"The Getaway"

First of all...my wife is an incredible woman. Seriously, with all obligatory statements being set aside and biases being shelved for the moment, my wife is the most beautiful, creative, loving and thoughtful woman that I have ever met.

Our "Anniversary Getaway" began at 5 pm this past Friday when Katy, Hayden and I departed Manhattan. We drove directly to my parent's house so Hayden could get in some quality Nana and Papa time. Once we said hello to my parents, we quickly said goodbye...leaving for "a place" that I knew nothing about. As we pulled away from the house, Katy began to read to me a letter she'd written in poetic form. It described how we'd met and it alluded to some of our dating traditions and honeymoon memories: trips to Sonic, movies, dicussions over dinner, the beach, etc. She'd bought a gift certificate to a movie rental place and a restaraunt so we can duplicate our old dating days in one of the weekends to come (pretty creative and thoughtful, huh?). The letter then gave a brief outline of what was to come later that night and the next day.

Our destination: Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. Most of you probably don't know much about this place...it's a massive plaza (thanks, Captain Obvious) designed with a southwestern style of architecture. Designers shops and great restaraunts are everywhere!

Our accomodations: the Hotel Rafael. We checked into our hotel (The Rafael) which happens to have been titled one of the best hotels to visit in the entire world! It was built in 1927...Katy and I love that look...our honeymoon hotel looked like the insides of the Titanic. She'd rented a suite because she knows I enjoy the "home away from home" atmosphere...2 rooms is always better than 1. We even had two TV's!

Our food: Plaza III Steakhouse. Labeled one of the top 10 steakhouses in the United States, Katy knew I'd be a happy little boy when eating at this place. The raw cuts of beef were brought to our table to inspect and choose...I, of course, chose the Kansas City Strip Steak.
(Sidenote: Kansas has the best beef in the world. If you're from Texas, keep your mouth shut because you know I'm right.) We started the meal off with some fresh vegetables and dipping sauce...we bypassed the tempting appetizers with our sites on the main course. You could cut Katy's steak with a fork. (Sidenote: It was impressive that Katy chose a steakhouse for our dinner-site, yet it was even more impressive to have my wife order a steak...yeah, she's hot. Some men like to see their women dress up and stuff...I like my wife to order a steak!)

Our activities: Some activities will go unmentioned, but others must be detailed. We started Saturday morning off with a hot cup of coffee from Starbucks...then, as my wife's face began to glow, we started shopping at all the unique shops located in The Plaza. We had a ton of fun....talking...holding hands (you're welcome, honey)...trying to take pictures of ourselves...trying on clothes...looking at gadgets...we just enjoyed each other's company.

Katy and I are not extravagant people...we don't long for "more things". We like our current living situation...the money we make...and the family and friends we have around us. This weekend, we lived like royalty and it was a blast. Katy is my best friend and I can't wait until I can plan a "Getaway Weekend"!