and the experiences and the joys.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!