A special anniversary

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Sealed with a kiss

David and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on the weekend. And like our marriage, the anniversary was full of challenges and delightful surprises. Our week prior, was crammed full of errands and obligations, which meant we didn't get a chance to check on the room we had booked for the weekend. Big mistake.

I hope this fits

With my mum staying for the evening to mind Sarah at home, David and I drove the whole 5 minutes to our destination - a local mineral spa which doubled as a motel. We spent our honeymoon in this particular suite all those years ago, and as I was pregnant back then too (snap!) we enjoyed a double-person spa bath in our suite.

Only when we arrived on Saturday, we discovered the room was already booked! Apparently there was a mix up: they thought we said Friday, but I remember hearing David make the booking for Saturday. Well, not only didn't we get our room, but they only had a single person spa and oops, the restaurant was closed for the evening too! We found this all out after we had paid.

And the violinists played on...10 years ago

So it looked like a 10 minute drive to the local pub for a meal that evening, or drive 20 to 30 minutes up The Range to Toowoomba for something better. If we were going to be driving all that way, why stay at this particular motel at all? We had already paid $90 for the room, but it was our 10 year anniversary...we figured something a little more suitable might be found somewhere else.

David said he had visions of driving us all around town, but thankfully the first motel we arrived at the top of The Range, had vacancies! They also had a bungalow with a double-spa, and the restaurant started serving from 6pm. Brilliant! We found all this out, and even got to inspect the room, before paying. In fact, we didn't have to pay anything, until we departed the next day. Thank you Eastgate Motel!

 Kitchen & meals

We were so delighted with our self-contained cabin. It was cosy and well appointed. I loved the simple decor, and they really had everything - even frying pans and saucepans, ironing boards and coat hangers!

 Shiny dishwasher - economical with just one drawer

Such a convenient single drawer dishwasher, but we really only used the dishes for breakfast, so didn't need to use it. It would have been handy if we had more guests though.

Painting

There were lovely pictures on the walls too. Just enough to add a touch of warmth.

Prints

The bed was gorgeous, and even had a sliding partition door to close you off from the other living areas. Which came in handy when we decided to play some music on the television, and it's blue screen threatened to keep us awake.

 Simple yet cosy

It sounds terrible to have the tv playing music all night, but we could hear trucks coming up the range (not too loudly) but as we're simple country folk, nothing short of absolute quiet would get us back to sleep. The music was a softer white-noise than the occasional truck.

 Living area

"Escape from the Planet of the Apes", was playing

We didn't watch it, but had a giggle at the flashback to the 60's!

Dinner at the restaurant was absolutely divine though! David regrets not taking photos, as the presentation of the dishes were simple but elegant. We gorged ourselves on dessert too. What can I say, I was eating for 2...maybe 3 or 4, lol.

 Easy cleaning near the toilet bowl

No real bathroom shots (sorry double spa) but I thought this was a clever idea for those cleaners who hate dust bunnies, collecting on the bottom of your toilet brush! Why not hang it to the wall near the floor? I'll be looking for one of these, or improvising something myself.

The next day (Sunday) we left after 8am, and drove to the local markets to buy plants and some fresh bananas. Just like us, it was nothing fancy, just good old-fashioned wares and chatting to the local stall holders as we browsed. I almost forgot, we bought some local honey too.

How uncanny, that we saw two young saxophonists busking at the markets, as we had ten years ago, with two young sisters we commissioned on the spot, to play at our wedding (image above). We placed some change in the collection hat this time, to encourage the young lads (they were really good) and as tribute to the two violinists we had found there many years ago.

 Muesli - or Mew

But I must say it was fantastic coming home again. We were missed sweetly by Sarah and this little guy above. We bought him a "Cat Nip" plant at the markets, and he loved smelling it. Unfortunately he tried digging up the soil, so we have to grow it out a bit!

As nice as the bed at the motel was however, curling up in our bed that evening, was so much  better - just because it says "home". And we were home. I guess wherever David and I go, that is home.

Ten years of marriage to me, is just a number. The man I married though, he changes every year and we've grown together in the ways we needed too. Any marriage is going to be full of challenges and delightful surprises. The trick is to find the neat little grooves, you both find so cosy. That's what keeps you together.