We celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in the sunny south!!!!
Being married for 20 years had me thinking back from day one! We had the wedding, a huge wedding, of our dreams! We said our "I DO's" and had such a fun day! We then flew away to Cancun, Mexico and we said that for our 5th anniversary, we would go back.
Time flies and we never made it back to that beautiful honeymoon resort. Maybe someday we will but we really wanted to do something fun and extra for this 20th celebration! COVID kept us thinking "stay in the states" and so we chose Florida!
We vacationed and visited Florida so many times but we love it here! This was the first time we stayed at a Ritz Carolton Resort though!!!! It was so beautiful and totally felt "honeymoon"!
We packed up our bags and flew down to Sarasota on Thursday morning. The sun was shining and the breezes were warm! Our room had a beautiful view but Mike wanted something higher so after we relaxed in the sun for awhile, we switched to the seventh floor view room! It was so gorgeous!
Every trip that Mike and I take together are just the best trips! We love to spend time together and I really wish that we would have just done this even more back in the younger years of our marriage. Back then we had a house to pay off, babies to feed and a job to keep. Getting away for more than a night or two seemed so hard to plan out! When we went to Belize together for an anniversary trip, it took a lot of planning, many helping hands but we went!!!!! It can actually happen if you really want it to. The kids actually survived! :) Sometimes I forget about that! Things are different now twenty years later and getaways are getting easier!
Florida was both warmer and chilly! Morning and evenings, we found ourselves reaching for our long sleeves again and again but during the afternoon hours, the sunshine felt so good to our white skin.
I decided to wear my Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirt to travel because the Chiefs will be in the Super Bowl next week and playing against the Buccaneers in Florida! I was sure I would get some conversation out of wearing it! Now and then someone would say "go Bucs" and I would then say "go Chiefs"!
Mike likes the app Turo and lined up a 2021 BMW car for us to cruise around during our getaway! It was perfect! Only two seats, super fast and classy! The roof went down and we cruised around being so happily in love!!!!
When we arrived at The Ritz Carolton Resort, we unloaded our luggage in our room, grabbed a delicious lunch at the resort and then went straight out to the sun by poolside! I sipped on a cup of coffee and it felt so good to feel the warmth against our winterized skin!
This was our room view!!! Just gorgeous! And the picture above is just stating that Mike wanted to make sure we get some exercise in the warmer weather! The first morning, we walked the bridge that takes you out towards St. Armonds Key! It's a beautiful bridge and many people walk or run this daily!
After enjoying the sunshine, we went out for dinner and came back with a knock at our bedroom door. We were gifted these chocolate covered strawberries and wine as an anniversary celebration! So cool!
We loved this car and resort and town of Sarasota!!!!
We grabbed breakfast in St. Armonds Key at a dinner one morning. Cruising around the circle at St. Armonds was a trip in the car! Mornings and evenings, we wore long sleeves.
We took a drive out to Anna Marie Island after breakfast and stopped to dip our toes in the cold ocean water! The day was cloudless and sunny!!! It was time to get us a tan!
We tried to set my camera on the self timer and here's what we captured!
The Ritz Carolton Resort has a Lido Beach Resort as well and we were welcome to use all the accommodations! We drove the car to this resort and walked up to another beautiful pool area and first class service! Towels, lotions and waters were all provided! Food and drinks were delivered right to our chairs when ordered! It was such a gift to be together and soak in the warmth of the sunshine and just relax!!!!
We decided to have dinner back at this beach resort and watch the sunset that night! Just perfect!
They served us these warm rolls and butter with a smoked salt turtle on top of the butter. I love detail like that!!!!
The next morning, we went for another walk but this time towards Downtown Sarasota to find us the outdoor farmers market. Totally my thing here! So many vegetables and fruits and foods! We loved this!
It was another cloudless day and the sun was shining!
We went back to the beach resort the next day and again we relaxed poolside, talk a long walk by the beach and Mike even took a cold water plunge and swam in the ocean a bit. We both read or listened to podcasts while relaxing poolside. I finished up this book and really liked it!
After dinner, we wanted to come back to our room and watch the Flyers play hockey on TV. We couldn't get that channel and ended up watching the new Fixer Upper! At 11 PM, Mike went down to the lobby and grabbed some fish dip and crackers. We were just loving it here and enjoyed just spending time together!!!!
Our getaway was only four days and ended so quickly. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and drive back to the airport to catch our flight home. We were ready to be with the family again but look what we came back to. Snow and lots of it!
Only God could do such a good work and put Mike and I together! To make marriage be so much fun and mixed in with drama and kids and even disappointments and expectations failed .... through it all, God is good!!!! He was there for us when we hurt each others feelings and said unkind things to each other. He was with us and helped us since day one and even now twenty years later! He will help us love and serve each other until the day we die! He was there when we birthed our children and grieved the loose of one miscarriage. He was there for us when we waited years to be pregnant again. God was there for us when Mike's dad fought cancer and died. He was there even when we didn't see Him! God never stops working on our behalf!
Happy Anniversary BABWE!!!! I love you for forever!!!!
