A Stay-vaction Anniversary Surprise

Brian and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary this week which is really hard for me to believe. It has flown by. In celebration, Brian told me to keep the 16th open on my calendar for us to celebrate. I was kept in the dark but last week I was given a hint each day. Hints include:

*I will need chopsticks.
*We have multiple reservations over the course of the evening.
*I will likely want to wear a dress.
*One of the places we are going is a returned visit.
*I will need an overnight bag and Sophie is going to stay with Monselle, our dog sitter.


I did not know if we were going out of town or staying in Atlanta for Stay-vaction. Once I was told we would be able to meet his parents for Father's Day lunch I was pretty sure we were staying somewhere in Atlanta, or at least very close by.

Brian had planned the entire night with one surprise after the next. We had hotel reservations at The Ellis Hotel downtown Atlanta.




We were on the tenth floor which gave us a pretty good view of downtown. Once we got ready we walked over to the Westin Hotel and visited The Sun Dial the glass-walled dining room that slowly revolves through a full 360 degrees 73 stories above the street.



This was the place where Brian hinted would be a returned visit. When Brian and I were dating, he took me out to eat dinner at Twist at Phipps Mall and then to the Sun Dial for dessert to ask me to be his girlfriend and to date exclusively. Very romantic in my book. We ordered pre-dinner beverages and were able to talk, really talk without any distractions, which is few and far between for us right now.




Following The Sun Dial we walked to our next stop of the evening, dinner reservations at a trendy newer to Atlanta restaurant Thrive. It had a wide range of menu items that appealed to both of us. I complain often that I do not ever get to eat Sushi anymore. And Brian has admitted to me post marriage that he doesn't really like it. He was only going with me when were dating as an excuse to see me and never really enjoyed it. Fooled me. This is where the hint about using chopsticks comes into play.

We started with the Rainbow Roll (crab, cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and eel with teriyaki sauce). Brian only had two piece while I got to enjoy the rest.



For dinner, Brian ordered the Roasted Lamb Sandwich with fried tomatoes, which he quickly tasted before I was able to snap a picture.



And I ordered the Chef's Choice Veggies. This was so good to me. I am going to try to replicate at home later this week.



No meal is complete without dessert in my book, so we then walked to Cafe Intermezzo for a sweet treat. To me, this is heaven.



Two glass cases filled with all the pies and cakes you can imagine. I almost had the girl telling us about each one to run through them all again. She did not pause or hesitant one bit. I was impressed. It was a hard decision but we finally decided on a Toffee Covered Chocolate Cake with a side of vanilla ice cream.



Looks fantastic doesn't it! We had no problem cleaning the plate. The weather was nice so we stayed and relaxed on the patio while people watching before calling it a night. I enjoyed trying to figure out everyone's story, guessing who was on a date as well, who was out with friends, or who was just wasting time.



The Date Is Not Over Yet! After a restful night we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast at Terrace Restaurant, a Farm-to-Table restaurant located in the Ellis Hotel.



Brian order short stack of pancakes with 2 egg scrambled, while I ordered a three 3 white omelet with spinach, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and goat cheese, served with toast and amazing grits. This was probably the best omelet I have ever had.



I am so thankful my sweet husband planned such a special, thoughtful surprise in honor of our anniversary. I love surprises but I am normally able to get it out of him beforehand if I know he is keeping something. Not this time. I am still smiling thinking about how much fun we had. And we still have 2 days until our Anniversary!