bon giorno!

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but my husband is very good at thinking of romantic and fun things to do for our anniversaries. He keeps track of 2 anniversaries, and to him both are of equal importance. The first is the anniversary of the day we first met: April 28th 2000. The second, and more traditionally, is our wedding anniversary: September 12th 2001. 

He has taken me out to dinner, surprised me with lovely gifts and flowers and even whisked me off to Paris. He really outdid himself on one particular occasion though. It was when I was 6 months pregnant with Julia, and April 28th 2005 was drawing close. He had informed me that he was planning an entire day, consisting of 3 different parts, and that everything would be a surprise up to the last minute. He kept his word! First he took Lara and me to Madurodam where we had fun strolling around and looking at all the miniature buildings, and where Lara got to meet Nijntje. Then we went home so Lara and I could have a little nap (yes he even incorporated nap time!) after which we drove to a park and had an elaborate home-made picnic. Then I was sent out shopping with my mother and she had been told to keep me occupied until she received 'word'. 

After a few hours spent walking around down town and window shopping our eyes out, she finally got the call. She was to take me over to a parking garage on the edge of the shopping centre. When we got there we were met by my friend Liz, who basically stuffed me into the elevator, pushed a button, handed me a note and left me in there with a very puzzled look on my face. The note read: 'The higher you go, the better it gets.' For a minute I was worried Sander had gotten his hands on some drugs, but that worry was quickly taken away from me when the elevator reached its destination: the 15th, and very top floor or the parking garage. I stepped out and was greeted by a very well-dressed husband, holding a rose. I looked around and was amazed at what I saw: from the 15th floor you could overlook all of The Hague, a beautiful view especially now it had gotten dark out. Millions of little lights in every direction. That was not the best part though...

I noticed the entire parking floor was empty, and the entrance had been sealed off so no cars could get on besides our car which was parked in a far corner (apparently parking garage owners have a major soft spot for romance). The car doors were open and soft music was coming from the stereo... and a little bit away from the car there stood a beautifully set table, with candles, and more roses and candles surrounding it. It was gorgeous! Sander had cooked us a 3 course meal (he made his own pasta!) and we spent hours eating, talking, laughing, and just sitting and enjoying the view and each other.

 So this year we've been together for 10 years, and married for 9, and Sander told me yesterday that he's taking me to Venice, Italy for 5 days in September! I CANNOT WAIT! We're bringing Elliot with us (like we brought Max with us to Paris when he was 3 months old) and I believe various babysitters will be 'hired' for the other kids. It's gonna be awesome, even more awesome than the scones Lara and I baked today.

Oh and the pictures for this post don't actually have anything to do with what I've written about, as you might have noticed. Just some pictures from the past couple of days taken by my cousin Jiska who came to stay with us this week.