Candy, Iron, Wood

According to a couple handy websites that I found, the traditional gifts for one's sixth wedding anniversary are supposed to revolve around candy or iron (???). If you're more modern minded, you can go for a gift made of wood (can you tell that the sixth year has some total filler gift themes?). Since Dad and I opt to pick out a gift together, rather than getting each other gifts, we don't usually pay much attention to the gift traditions. This year, we're going to send in all our wedding photo negatives and get them scanned into high resolution digital files, so we order prints whenever we like and so I can stop having nightmares about something happening to the negatives! I suppose since paper comes from trees and trees have that wood thing going, that we can almost count that as adhering to the theme. ;)

All crazy gift themes aside, we had a nice anniversary. Grandma and Grandpa gave us the best anniversary gift of all – they offered to babysit so Dad and I could go out to dinner together. Alone. Being able to sit down together at the table, eat our food, and carry on a coherent conversation was a rare treat. Neither of us had to get up a half dozen times, cut up anyone else's food, retrieve utensils or sippy cups from the floor, dodge any flying vegetables, or remind people NOT to rub food in their hair. We went to a local Italian restaurant that we had been wanting to try – the food was good (although the table location wasn't the best), the service was fine, and I thoroughly enjoyed a glass of wine. We had to try the tiramisu for dessert, along with a nice, strong cup of coffee.

Of course, as usual, we ended our perfectly fine meal by agreeing that, although the food was good, the food we make at home is better. No wonder we don't usually bother to go out to eat. But, I must say, it was nice to have someone else do the dishes for a change. ;)