Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Saturday, we had some honeymoon planning to finalize at the AAA office, so we got there as early as we could to get that taken care of.

We had to pay the balance on the trip to Orlando, as well as arrange for a rental car for part of our stay. Also, we wanted to get one-day passes to Universal Studios and the Kennedy Space Center.

This time we had a different travel agent than we had the first two times. She was very competent, and when she found out what we wanted started working on it right away, making some calls to find us the best deal on a rental car.

Amusingly, she put one rental car company on hold while she spoke to another, and when she discovered the other was much lower, she told the first company that the couple was going to decide and get back to them later. I thought that was pretty slick.

She also took care of taking our final payment and then directed us to the counter where we could buy the passes. AAA members get a discount on a number of attractions around the country, including Universal Studios and the Kennedy Space Center. So soon we were all done.

Now our honeymoon is officially planned, and all we've got to do is show up at the airport on time with our luggage.

We spent the rest of the afternoon running a couple errands, stopping at a wine and spirits shop to get a nice bottle of wine for celebrating our anniversary later. We also got some wine to share with my sister when she visits next weekend.

At home, we relaxed for a little while. The Gryphon took a nap while I took Una, our doggie, for a nice walk. Good thing I did it then, because it's been gray and rainy ever since!

In the evening, we exchanged presents, including the really sweet card that The Gryphon gave me, which I've included as the graphic on this page. The Gryphon had reservations for us at Iluminare, where we celebrated our first anniversary.

This time, we had them seat us on the terrace instead of inside. The atmosphere was relaxing there; we were next to a fountain, and there was a wind chime on the wall near us that admittedly didn't ring very much.

We started out with a glass of wine and shared an appetizer of bruschetta. They also brought out some delicious bread to dip in olive oil. For an entree, I had the shrimp special, which was grilled shrimp served with a tomato, corn and crab salsa, and artichoke hearts. The shrimp was a bit overdone and tasted burnt. The salsa, however, was delicious and fresh tasting. However, the artichoke hearts were heavy for the dish and didn't complement the fresh taste of the salsa well.

Seated near us was a table of four women who were highly entertaining, because one of them would occasionally say things quite loudly that sounded funny out of context. The first was, "I never thought that Reese's Peanut Butter chips could lead to a life revelation." The Gryphon and I stared at each other, bemused, as we tried to figure out what that could possibly mean.

Another time, she told about how one morning she'd woken up with terrible acne overnight, as if she had slept on a tray of cheeseburgers! She claimed that the acne then crept all over her face like some sort of alien being.

Other topics of conversation at their table included funerals. Having attended funerals of different faiths, she compared the Catholic service to the Protestant one, chirpily talking about this before having second thoughts. "I realize this isn't great dinner conversation," she finally admitted.

The Gryphon and I had so much fun listening to her that we didn't talk as much as we might have otherwise.

At home, we pulled out the bottle of wine, which was pricier than we normally get, a 2000 Trimbach Riesling from Alsace, France. It was definitely worth it, with subtle interweavings of honey and spice flavors. We chatted while we shared the bottle. Even though it was a quieter anniversary, it was one of our best.

More on Alyce's wedding planning:

Musings on Alyce's Wedding

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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