Happy Anniversary + A weekend in Fiji!

About three weeks after we got back from our trip overseas, Stan and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary. Stan surprised me with breakfast in bed, had roses delivered to me mid-day, and when I came home from running the kids around to their lessons, Stan had set up dinner in the formal dinning room for 2; asked Olivia to get the kids to bed (love having a 9 year old) and surprised me with a Tiffany earring set on my dinner plate (which if you read my NYC blog post you would know why I was speechless!)

Stan is AMAZING. 

I had spent the week writing Stan letters (Open when you want to know how much I love you, Open when you wonder why you should give me a second chance, Open when you want to know what a great father you are, Open when you want to know what a great husband you are, Open on our 50th wedding anniversary etc...There were a lot of letters and I put them all in a box with a gift card to go Formula 1 race car driving down at Albert Park (where they host the Grand Prix every year). I am pretty sure I will beat Stan on the course :-)

After dinner I came upstairs to a massive bubble bath with candles everywhere (we NEVER use the Jacuzzi tub in our bathroom) Stan told me there were some chocolates on my pillow and to bring them over.  I went over to my bed, and found some chocolates AND another Tiffany jewelry box next to them. I opened them up and found a silver bracelet (which I never could have picked out myself, but am in love with).  I was shocked again!  Thank you Stan!

A couple days later, Stan had to fly to Fiji for a company retreat (Tuesday- Friday), the retreat usually lands on our anniversary week. Since the Bain retreats are usually these random and exotic locations...and the company stuff ends Friday... I have been flying out to the retreat destination for a weekend away with Stan these past couple years. So on Friday I boarded a plane to Fiji and came back with Stan on Monday!

We did some of the best scuba diving of our lives, had massages, ate great authentic Fijian food (just lots of local fruits and veg, bbqed in coconut milk and local herbs) took walks on the beach and watched the sunset in a hammock.

We slept in, watched "what to expect when your expecting"- I highly recommend it, so funny.

 The next day we did some things around the town. 

We tried some weird drink called Kava (it was disgusting and I think it has some kind of euphoric effect and we probably shouldn't have drunk it). It is made out of a root and the locals drink it to relieve anxiety. Next we bought some local trinkets 

 

Next we traveled up to the mountain of the sleeping giant (which is a big mountain with a flower garden at the bottom).

and then we went to some local hot springs and did a mud spa :-)

 After the mud was dry we rinsed off in the thermal mud

 Next we rinsed off in the hot spring

The kids had sleep overs at their friends houses, which saved me a babysitter and it was great to have some 1 on 1 time after a long holiday as the whole family. 

Fiji is beautiful, the people are the happiest people I have ever met and so kind.