The Lainey Blog

Hubster and I have just celebrated our 10 year Anniversary (Thank you, thank you…)

Just to be clear that’s 10 years of marriage, not anything fun...

And we did celebrate. Had a lovely night away at a beautiful spa hotel without the kids. Treatments, thermal spa, dinner, drinks, the works. It all went far too quickly in my opinion (although my mother who looked after the kids may beg to differ)

Although, we did not celebrate as we had planned to.

For instance… we arrived just in time for our spa treatment, with no time to check in to the hotel and leave our bags in the room. This was fine, we could dump the bags in the spa reception and head off for our afternoon of pampering.

We spent all day at the spa and eventually, when we arrived to the room, the bottle of champagne that had been waiting for us on ice had melted into a pool of water – much like the pool we had been swimming in all day.

We didn’t mind. We could get more ice. There were chocolate covered strawberries too, demolished by moi by the way, much to my hubby’s disgust. “Well sound Elaine, I really enjoyed my two strawberries!”

He’s used to it.

But I knew if we popped that champagne (and it was champagne by the way – not prosecco) that would be me done for the evening. The bubbles would hit me quicker than the scorpion spear that plunged into Rhaegal’s neck mid-flight resulting in his violent, bloody, watery death, and I would have a hangover in the middle of dinner (ahem… been there, done that)

So we didn’t open the champagne. We dried it off and brought it home. Looks lovely in the cupboard by the way.

It rests next to the (still boxed) bottle of Moët and Chandon we received as a wedding gift. The lovely crew I flew to Chicago with before my wedding leave chipped in and gave me a beautifully boxed bottle of Moët and Chandon, and a box of chocolates (which have since been demolished – and possibly not shared) along with a card signed with best wishes from cabin and flight crew.

24 years old and off I go to get married. In Spain no less.

We received two bottles of Moët. One we (or rather hubster) drank on our 1 year anniversary. Our lovely baby girl was 5 weeks old then. I wasn’t in the mood for drinking – much less toasting anyting, so we clinked the glasses, I took a sip and hubby had the rest.

Thought we’d save the other one for the next anniversary.

Not a chance.

More pregnancies and babies absolutely forbade that throughout the years.

And so, it stayed in the cupboard until our 10th wedding anniversary.

“We’ll bring it to the hotel. We’ll open it then”

“Yes, 10 years is significant. It’s perfect!”

“Hope it’s not gone off!”

But, didn’t we forget it? Yup. Totally forgot. Left it behind in a whirlwind of a departure.

And it’s still there. Our little bottle of champagne which symbolises the beginning of our marriage. Unopened. Left neglected. Forgotten about. Cast aside in favour of nappies and playdates, falling asleep on the sofa and sunday walks. Sleepless nights, tummy bugs and trips to the doctor.

Cast aside in favour of a hectic life.

But maybe one day we will open the bottle of Moët and Chandon. Maybe one day we will finally celebrate our union in a way we expect to.

Perfectly.

But to be honest, it may well continue gathering dust along with our new bottle of champagne from the hotel. I could give it as a gift, but it holds far too much sentimental value to me.

And perhaps opening it would destroy its sentimentality.

And if you’re thinking of gifting me with a bottle of anything, please do not let this put you off. I actually like champagne. But seeing as I have the opportunity now…

A nice Malbec will do.

Lainey 😉