ray.

last week john and i celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.
to kick it up a notch, john surprised me with tickets to see brandi carlile and ray lamontagne in nashville and a babysitter for the whole night.

so last night we drove to nashville and had dinner and drinks.
then we drove over to the grand ole opry house to see my ray.

i had never been there before, and i knew it was damaged badly during the big floods a few years ago but man, what a beautiful place.
it was decorated with these huge rustic chandeliers and large hanging flags.
i was in awe looking at the stage, thinking of all the famous people that have performed there.

and of course there were brandi and ray.
they were amazing.
beyond what i could have imagined.
and i was with john. by ourselves.
we held hands. we kissed. we had a few beers and listened to great music.
i even wore heels.
i felt more like myself than i had in years.
and i remembered what it felt like when we were dating and head over heels for each other.

truth be told, i almost didn't go.
ben was sent home from school sick on tuesday and still wasn't well.
he spent some of the afternoon crying and fevered.
i felt guilty.
i felt selfish.
and if john would have agreed, i would have stayed home.
even while getting ready to go, i felt like it wasn't the right thing to do.

but driving up to the concert, i knew it was what i needed to do for me.
and for john.
for us.
i need to remember that.
it's so important.

even though these pictures are somewhat awful (why does my face look so swollen everywhere??), the memory of this night is one of my favorites.
john and i celebrating 11 years.
best present ever.