5 Years!

This weekend Philip and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary by taking a weekend trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We had a WONDERFUL time! Outdoor activities have always been a shared interest and this was a great place to be if you love the outdoors! We stayed in a historic home that was built in 1904 and converted into a bed and breakfast in 1994.

Our two favorite thing about the B&B was the comfy bed and the location (easy walking to downtown!). It was such a short walk to restaurants, art galleries, shops and the bath houses that we hardly ever got in the car. It was so nice and relaxing to just walk, talk and enjoy the beautiful views while stopping in to look at antiques, hand made jewelry or art. If you have ever stayed in a B&B I just have to ask...are they all just full of odd things/collections...we have stayed in 3 and they have all been this way!

We did a lot of good eating, another shared interest, and our favorite meal was at the Hot Springs Brau Haus (German food of course) which was delicious and brought back memories of our trip to Germany over a year ago. We also had some delicious brick oven pizza, ice cream, and seafood.

I think our favorite activity was visiting the Garvan Woodland Gardens, and we would highly recommend going if you are ever in Hot Springs. You should see it for yourself, it's just beautiful and interesting. The gardens were stunning (even though it was an off season for blooming plants). All the amazing bridges and water features were definitely our favorites. We loved that the garden had many levels and different viewpoints. We are planning on going back one day in the spring or fall.

They also have a gorgeous chapel (anyone wanting a destination wedding...you should really consider it!) and the pictures don't do it justice at all...it was breath taking! It was constructed of beautiful natural wood with lots of glass, so you felt like you were in the middle of beautiful trees, with tons of natural light, but it had cool AC :). It was the perfect size, seats 160, so it felt personal without being tiny. The walls were almost all glass and there was quite a bit of glass in the ceiling too. The decor inside was really nice too, it was elegant and fancy while being natural and organic too. Around the corner from the chapel was a really cool bell tower too. We loved it!

When you visit Hot Springs it is a must to experience the bath houses. We decided to bathe at the Buckstaff Baths because it is the most historic bath house and is tied directly into the springs. The water in the springs in 143 degrees as it exits the ground and has a high mineral content. For this reason a lot of people thought/think that it has healing properties and bath in the water to cure their ailments. We enjoyed the experience, and are glad that we chose the Buckstaff, but both admitted it was a little awkward.

You are wrapped in a white sheet, toga style and wear nothing else and they escort you from the different treatments; 105 degree soaking tub - 110 degree sitz bath - 115 to 120 degree hot steam box/sauna - very hot towels wraps - 95 degree needle shower - cooling room - massage. The hot box was very interesting, the close you in with your head exposed and towels around your neck to cover the opening and you sweat like you've never sweat before. My favorite was the massage...best I've ever had (maybe because I was totally relaxed because of all that heat).

This was our first trip away from Levi and the longest by far I have ever been away from him (the 12 hours at work once a week have been the longest). We missed him, and talked about him a lot, but I must say it was really nice to have the freedom of being without a baby to put to bed, nap, pack food for etc. 2 nights was perfect and we were so excited to see him when we got back! He stayed with my parents and then a few hours with Philip's dad and had a ball with his family. He is one loved little guy!

I can't believe it's already been 5 years since we said our vows. Time has really flown by and I must say, I'm proud of us. We aren't perfect and things aren't always easy, but we have worked at our marriage and have always stayed honest with each other and I can really say we love each other more now and are closer than ever. During one of our meals Philip and I were talking about how we are still best friends and that we can't believe all the fun we have had together these last 5 years. We are really looking forward to the next 5, 10, 50 :). I think the thing we are most proud of is our wonderful little son and how much we love him and that our little family is strong as can be. I can't wait to see how we will grow! We weren't really sure what to expect when we planned the trip, but boy are we glad we went! The memories will last a life time and it was really good for us to get away from the stress and relax together! We will be back!