Dear readers and friends, love is the strongest, most intense and powerful feeling in the world. I’ve heard people saying the same things about hate, but even though I respect everybody’s opinion, I don’t agree with that. Love can move mountains. Most people would give their lives to save a loved one—only a few would do it to kill someone they hate. There are thousands of love songs, poems, and movies. Love is the first feeling babies feel for their parents and caretakers. So let’s celebrate love as the best feeling we can experience, along with gratitude.
Since love is my topic today—and always—I’d love to share about our beautiful 10-year anniversary yesterday, June 26, 2020.
Months ago we had planned a perfect anniversary weekend in Catalina Island—a beautiful place that offers romance, adventure, fun, and nature, with two mountains over 2,000 feet tall. Catalina is a 22-mile long island in the Pacific Ocean, one hour from southern Los Angeles on a high-speed ferry. If you read The City Girl, you’ll get an idea of why this place can be so special for couples, friends, or even for families with children.
Unfortunately, COVID prevented us from spending this weekend in Catalina Island. So, we didn’t have many options, especially respecting my husband’s need to play it super safe. This left us with one thing we had been wanting to do since we moved to San Diego: eating a romantic dinner on the beach at sunset.
But let me rewind a little. The day started much earlier, when, after breakfast, we got in the car and headed to our favorite donut place: Leucadia Donut Shoppe (rated 5-stars on Trip Advisor). Then we went for a long walk on the beach in Del Mar with Tara, our golden-doodle mix, to plan the evening.
For our romantic dinner on the beach, we considered fish & seafood, Japanese, Indian, Thai and Chinese, but we opted for Italian to take-out because we knew it would stay hot for a long time the way they prepare it to go.
A little before 7 pm, we were at Vittorio’s picking up our pasta with shrimp dishes and garlic bread. Ten minutes later, we were at Torrey Pines State Beach.
The weather was amazing, the breeze almost unnoticeable, and the warmth of the low sun was comfortable. My hubby had the brilliant idea of bringing Megan & Dave’s wedding gift: the same Ralph Lauren champagne flutes we used for the toast at our wedding 10 years ago. We dressed the small table, had our toast, and enjoyed our romantic Italian dinner as we gazed at the stunning sunset on the horizon.
It was magical and even more special than I could have imagined. It was as if time had stopped and the present moment was the only thing that mattered. The soft sound of the waves breaking on the shore, along with the faint voices of kids playing in the distance erased any incoming thoughts I could have. Other sunset admirers, like us, shared that beautiful space, as the pelicans glided above our heads. What a peaceful and perfect moment!
At home, we opened our cards, exchanged gifts, and finished off the day with a romantic comedy movie as I secretly visualized that on our next anniversary the movie would be It’s Not PMS, It’s You, based on a novel by the king of rom coms, Rich Amooi, my hubby. 🙂
Love, always,
Silvi
