Eighteen Years

Our anniversary was a couple of weeks ago but it wasn't until last Friday that we were finally able to get away for a few hours.
After the kids had their dinner we quietly sneaked out the front door. I texted Sydna back a few minutes later and asked her if Riley had noticed we were gone and she said no. We continued to exchange texts along with pictures to ease my worries.

We drove to W Seattle and from there we took the water taxi into Seattle's waterfront. It's quite a challenge to find parking anywhere in Seattle besides taking the water taxi was definitely more exciting since I love the water and cool wind on my face.

We didn't have to wait long. It was somewhat windy and the dock was swaying quite a bit. We had to hold on to the hand rail or else I would have definitely lost my footing.

Whenever we've hung out in this part of W Seattle it has always been windy and cold but this time, even though it was windy it felt oddly comfortable. It felt cool and fresh but never cold.  Isn't it pretty?!

Took a picture of Jacob taking a picture. I like to do this sometimes ... he thinks I'm weird for doing it. I bet people that live in Seattle probably think we're tourists because we're always taking pictures, no matter where we go.

I figured that the only time I'm in pictures is if I take them myself, i.e. - a selfie. I'm still not a huge fan of them but because I'm always the one behind the camera I rarely come out in pictures unless I have one of the kids or Jacob take a picture which results in me not liking it therefore deleting it.

By the time we arrived at the watefront it was 7:20 pm.

Ever since our first visit to the waterfront two years ago I've been eyeing this restaurant. I LOVE crab and so I knew I had to try this place out. Well, we finally did. Jacob checked us in and we waited. This area is just packed with tourists so naturally the wait was gonna be long. We waited about forty minutes. I'm glad this place is worth the wait.

My two favorite seafood is crab and shrimp so, naturally that's what I got. Jacob doesn't like to work hard for his food. In his opinion he thinks that if he has to crack open a shell and reach for the meat, that's working too hard, lol. So silly. The way I see it is, if it's good I will indulge in it. Cracking open crab is not hard work, its quite fast.

The crab and shrimp had cajun seasoning on it which gave it that bit of a kick. Very good. Jacob got the blackened king salmon caesar salad and a side of crab cakes. He took a bite of the salmon and he nudged me to give it a try {I don't really like fish}. He said, "Grace you gotta try this, seriously". I got a small bite and sure enough it was very tasty. I will admit that it was delicious but something I still wouldn't get if there's crab on the menu. That's my ultimate favorite!

I sent this picture to Sydna and said, "why does my shrimp still have eyes", lol. I didn't mind breaking the crab shells and taking the shell and the head off the shrimp. I was like a kid at a candy store. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. All those years at family get-togethers that we had crab and shrimp came in handy. I was on a roll.

I wasn't able to finish it all so I brought it home.

We had a nice time at dinner even though I didn't have a celebratory alcoholic drink since I had a headache. I didn't want my headache to get worse.

We hung out at the ferry terminal while we waited for the water taxi. Seattle has a lot of vagabonds. So it's really not advisable to walk around at night especially in dark areas. As it got closer for the water taxi to arrive we walked down to the water taxi waiting area. Good thing there was a Mariners game and people that went to the game had begun to form a line.

Soon to board and go back to W Seattle.

As we waited in line I couldn't help but to look around us and once again getting that feeling of being grateful for where we live. Aside from all the liberal hoopla, Washington is such a beautiful state with such ideal weather. I looked over at Jacob and couldn't help but feel that warm fussy feeling one gets when you first date. Now, at 18 years of being married to this man I am finding myself more in love with him than I was when we were starting out. I thought I loved him a lot then but I know that I love him much more now. There's that depth now that only comes along with maturity and God's grace.

Now, I appreciate the man he is/has become a whole lot more. I love that I know we're both on the same page in everything. We've gotten through challenging times by communicating. Even from the beginning I knew and advocated to him that communication is key in having a healthy happy relationship. It's been about three years now that we've become closer to Jesus and we have noticed that positive change that only He can provide. We've also matured throughout the years and now that God is at the center of our lives we've gotten more blessings after blessings.

I'm looking forward in all that's in store for us. Obviously the good, and not if but when the challenging times come around I know that we have each other to encourage and lift each other up.

I love you Jacob. 

Eighteen years ... 'till forevermore.