I met Zack when he was 15 years old. We didn't start dating until he was 22 but I am still in shock that I have been blessed to be with this guy for almost two decades now! I hope the next few decades are as much fun as the last few have been! We have really grown up since these first two pictures were taken from when we were dating!
On Zack's actual birthday, he took Maddox to baseball practice after work and came home to an ice cream cake and a few minutes of Mario 8 Deluxe with his boys!
The weekend after his birthday, we were able to have our first getaway just the two of us in awhile.... at least since the start of Covid in 2020! We both love the mountains and Zack is not one for wanting a lot of attention so I knew a party wasn't going to be our best option. So, we planned a weekend in Asheville and got to stay at the Grove Park Inn! I have always wanted to stay there and Zack humored me by going along with my plan for spoiling him for his birthday weekend! We started off by enjoying a bottle of wine and chocolates that had been placed in our room upon our arrival. After having a hard time finding our room on the 5th floor in the main portion of the building (not one of the wings as we originally hauled all our luggage down... next time we will allow the sweet gentlemen carry our bags to our rooms.... we aren't used to fancy things... haha), it was nice to have a beverage and get ready for our seafood buffet dinner at the Blue Ridge Restaurant that is part of the resort.
After a quick change from our drive, we headed to dinner and enjoyed beautiful views of the mountains as the sun was setting. With a 7:00 p.m. dinner reservation, it was perfect to watch the sun set over the mountains. We walked around the resort afterwards (this time without our luggage... haha). We checked out some of the gingerbread houses that I fondly remember seeing at Christmas time when my family would go up to Asheville for a day trip. It was a great first night!
The next morning, we went for a hike.... birthday boy request! I had researched a hike that I thought was nearby. GPS didn't cooperate and we remained flexible and found a second hike that was in the area. While it was 44 degrees with 28 mph winds, we still enjoyed our 2 mile hike where we were able to observe God's creation and have a great conversation, not to be interrupted by two cute boys! I always love time outside with Zack and it is fitting he proposed at the top of a mountain. The mountains really are our happy place!
We ate lunch in downtown Asheville at the Blackbird Restaurant and fit in a late afternoon nap! After our nap, we explored the fitness center for a bit and then came back to the room for showers before heading out to dinner. We ate dinner at Vinnie's (a recommendation by Liz) and it was the most delicious Italian food, even if we were eating dinner at 9:00 p.m.....I cannot believe we were out this late, especially sitting down to dinner at this time of night! haha On Sunday morning, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the spa for a day of relaxation. We each got a massage (another birthday boy request) and lounged in the hot tubs or by the pool until it was time to make our way back east to meet up with our boys! It was a great weekend and a great way to celebrate Zack's 40th birthday!
Burke kept me company while I worked from home on Friday prior to leaving for our mountain adventure. It was a workday full of online meetings so Burke enjoyed relaxing close by.
Grammy and Grandpa kept the boys entertained while we were gone. They went to the local park, baseball practice, Mia's birthday party, the mall, church and out to eat at Arby's. I think they had as much fun as we did on our getaway!
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