Our First Anniversary Trip: Stone Creek Ranch

I wrote earlier about our anniversary... but I never followed-up with where we went for my surprise to Jim.

I feel like I have done a great disservice but not writing about it!

We went to the Stone Creek Ranch in Mountain Home, AR! Jim was so surprised. He had no idea where we were headed...plus, we were driving in the dark. I think he thought we were going to Eureka Springs until we passed the exit. Then he said something like, "I'm glad we're married, otherwise, I would be really freaked out." It actually reminded me of a time when one of the photographers at KY3 kidnapped my best friend from college during a Springfield visit (I was at work.) But that's another story for a later date.

We zigzagged through Flippin, Gassville and Yellville... and eventually found ourselves on a dirt road. Luckily, I saw the tiny sign... "Stone Creek Ranch"! Yea! We made it, and there were no banjos playing!

The ranch was awesome. Jim and I had a rustic cabin... though it had all the amenities anyone would want. We had two bedrooms, a DVD player, a full kitchen, screened-in porch, grill, etc.

I brought some movies with me so we could just hang out and drink a little wine. I actually could not drink because I had some sort of flu-bug and felt sick... but I was not going to let that spoil our fun!

Anyway, the next morning, we met with our handsome horse trainer, named Ryan. I only add that "handsome" detail in there, because in my mind, I was thinking of the other women who might want to take retreats there (which the ranch provides.) They'd probably get a kick out of it.

That's neither here nor there... anyway, Ryan showed us how to communicate with our horse. We practiced for a bit in an arena, and then the three of us took off down a trail! It was so much fun and a little more rugged than I expected. It wasn't scary at all, but we did go through a few little streams and down some semi-steep hills. It made us feel like we were really riding. It was so relaxing and fun.



I would definitely go back there again. The place was great... not only does the ranch hold company retreats, it also hosts family reunions, women's retreats, and horse training clinics. Advanced riders can even learn more about cattle drives. If you go on a women's retreat, massage therapists and guest speakers will even come out!

Arvell and Karry Bass are the owners. Arvell was out of town during our stay, but Karry was there...and she was awesome. She's someone I'd like to hang out with! She says that she often books other things for people to do, too. Let's say, you want to go fishing, she'll arrange a guided fishing tour of the White River... I should also mention, I think people go hunting and fishing on the ranch's property, too.

Anyway, I give Stone Creek Ranch a thumbs up. Great experience!

One Year of Marriage: DONE

Well, I meant to write something about this yesterday on our anniversary, but I was too busy celebrating it!

I can't believe it's already been a year! It has gone by so fast. It's a cliche, but it is true.

Where do I begin? First of all, it's tough to be married. Not really, but kind of. The saying is that the first year is always the hardest, and I guess I would believe it because it involves so much change. Merging of bank accounts, interests, and goals can get kind of tricky when you've spent the last three decades or so acting independently.

My co-worker and friend, Joanna Small, calls it becoming a "one-brain." A-ha.

Anyway, we've done a lot this last year:

1. Bought a house.
2. Adopted a dog.
3. Planned a second wedding. (Okay, still planning)

It doesn't seem like a lot, but those three things are really big in my book. Minnie, our baby rottweiler, is like a little person. I just love her and don't want to be away from her.



Our house is madness. I can't keep up with the housework, we need to repaint and do some maintenance, and make it our own. And a second wedding... well, it comes with a lot. Planning a trip overseas, working two or three extra jobs to get extra money quickly, and withdrawing yourself from society to save money sure has felt time consuming and stressful.

BUT WE LOVE IT! I mean, we love our life together, anyway. We complain about a lot, but the truth is, we have decent jobs, a nice house, a great dog, our health, a wonderful family... In general, we live without worry, and we often take it forgranted.

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Our schedules just don't mix well this week with my moonlighting... so on our anniversary, Jim laid out a line of rose petals from the front door to the kitchen. When I walked to the end, he was on one knee and asked me to marry him again--in Korea! I laughed because it was so sweet... and a little out of character for him. He also gave me one rose and joked that I'd get two next year.


Then, he took me to dinner at Ocean Zen (the same place we went after we got engaged.)

After dinner, Jim surprised me by taking me to the Walnut Street Inn! Awesome!! We woke up this morning and ate spiced french toast, sausage and fruit. We sipped on hot tea and coffee... Then, after about 10 minutes of a nice, calm morning, we rushed home and went to work. We had such joy for such a short time! But it was such a great way to celebrate.

The funny thing is that we're going to pick-up celebrating again on Friday... only this time, I have a suprise for Jim. I wish I could share it, but he is a blog reader! ha!

I'll write about it after it happens because honestly, I think what we're doing will be really interesting to a lot of people! I already spilled the beans to some people at work, and they were looking into doing themselves!