Salmon & Sweatpants | Our 1st Anniversary

This past Sunday, March 29, was our 1st wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe that an entire twelve months went by that quickly! Instead of waxing poetic here yet again, if you really want to know my sentiments on this past year, you can read the letter I wrote HERE.

We kept the day low-key and simple and sweet, a tender time of remembering, as it should be. Our actual anniversary gift to each other is a pair of tickets to see BILLY JOEL (one of our favorite artists of all time) in May!! On Sunday, though, we opted to plan and cook a fancy supper at home, since preparing meals together is a ritual dear to us. 🙂

I have to stop for a moment and gush about this adorable basket! I snagged it for less than $10 at Home Goods with my mom a couple weeks back… I had been looking for “thee perfect” basket for my cookbooks and when I saw this one, it was love at first sight. Actually, “love at first sight” is a pretty common experience for me at Home Goods. Anyone else like this? 😉

For our meal, we made Plum & Cilantro Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese, along with Teriyaki Glazed Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce. Man, oh man, was that an amazing meal!! The salad recipe came from my “Kinfolk Table” cookbook; follow this link for a chance to win a copy of that gorgeous cookbook pictured above for yourself! 🙂

And in the interest of honesty (and sometimes hilarity!) I have to tell you this silly, silly story. We had started prepping for our meal around 3 pm – chopping, stirring, washing dish after dish, measuring, pouring… We were diligent and dedicated, soaking up the smells and textures of these fresh ingredients, and so perfectly in sync – the way I had always hoped life would be with my husband. 🙂

And finally, after a couple hours of marinating and preparing and cooking and plating…Bjorn put the finishing touches on our salads while I drizzled the last of the Sriracha Cream Sauce over the tender salmon. At last – the meal was ready! We poured the wine and lit the lanterns and sat down and prayed. Then, as we lifted our heads and toasted a year together, Bjorn looked at me with a long pause, and let his eyes crinkle as he smiled lovingly and said, “Bee, did you realize you’re in your sweatpants?”

I was wearing the grungiest around-the-house outfit I could’ve possibly thrown together. (I have a huge thing for sweatpants, changing into them within 30 seconds of returning home each day.) And Bjorn (who is NOT a sweatpants guy) was still in his nice church clothes. I had been so focused on putting together this lovely meal that I had put literally zero effort into my appearance for this incredibly special occasion.

Oh, did we have a good laugh about that one. I was shocked and almost embarrassed. After all, it was our first anniversary! And I looked like I was ready for a late-night college study session in the library (or, let’s be honest, somewhere NOT in public).

Thankfully, Bjorn dismissed my appearance, told me it was okay, gathered me up into his lap, and hugged and hugged me as we both laughed until we had tears in our eyes. But you know what? That silliness serves as the perfect reflection and example of who I am, who Bjorn is – and who we are in this marriage. I was bustling around and distracted and busy, as usual, and he – steady Eddy that he is – worked alongside me, saw who I was in all my “glory” and hurry and vulnerability – and he loved me as I am.

How have your loved ones loved you at your “worst?” 🙂 What special traditions do you have on your anniversary? 

And, in case you’re a sap like me, here’s our wedding video (the condensed “trailer” version). I can’t watch this enough!! Thank you, A.B. Rich Films!