A Very Happy Anniversary

A few weeks ago, I took two days off work (wow) and went up north to be whisked away by Jonathon.  It was our fifth anniversary and he had planned something special for the weekend.  We each had our own surprises and were having a hard time keeping them from one another, so it's good the weekend finally came.  We both love surprises so much, but start whining after the suspense gets to be too much.  Before I left, Jon at least gave me a hint as to what we were doing: the first day we would go camping and the second day we would stay at a Bed and Breakfast.  He sacrificed his hatred of sleeping on the ground in order to give me the opportunity to do something I love!  I love to camp and explore new parks, so it was a wonderful idea!  We also have had the joy of visiting B&B's throughout our five years of marriage and so we were really happy to have such a special room and home to stay in. 

Our campsite was absolutely perfect!  It was a primitive one that we had to walk down a little hill to get to and there were no other campers near us.  At the site, we had a small waterfall running to our right and straight out was a cliff that led to the St. Croix River.   So all through the night we got to hear the waterfall trickling as well as the river rushing below us.
Jon was my country boy hero and built a nice fire for us even though it was horribly difficult to build it in the enclosed fire pit.  Although we had to wait for rain to finish, Jon soon got out there and began starting the fire to warm us up as well as to cook dinner.  You can see in the picture we had our Hobo dinners sitting above the fire. 

Here is our Hobo dinner including: chicken, green and red peppers, potatoes, carrots, chicken gumbo rice soup, and some added spices.  Jon loved it and we both gobbled it up as you can see from the photos below!

 Here is part of the little waterfall that was next to our campsite. 

Above is an overlook of the St. Croix River, below this we went fishing where I caught several crappies as well as the rocks that were nearby...

Cute fisherman!

 On the way to our B&B, we stopped by Cascade Falls and enjoyed the little hike down to see the 25 foot falls. 

 Here is part of our room, with a balcony that overlooked the river.  The room also had an amazing bathtub. 

 For our anniversary dinner, we went to a local place that was definitely a tasty surprise compared to what it looked like on the outside.  :) I had chicken pad thai (who knew it could be made well in Wisconsin?)

 Jon had fresh trout, one of his favorites. 

 This was our view as we woke up in the morning with fog floating above the river as we sipped coffee and ate a quick breakfast.  We had to leave earlier than we wanted to because we had to get to church for Jon's class that he was teaching.  We had such a wonderful time together celebrating our friendship and marriage and reminiscing how God has grown us closer together.  This probably was one of my favorite weekend getaways with Jonathon, it always makes me smile when I think about it. 

Oh, I almost forgot to share what our presents were for each other (as if getting away to a special surprise wasn't already a huge present!)  I got Jon tickets for a Twins game when I knew we would be in the Twin Cities for his cousin's wedding.  Jon hasn't been to Target Field yet and I'm always bringing him along to Miller Park, so I thought it was about time, especially since we don't get up to the Twin Cities very often.  We are both excited to go see the Twins, even if they don't win!  I also painted a large canvas for Jonathon.  I'll share a picture of this at another time.  For me, Jonathon got me a sapphire diamond necklace that matches my earrings that he got my for Christmas.  He found this set and thought it was really special because it also matches my engagement ring.  What can I say, I get pampered.  My Boy has taught me how to appreciate jewelry more and he's always been so thoughtful in what he gets me.  This all started with one of the first gifts he got me while we were married: a jewelry box.  I guess he knew that he would have to start filling it up!  This weekend was just wonderful!  I love Jon so much and I am so glad that God put us together; I really cannot imagine my life with anyone else.