Ann and I are back in Pennsylvania for the next month. My parents sold the house and needed some help moving everything out to Illinois to be closer to their grand kids. So we are busy packing boxes and preparing for our annual festival summer tour (we are still taking applicants for the tour, by the way, just click here). We are kind of living off the fumes of our last adventures as May is not normally very exciting for us.
Today while making phone calls I took a walk up to our local airport on the ridge. The sky was cloudy so the drop zone was pretty dead. Just walking around the hangar brought back some beautiful memories of me preparing to propose to Ann. I had paid for us to take the Advanced Free Fall course together as a Christmas present, but I secretly was planning on proposing to her all along. It was hard to keep it all in to be honest. That was a glorious time in our life. I was so passionate and enthusiastic to be married. I logged hundreds of hours, planning it all out and picking out the ring. I wanted it to be perfect, and it was. She said yes.
This got me thinking about how much thought I have put into Ann lately. I have to say that though we have done a lot of amazing things together in the past two years I haven’t really taken her breath away like I did on the King Air in 2010. Honestly, in the gift romance category I’ve been lacking creativity. Sadly, one of Ann’s primary love languages is gift giving. I mean, it’s embarrassing to admit that all I got her for her birthday two weeks ago were some ear candles. And even though she loved her Christmas present, it was simply the earrings that she wanted and didn’t require very much of me at all.
Though Ann was ecstatic to use flaming beeswax to clean out our ears, it was pretty weak compared to what I am capable of. Our anniversary is now around the corner and I really want to wow her. But I don’t just want to do something really awesome, I want my heart to desire to do something really awesome, just like it did two years ago. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m talking about our love fading because in lots of ways our love has been getting stronger. I just want planning something secret and special for Ann to come as naturally as it did. I’m not sure where that desire went or how to get it back. I’m sure that we would still have a fine marriage without this, but something in me wants more. I try and dream something for our anniversary and only draw a blank. I am going to start by praying to get this kind of desire back.
A lot of you readers out there have been married longer than I have so I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you need some prayer in this area leave a comment and I will pray for you; if you think of it, pray for me. If you have some creative, inspiring anniversary ideas please share them…privately, of course 🙂
