Fifteenth Anniversary Evening

Thank you for all the kind comments, 15th anniversary-well-wishers!

Since it was a school night and work night, and we had one child in dubious health, we stayed in and had a Swiss raclette dinner. Yum! Strangely enough, we had a raclette machine while living the U.S., but got rid of it when moving to Europe since it was the wrong voltage - and now that we live over here, we don't have one! We need to replace it. It would have been a good anniversary gift for each other, if we had thought of it.

So for the meantime we just used the broiler setting on the oven, and melted the delicious cheese on a baking sheet without a rim, so we could scrape it off onto our cute and hot baby potatoes. The whole family loves it. But after a while, everyone starts making these heavy sighs and we just can't eat any more!

We had salad with grated carrots and honey-mustard dressing on the side, and David ate some baby cornichons (gherkins - no one else likes them). Normally you're supposed to have some fabulous "viande séchée" with the meal (tasty dried beef from the Grisons area of Switzerland), but I couldn't find any around here (it's easy to get in France). We had to settle for some rolled up Black Forest smoked ham, which looked vaguely similar but tasted nothing like the real stuff.

Jason made us a touching computer slide show of pretty photos, with a favorite romantic song (Garrison Keillor's Lovers' Waltz - can't find it on iTunes) and encouraging words.

For dessert I made a Fuji apple tart. But David had come home with a bouquet of pink roses and a gold box of Lindt chocolates, so we all got to have a chocolate as well. He knows me well. I do love flowers and pink and chocolate and shiny things and Swiss things (to name a few things about which I am enthusiastic, other than David himself).

David did most of the cheese melting during dinner, and also did the dishes after dinner - more spontaneous special gifts. I feel so well-loved. We have plans to go out on a dinner date on Saturday when things are more leisurely.

A few determinations:

Aim High before marriage, then Lift High thereafter. Lift each other up daily, and lift God high together.

Speak well of each other - to each other, and to others.

Determine together before marriage that it's going to be until death. Then live that way, making the very most of it. It's quite a ride!