365 days to celebrate!

Lane and I just celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday. I can't believe how fast the past 365 days have FLOWN BY! We really don't know where the time went! I do know, however, that I am so incredibly thankful that God chose us for each other. Lane is an amazing husband and truly my best friend. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with him...I just hope time slows down a little!

 To celebrate our anniversary, we took a little trip to the Texas Hill Country and stayed at The Inn Above Onion Creek (thanks to the Buford family for the suggestion). We considered going somewhere like New York City or California's Central Coast, but really just wanted to spend our 4 days relaxed. Let me tell you that the second you walk up to the Inn, you automatically feel relaxed. Things just start to move at a slower pace. We met Amy, the innkeeper, and were showed around the property and to our room. We were a little overwhelmed at first, but very quickly settled in. Here's a few pictures of our home away from home, the Hays room:

 Our first night was our actual anniversary, so we were thrilled to know that dinner that night was going to be short ribs, which is what we served at our wedding! We had a little table to ourselves (normally you sit family style, but because it was our anniversary, they gave us a little private table) and enjoyed a delicious meal and a fabulous bottle of wine. Then afterwards, we ate our top layer (re-created, not the original) of our cake. It was a perfect night! (PS if you live in Dallas, you MUST get your next cake or cupcakes from Jackie Spratt Cakes. She makes the most delicious cake I've ever tasted!!)

That evening, we went on a walk around the property and discovered a couple perched against a post just watching the sunset. This couple struck me in so many ways, but the first was that you immediately could tell how in love they were. They were wrapped in the other's arms and looked so peaceful. What also struck me is that the wife had no hair. I really was trying to convince myself that she had alopecia (a dermatological condition in which you lose your hair) but we soon found out that alopecia was not her diagnosis.

The next morning at breakfast, we were able to eat with Noelle and Perry. We learned that Noelle was diagnosed in November with breast cancer and is undergoing chemo treatments. (Darn you breast cancer! Why couldn't it just be alopecia?) We learned that they were about to celebrate 19 years of marriage and that they were amazing followers of Christ. After that breakfast, I was so encouraged by them. I was encouraged in Noelle's desire to fight and her will to beat this horrible disease. I was encouraged by her incredibly positive attitude. Perry was humorous and positive as well and it really showed how much he loved her. You could tell that they had allowed God to infiltrate their lives and that they had peace that can only come from above. They encouraged us as a married couple by giving us a few points of wisdom that comes after 19 years of marriage. We were blessed to have met this couple and pray for them daily...especially today, as Noelle is undergoing her monthly chemo treamtment.

The next day, we explored the area around the Inn. We ate lunch at the famous Salt Lick BBQ. The weather was perfect, so we sat outside at a picnic table and waited to go in.

Afterward, we went to Driftwood Estates Vineyard. It was a windy drive on a small road, but once we got there, we saw what is arguably one of the best views in the area. The wine was, well, it was ok, but the view was amazing. We had a glass and sat outside and just admired the scene.. (this picture doesn't do it justice..I really needed a panoramic camera!)

After lunch and wine tasting, we went back to our room and read, played board games (cause we're awesome like that) and just really enjoyed being able to relax. That night, we had dinner in our room because we wanted to eat a little bit later than their 6 p.m. serving time since we had a massive lunch!

On our final full day at the Inn, we woke up to a rain soaked view, had breakfast and came right back to bed! It was wonderful! Around noon, we set out to the Mandola Estate Winery. We ate lunch in their restaurant (which was delicious) and then headed over to their tasting room. Unlike Driftwood, Mandola doesn't have the pour stoppers that limit the amount of wine they pour.......We settled into a little place at the bar and let William (college student studying to be a sommelier, who I'm completely jealous of) serve us wine. Yes, 10 tastings (glasses, really) were only $8! Tasting next to us was a record producer from LA in town for SXSW and he was very knowlegable about wine. It was awesome to get in on his conversations with William and really learn about what we were tasting and how each wine is made and barreled. Lane and I tend to stick to California grapes because we're so familiar with them, but a lot of the Texas wineries use Italian grapes so we tasted wines we had never heard of before..and actually liked them!

We made it back to the Inn for our final evening there. We grabbed a bottle of wine and sat on the front porch of the main house and read our books before dinner. It was peaceful and perfect. This is where I met my soulmate...Leigh, the resident yellow lab. Leigh (awesomely spelled) was wearing a cupcake bandana! I mean, come on...are we not perfect for each other? Leigh was just the most precious little girl. She was 9 years old and missing a leg due to an unfortunate rattlesnake incident, but it didn't slow her down. She loved to show everyone the hiking trails and especially loved to be rubbed on. I think she knew we were suckers for dogs and stuck to us like glue!

Without taking up anymore time or web space, I'll conclude by saying we had a wonderful anniversary and are so blessed to have been able to go somewhere like The Inn Above Onion Creek. For those of you Lost watchers, I am going to compare it to the Island (minus the bad parts of the island) and say that at first you aren't sure about it. You have get your bearings and get adjusted, and eventually you leave. Then, as time passes, you realize that you are supposed to go back. You are supposed to be there. I hope we have the chance to go back soon!