We stayed in a condo at the Lutsen Resort about 2 hours north of Duluth that was absolutely perfect. We could see the lake from our balcony! I was especially pleased because when I called to book a room, they asked us if we were visiting for any special occasion. When I told them it was for our anniversary they offered to have champagne waiting for us in our room when we arrived. When I said no thank you, they offered for sparkling cider! I was so pleased. I didn't even have to ask for a non-alcoholic option (I didn't even know that was an option.) So, when we arrived on Friday night they had left us 2 champagne glasses and sparkling cider. I was so pleased to have a nice little souvenier to bring home from our first anniversary.
On Saturday morning I slept in while Scott fished, then when he got back we had a late breakfast, then went kayaking with a group from the resort. I was really looking forward to this but I sat in the back and was in charge of steering and I am TERRIBLE at it. I am still convinced there was something else wrong because I swear I was doing everything I was supposed to! But I was just doing an awful job and I got so frustrated! There was nothing poor Scott could do but deal with grumpy little me sitting in the back of the kayak totally failing at life. Oh man. I am terrible. The lake was really beautiful though! It is HUUUGE. It does not look like a lake, it looks like an ocean, which I loved. Our guide told us that one guy got lost kayaking because he got too far from the shoreline and accidentally kayaked across the whole lake. Can you imagine?! There aren't mountains in Minnesota, it is so easy to get turned around and disoriented, to be lost in a kayak on a giant lake...no thanks!
After our kayaking adventure was over we spent the rest of the afternoon playing horseshoes and exploring shops along the highway. Scott even spent some time fishing in a little fishing hole right by the main lodge catching one fish after another. We went out to eat at a restaurant about 20 miles north called the Angry Trout. We went because severeal people had written in the guest journal in our room that this place was good, and they were right! We waited almost an hour for a table but it was definitely worth it. All of the ingredients were fresh and in season, locally grown, and the fish had been caught fresh from the lake. It was an awesome anniversary dinner.
I am all about traditions so I decided to save the top tier of our wedding cake to have on our 1 year anniversary. I had heard from multiple people that saving it was a waste and that it would taste weird or gross, but I really wanted to keep the tradition, and I'm so glad I did! I lugged that baby in an iced cooler from Utah to Minnesota, and then up to the resort for the weekend, complete with our own cutlery, plates, and napkins (because we didn't have any in the hotel). After our dinner on Saturday we came back to our hotel and had our cake and our sparkling cider on a little table I pulled up by the fireplace. It is one of my favorite memories from our anniversary. We sat and reminisced about our wedding day and our past year together and how much we have learned, how quickly the time goes, all of the fun things we want to do together, and our cake was still good (yay for good cakemakers!).
We checked out of the resort on Sunday morning and slowly made our way back home. We drove down highway 61, enjoying the view that we didn't get when we drove up since we drove up at night. We stopped at the Split Rock Light House and were too cheap to pay to get in, so we stopped at a pull off further down the road to take pictures. We also stopped at Gooseberry Falls and spent some time walking around, and taking pictures. We found this awesome flea market on the side of the road, and of course we stopped and grabbed a pie from the famous Betty's Pies (soooo gooood *droooool*). When we made it to Duluth we grabbed lunch, and went to see Bob Dylan's childhood home (guess whose request that was). THEN, we finally made the drive back home. It was a perfect, relaxing, and long (I have a feeling I'm doing to like having our anniversary fall close to labor day) weekend.
I remember before Scott and I got married I couldn't even imagine fighting with each other, I didn't even know what we would fight about. But, I learned very quickly that there are plenty of things to fight about, even when you're super compatible. I also learned that even though Scott and I are super compatible, we are also very, very different from each other (it is possible!) A large part of our first year was hard! I learned a lot about myself and discovered parts of my personality I didn't realize were a part of my personality. It was tough to face that, and figure out how to make things work. The best thing about marriage, though, is that even when things are really frustrating, you know that neither one of you is ever going to give up on the other. Yeah, our personalities clash occasionally, but we figure it out when that happens. Maybe it happened more at first than it does now, but only because we never gave up on one another. I have learned more about relationships and what love really means in this first year of marriage than I ever learned when I was single, and I am so grateful for that! Marriage is tough, but so much fun. It is worth every frustrating argument or uncomfortable conversation we have to have with one another. For everyone one of those, there are a hundred positive memories. I will never get tired of having someone to come home to every day, or taking a free Saturday morning (rare as they may be) to wake up slow and make breakfast together. I love little texts in the middle of the day just to see how the day is going. I love having a human furnace to curl up next to when I'm freezing at night (which is most nights). I love having someone who will laugh with me when I feel like being silly, and laugh at me when I'm being ridiculous. I love having someone to celebrate my pointless victories with, and comfort me when I'm disappointed in myself. Scott gives me perspective and reminds me constantly of what is really important. There is nothing more comforting than knowing you have someone who is always going to be cheering for you in your corner of the ring (like that boxing reference, Scotty?). I am so happy that I have someone who keeps choosing to love me despite all of my flaws. Marriage is tough, but marriage is the best, you guys. The absolute best.
this bridge took us from our condo to the main lodge and over the little fishing hole that Scott spent a couple hours in
the view from our balcony
i am totally pretending to have fun here, convincing, yes?!
the trail leading to the main lodge was full of raspberry bushes!
pre-anniversary dinner selfie
oh my gosh, we didn't even have plates! keeping it suuuuper classy with our paper towels. ah! let this be a lesson that the greatest memories do NOT have to be picture perfect ;)
and so.
Here's to an eternity of anniversaries with my favorite human, love you Scotty!
