Shannon here: Another glimpse into the real life romance of aspiring author, Brenda Anderson. Remember to leave a comment by August 14, 8:00 PM Central for a chance to win a copy of White Roses. Here’s Brenda:
Romantic Impulse
My husband and I are both math people. We’re schedulers, organizers, and rarely do anything on the spur of the moment. Yet, early on in our marriage, we decided to challenge our natural tendencies and do something impulsive.
At the last minute one week, we each requested Monday through Wednesday off in the coming week. After work on Friday, we packed quickly, jumped in our car and aimed for Duluth, Minnesota having no clue where we were going to stay. Didn’t matter. This was a spontaneous adventure.
So, we drove two plus hours up I-35, north of Minneapolis, and arrived in Duluth, a city on the edge of Lake Superior. We’d decided to stay two nights in Duluth, then drive up the north share to Grand Marais, then into Ontario, Canada. (Okay, we couldn’t stop all of our planning.) Our first stop was at a Super 8. They just looked at us funny when we said we didn’t have reservations. Intelligent people didn’t do that. They told us we’d be lucky to find anything north of Minneapolis. But by some miracle, they did have one opening for Saturday.
They were kind enough to let us use a phone and call around the rest of the area (this was years before cell phones, mind you). Not a single room for Friday or Saturday in all of Duluth or within miles. Well, we booked the Super 8’s Saturday opening, made reservations for Monday and Tuesday at a hotel in Grand Marais, and then decided to head south a bit and stop at one of the mom and pop motels along the way. Certainly, they’d have a Friday opening.
Uh, uh. It was worse than Bethlehem. I don’t think there was even a stable available. We ended up driving all the way home for the night.
Looking back, we still think of this as one of our more romantic moments, a time when we stepped beyond ourselves and learned to just have fun.
Maybe, someday, we’ll try it again.
Come back August 13th for the final installment of Brenda’s story.
Ah Brenda, I remember well when our men wore short shorts and tall socks! Loved your story!
Regina – looking at that picture, I was thinking the same thing.
I was going over our wedding pics with our daughter last night & she cringed every time she saw a man wear those short jogging shorts which were so in style in 1987. She asked, “What were they thinking?!”
Brenda,
How funny. It figures that something would be going on. What’s neat is that you made the best of the situation and kept a sense of humor about it. We stopped in Arkansas last summer on the spur of the moment and found the most gorgeous swimming area for Colton to play in. We stayed there almost 2 hours letting him swim and jump off a large boulder into the clear cool water. It was amazing. I think sometimes God works in those moments just to remind us when we let go He works the best in our life. 🙂
I loved ur story! We tend to lose ourselves in the day to day… We forget to thank God for the little things and make the most of each moment! :o). So glad you had a good experience! Many blessings!
About the shorts: Now the shorts wear the men. And girls even don those enormous basketball shorts that make them look like a man. I’d like something in between ginormous and 80’s.
Love the story, Brenda. Did y’all ever do anything impulsive again?
Dawn – you’re so right about releasing control & letting God work. That’s when true joy is found. Your little detour in Arkansas sounds like so much fun! Thanks for sharing it.
Misty – I love how you summed up our little jaunt: Thank God for the little things & savor each moment. I think that’s one very important way to keep a marriage healthy.
Shannon – thanks again for hosting me here. It’s so much fun telling others these little tidbits of my life.
Up here, men’s shorts tend to be longer, but the girls? Nope. My daughter has the most difficult time finding shorts – she hates the shorts the barely cover.
Another impulsive moment? Hmmm. I’m going to have to think on that. They’ve probably happened, but not very often.
Trust me, they wear the barely there shorts here too. But sports oriented girls wear those huge Michael Jordan inspired basketball shorts that are just downright unfeminine. Definitely decent though.
I had to go back to read Part I and I’m certainly glad I did…I loved the story of your husband singing without an announcement…would have wanted to be a mouse so I could run around and see everybody’s reaction…I, too, love music and can appreciate how much it added to your commitment to each other in front of Him…
Your trip story is fun! Do it again! and Again!
Best to you and may your love story continue!
Thank you, GA. You’re right, we should be impulsive again … it’s just hard when you have teens. 🙂 Maybe in a few years …
That’s a trip we always remember with a smile. We even have a wonderful memento from that vacation. A flat rock, about 9 inches wide, that we picked up from the shores of Lake Superior. It’s in the shape of a heart. <3
Thanks for sharing – it’s always heartwarming to hear about great relationships 🙂
You’re welcome, Kim. Isn’t Shannon’s idea for this blog great? The world needs to hear about real & long-lasting love instead of the superficial love that’s glamourized in the media.
Thanks Brenda. What can I say, I love happily-ever-afters and wish everyone could have one.