rocking chair conversations

At the end of my senior year at Clemson, Richard invited me to the wedding of one of his good friends from Wofford. We were just good friends at the time, but we had gone to the Carolina Cup together that previous Spring and were going out on pseudo dates even if we weren't technically "together." That wedding was absolutely beautiful, and the reception was at the Country Club of Asheville. Before going out on the dance floor, we went out on the back terrace, where there were rocking chairs and a gorgeous mountain view. We watched the sunset, and he told me all about his plans to go to medical school on a military scholarship. I had no clue he had signed up to join the Army, so it was very interesting to hear his ten-year plan neatly laid out. I still remember the details of our conversation and knew even at the time that the information being shared was pivotal. We eventually made our way back inside and had a wonderful time with friends, but in my mind, our future had been somewhat shaped by our rocking chair conversation.

Last night Richard and I celebrated our seventh Valentine's Day together (though many of those were not shared in person on the actual day while we dated long-distance). We had dinner at Food and Wine Co. in Bethesda and just enjoyed being able to dress up and have a week night out together. And over dinner, we had another rocking chair conversation. We talked about his plans for doing a fellowship (or possibly not doing a fellowship), how that may affect my career, where the Army might send us and our hopes for the future. Having not seen much of him as of late, it was just nice to chat and know what's been on his mind. That conversation was the perfect accompaniment to delicious hushpuppies, fried artichokes, his mussels, my pork blade steak and a s'mores dessert.

To top it off, I found my missing pair of sunglasses, the Clemson basketball team beat a top-25 Virginia team, and we received enough chocolate to last until April. A perfect Valentine's Day for sure.

my man with his steaming mussels in his Valentine's Day bowtie

happy valentine's!