Tonight Peggy and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 31st anniversary. Our anniversaries are generally pretty happy, and cool, because we celebrate many of them in Colorado.

It is a great tradition that started on our honeymoon, and it works out that just about every year we are ready to get out of the heat for a week and enjoy some cool weather. This summer we have been lucky enough to get plenty of cool air and mountain time, but it is still a special treat to celebrate up here.

Today we went for a hike and saw an abandoned mine, then we went to Sapphire Point for an annual photo op. We go to the Point every year because it is an amazing vantage point from which to see Lake Dillon and the surrounding area. It doesn’t hurt that it is also a stunning place to take a picture.

We always try to go out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We have one or two places that usually end up being the “spot”. It is kind of cool to know a place so well that you know exactly where you want to spend a special occasion. Dinner tonight was great, then we went back to the condo to hang out on the back porch.

Does it get any better than sitting on the deck in August and needing a jacket or a blanket?

We sat outside tonight and talked about the trip and the memories we have created this summer. Each year when we visit it feels like the end of the summer, even though we will have two more months of high temperatures when we return home. This trip is the symbolic close to our summer, so we frequently sit outside and reminisce about the things that have occurred. In many ways it has been a tough year, but coming here always seems to make us remember the good things that have happened, as well. It is a great reminder to give thanks for all of the things that happen to us.

Happy Anniversary, Peggy. I would do every step of it over again. But I’m even happier just to keep moving forward with you.