Celebrating 16 years together!

This past weekend Ragnar and I were able to get away and spend a few nights in Austin, TX to celebrate our 16th anniversary. We dropped off the kids with my parents and headed over. We stopped at the famous Bucees to get gas and snacks and then we went to the outlet malls to shop. When we got to Austin we found a Cheesecake Factory and used our gift card to eat some delicious dinner and cheesecake. We stayed at a hotel and although it wasn't a glamorous place, it worked just fine.

I am not adventurous and always order the same thing at every restaurant. I figure if you know what you like, stick with it. However, in effort to try and be brave  (baby steps here ;))I ordered a different cheesecake. I always get the fresh strawberry, but I got the red velvet. It was good....but not as good as my original choice. haha I really want to try and get out of my comfort zone more and try different things. 

On the morning of our anniversary we headed to Lakeway Marina and tried out paddle boarding. I have been wanting to try and so it was a fun adventure. 

Balancing was a lot easier than I expected and I never fell. It was fun!

Ragnar did great as well. He only fell at the very beginning and then was a pro the rest of the time!

We then went over to Krause Springs as a recommendation from a friend. It was pretty, but a little too busy for us, so we didn't stay long. 

We tried a few hiking and swimming holes, but most are closed due to the virus. So that was disappointing. 

We went to Salt Grass for an anniversary dinner and got cheesecake again! Not as good as the cheesecake factory, but still yummy!

The next day we went shopping and then rented a tandem bike to tour downtown Austin. We had taken a tandem ride in San Francisco when we went and we wanted to try it again. 

We toured the Texas state capital and then University of Texas campus. Since so much is closed, it was perfect to bike around it and tour it. I really like tandem bike riding with Ragnar. Thankfully I know him well enough to anticipate his movements and we communicate well, so it is very fun. 

Ella always says cactus to us randomly...so I stopped for a picture for her ;)

We then tried out a hot spot called Gourdoughs big donuts. I love donuts, so I wanted to give it a try! My Miss Shortcake donut did not disappoint! It was delicious!

We had a wonderful few days together. I really do feel grateful everyday that I met Ragnar and took a chance on him. We had been friends for about 18 months before I finally let him take me out on a real date. I am grateful I was finally brave enough to let my best friend have a chance. It has been a wonderful 16 years. We may not have everything we thought we would or may not be where we expected we would be at this point, but we have each other. We have a great relationship where I know he always puts me first and I know he loves me and would do anything for me. Marital happiness and safety is a gift that is very precious to me. I love you Rags, Happy 16th anniversary!