Our Anniversary Stay At Sea

This past weekend, Ben and I celebrated our one year anniversary...wow did the first year fly! When we started talking about how we would like to spend the day, we dreamt up this plan to take his parents' boat to Crane's Beach and spend the night anchored off the shore - just down the hill from where we got married. Despite the fact that the two of us had never taken the boat out alone. EVER... We managed to make our little dream come true! This was entirely possible thanks to my husband, who somehow pulled everything off seamlessly and made sure it was smooth sailing. I got to see a whole new side of him as Captain Salley and sure did love being his first mate :)

On the morning of our anniversary, we ate our wedding cake for breakfast and then set sail on the Parker River for our one night stay at the place that couldn't mean more to us. When we hopped on board, Ben's parents had stopped by the dock and snuck a bottle of champagne on the boat so it was waiting for us. The skies were blue and we could see Castle Hill in the distance for the entire ride. As we got closer and closer to our destination, little love birds followed us and bobbed up and down on the floating river markers.

When we dropped anchor, we realized we were the only boat in sight and ended up with the beach to ourselves. It already felt like a little honeymoon all over again :) We popped champagne and splashed around in the water for a little while and then started our walk up to the spot where our wedding ceremony was held. Once we made it closer to the Crane Estate grounds, the sounds from a nearby wedding on the beach became crystal clear. We were walking up a quiet boardwalk on a sandy path under a sea of pretty white flowering trees when we heard the DJ say, "Okay and now it's time for the last song..." and then the last song from our wedding started to play. Ben and I stood there, one year after our wedding day in this enchanting little tree covered cove and could not believe this moment... this timing! We dropped our bags and danced and it was pretty magical.

We made our way up the rolling hills of Castle Hill and walked all the way to the barn where we got married. Once we got to the garden, we pulled out a blanket and had a little picnic overlooking where we became husband and wife the year before. This place casts a spell on us every time we visit and this time was no different. It is the most peaceful and beautiful spot we have ever known. We were filled with so many emotions taking it all in and knowing we had experienced a whole year of marriage and it all started in this very place.

When we made it back down to the beach, the tide had gone out and the boat was beached. We had planned this so that we could leave the boat anchored in the same spot for the entire night. It was pretty fun knowing we were stuck on purpose :) We grilled some hot dogs, drank some wine and watched the sun set over the water. In my book, it really doesn't get much better than that!

After dinner, Ben asked me to close my eyes for a minute. When I opened them, I saw the flag of St. Lucia swaying in the wind. He had ordered it and set it up on the boat to remind us of our beautiful honeymoon. I couldn't get over how sweet this was! The flag has Petit Piton and Gros Piton on it - the beautiful volcanic mountains that jut out of the Caribbean sea. It's so pretty!

After the sun went down, the sky filled with stars and a few fireworks lit up the sky from not too far away. We spent half the night sleeping in the cabin and half the night sleeping on the deck. When we came out in the middle of the night, the tide had come back in and we were surrounded by water again. Ben took out the telescope to look at the moon and we fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore. By this time, the sun was starting to rise and the horizon was glowing every color of the rainbow. It was quite the sight to fall asleep to!

I was convinced that things couldn't get one bit dreamier and then I woke up the next morning to this beautiful breakfast spread. Ben had packed a secret cooler and brought all my favorite breakfast treats that we had loved so much on our honeymoon. There was passion fruit juice, actual passion fruits (yum!), mango, and chocolate croissants. After we ate, we made french press and walked the beach with our coffee.

It was a beautiful celebration with the one I love and an even more beautiful year together. These adventures are what I live for. And the simplest days are the greatest ones too. Happy anniversary <3