We are 7!

Yesterday marked the 7th year that DD and I have been married.

To celebrate, we decided to slip out, just the two of us, for a good dinner. I got the kids fed, then kissed them goodbye and firmly shut the door behind me. DD felt bad for leaving the kids behind, but not me. I think we both need a bit more time to to spend with each other, and with it being our wedding anniversary, I think we deserved it!

We plumped for Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House -- yet another on my must-try list -- and I must say it turned out to be an excellent choice. The food was superb.

We were hungry, so after asking for additional corn bread -- only 2 tiny, delectable morsels were served initially -- we ordered three starters to share.

The Tuna Tartare we loved. After being converted to this dish while in Hawaii on our honeymoon, I've since almost always ordered tuna tartar as long as its on the menu. Being a fan of this same dish at Spruce, I knew what to expect. And when the dish arrived at the table, I was not disappointed. It was perfect with the toasted bread and avocado. We slurped this down in minutes.

Next up, half a Chilled Maine Lobster. I thought this was a bit extravagant of us since it was $45 (!!!) for only half a lobster but well, this was a celebratory dinner after all. At least the lobster that was served up was pretty large, with a big juicy claw. And it was really sweet and fresh. Mmmm. This one we savoured, almost in silence. Two dips were provided, but with lobster of this quality, it was just perfect with some squeezes of lemon.

We also ordered Luke's Clam Chowder, which they conveniently split into two bowls for us since we were sharing. This was certainly good clam chowder, though it made less of an impression on me. DD did appreciate the big pieces of whole clam-meat that came in the chowder.

For the mains, DD had the Colorado Lamb Chops and I had the Luke's Bone-In Tenderloin Au Poivre. Both were outstanding.

"I never knew lamb could taste so good," said DD, as he cut into one of his four (yes, four!) chops. "I mean, I guess I knew, but I've never tasted it."

I don't like lamb, but I would have happily finished this dish too. The meat wasn't too gamey, and in fact, that hint of it was just perfect for the dish. It was perfectly cooked and juicy, even when done medium as requested by DD. Really, really good.

As was my tenderloin. It was huge too! It said 300grammes on the menu, but because it was a bone-in chop, I had assumed that there wouldn't be that much meat. Oops, wrong assumption. There was a short, U-shaped bone on one side, but there was still a lot of meat forming the rest of the steak! Thankfully I have a hearty appetite. It would have been a tragedy letting such good meat go to waste. Juicy and done medium-rare, just the way I like it. I did think the pepper crust on the top was a bit over-powering and salty, and so scrapped off some of it. But the meat was so yummy. I'm feeling hungry just thinking about it!

We were so stuffed we skipped dessert and got ourselves some tea instead, before we called it a night. Of course, I choose to google reviews of the restaurant after going there instead of before, only to find out that their desserts are unmissable. Ah well. We saw the servings of desserts on the tables around us and looking at how big they were, we were pretty sure we couldn't pack one away. Hey, it just means we will have to go back again, doesn't it?

It was a really good meal but as always, the company was better. I never fail to enjoy conversation with the husband, and this was more of the same. Sometimes I don't know how we still manage to find things to talk about after more than 12 years together and 7 years of marriage, but we do. On our nights out, I usually ask that we don't spend all our time talking about our kids and he doesn't want to talk too much about his work. Both these topics do,  of course, creep into the conversation, but mostly we stick to this principle. I update him on some of our friends, we discuss some of the articles/news we've been reading, I tell him what I've been learning at bible study and he gives me his views, we talk about parenting in the context of how we were brought up and how we want to approach things, I bounce ideas off him about things I want to do at home. We have always been able to talk for hours, and now, we still do.

7 years has taught me that a good marriage and a good relationship is hard work. It requires plenty of patience, and there are plenty of times when you almost have to bite your tongue just to stop yourself from saying that extra unnecessary remark or from picking that fight that would send things over the edge. But when you both seek to honour God with your lives and relationship, it is just that much easier. In this regard, I know I have been blessed.