Celebrate with leather

Did you know that the third wedding anniversary is “leather”? That sounds far more exciting than a third anniversary with a 12 month-old child can be. That’s right, The Woman and I celebrated our third anniversary… uh… a week ago? Well, the actual celebration took place a week from last Saturday.

Believe it or not, this was only the second time since Kayleigh’s birth that the two of us have ventured out together… alone… You know, without the little un in tow. Can you guess the other time? That’s right, a year ago on our second anniversary. Seems kind of crazy, but the distance of relatives and the current lack of daycare need has allowed us the freedom to trap ourselves. Fortunately Kayleigh is warming up to my in-laws enough that we decided on a trial run for a celebratory brunch. Nights are still way too traumatic to hand off to the uninitiated.

Thus we frantically scrambled to find a decent destination so as not to waste our golden opportunity. Our old standby, Anthony David’s, was out of the question because travel into and out of Hoboken is just way too unpredictable. After debating about a couple other spots (some of which had closed since our last visit), we stumbled upon a review of Market Restaurant in Montclair – which had taken over the former location of another old standby.

In case you haven’t figured it out, I do enjoy a certain element of the “hippie/granola” lifestyle. Lots of organic this and free range that purchased locally when possible. So the idea of a restaurant that specializes in such cuisine definitely intrigued me. Sure it was a gamble for our lone meal, but one that seemed like a good bet. And if only I was a better wordsmith my review might come across as more than just “YUM!”

Let me put it to you this way: I got a turkey burger and thought it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Take that in for a second. Anyone who has eaten with me knows that health is not necessarily a concern when I choose an entree and blood-red beef reigns supreme. Picking a turkey burger when out at a restaurant is practically sacrilege for me. More like… nevermind… that joke is just too played out. Anyway, this thing had the most perfect grill marks on it and was topped with thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon and a slice of avocado. Once again, YUM!

The Woman had Moroccan eggs, which were poached in an onion and tomato sauce. I just remember you could really taste the spices. But for the most part I was distracted from her dish by mine and the ridiculously awesome frozen mint lemonade. Tons of fresh mint leaves gave the drink a wonderful taste.

And then there was the dessert… she still hasn’t let me forget that I said no to a second plate of cupcakes. We split a plate of 3 cupcakes: chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet. The icing, it is safe to say, was probably the richest I’ve ever had. If not for the gargantuan size of the burger, a second plate would have just been the start.

All in all, it was a fantastic meal. The next hour was spent walking around Montclair and doing a little shopping without any carriers or strollers. It was, what’s the word? Relaxing.

Time sure does fly

Happy anniversary to… us!

That’s right, on this day way back in the year 2006 Lisa and I tied the knot. Last year at this time our first anniversary was a big deal and foremost in my thoughts. This year we had trouble even figuring out what we could do, and then delayed the dinner plans for a couple hours while we made sure the little one was full. Thankfully my mother-in-law is staying with us this week which meant there was no rush to find a sitter for the couple of hours it took us to enjoy some fancy comfort food. Even though our usual Hoboken spot was pretty much out of the question, there are plenty of good eats in the area and Raymond’s made for a lovely substitute.

I know you’re all just waiting with baited breath for another Kayleigh update (I’ve had one half written for over a week at this point) but it’s not yet ready. At this point my “free time” at home has dwindled down to almost none thanks to the bizarre and twisted sleeping schedules of new parents. And to be perfectly honest, when I have the time and energy I’d rather spend it holding her than trying to score some more page views on ye olde blogge…

Enough about that. Tonight I just wanted to make sure that The Woman understood how much I love and appreciate her. Nothing fancy, just a timeout from our current hectic schedule – a much needed timeout for her. And it certainly seemed to have had a relaxing effect even if no chocolate was involved.

For myself, this was a time to remind me that I’m a very lucky man – although I now have 2 beautiful girls to perform that task on a daily basis!