Commitment Has No Recipe

Hubby and I were not your typical college students.
With him working in the wine business and me loving to eat and cook, we were more often found at restaurants than frat parties.  And one thing we loved most was Sunday brunch.  One of our favorites was in the Upper Village of Montecito in the far back corner with an outside patio.  I loved their blueberry muffins.

We also loved Sunday drives.  We would often get in the car and cruise around the local streets of Santa Barbara and Montecito, making our way to brunch.  On Easter Sunday, 1983, on our way to brunch we had a memorable drive that found us at the stop sign of Micheltorena and Alta Vista.  Hubby looked over at me and said, “Maybe we should get married.”  I said, “Okay.”  And then we went to brunch.

It wasn’t quite as uneventful as it sounds, but pretty close.  I’m sure we kissed and felt elated at our decision but truthfully, neither of us remember much except the street corner, the stop sign and what was said.  It has become kind of a romantic story after all these years and we have been back to our stop sign on occasion to “renew our vows” on our December 31st anniversary.  Actually, we just laugh as we recreate our big moment.  We invited (forced) our kids to join us many times to the “spot where it all began” so they could roll their eyes at the lameness of our engagement.  But I think they get the message.  Love doesn’t need elaborately orchestrated parties or expensive showings of affection.  Love just needs commitment.  And maybe a yummy brunch or two along the way.

Hubby and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on New Year’s Eve.  We didn’t make the kids go to the sign this year.  We took them with us on a nice vacation instead where they got to hike and snorkel, visit ancient Mayan ruins, canoe through caves, sail, see Manatees and relax in hammocks.  So instead of rolling their eyes, this time they were singing our praises and happily celebrating our commitment.

“Love shouldn’t be about jealousy or anything like that.  It should be about commitment and being able to trust that person.  If you can’t have that from the get-go, there’s a problem.”
– Aaron Carter

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Tags: engagement, Santa Barbara, wedding anniversary