One Year

david and i had a bit of an extended anniversary celebration this year, since we were going to be in south africa on the actual date. we decided to have a special date night a few days before departure. we got dressed up to eat a delicious dinner at Red China Bistro on Ingersoll. we had fantastic hot & sour soup and deliciously light and flaky crab rangoons. while our main courses were good, we kept thinking that thai flavors still might do the best curry in town. 

back home, we exchanged cards and gifts. i got david a bike seat since he rides often and his old one is falling apart. david completely surprised me (i actually didn't even think he'd gotten me a gift) when he pulled out a small, wrapped package that had been hidden in a drawer. it was a bracelet i'd looked at over a month before in valley junction when we'd been out shopping with my sisters during a farmer's market. it's handmade with vintage buttons and reminds me of fossil, but cooler because it's local. 

i figured we had our anniversary covered, but david had been plotting for our time in south africa too. on the morning of july 17th, we woke before 6 AM to go on a "lion walk" with the team. this wasn't planned by david, but the rare opportunity just happened to fall on the morning of our anniversary (there are only 3 places in the world that allow lion walks). we drove north to a lion conservatory, and were greeted by 5 or 6 guides who worked with and trained the lions. they had these rules for us before we entered into the lion walk:

1. don't separate yourself from the group, they'll see you as weak
2. don't bend down to pick anything up, they'll see you as smaller (and more edible)
3. no dangling scarves or drawstrings, they'll want to play
4. no shorts or skirts, they'll see/smell your skin and want to "play"
5. no purse or bags because guides carry a bag w/meat in it (you don't want to be mistaken for the meat carrier).
6. don't pull their tails (what?!?!).
6. don't run.

as we stood outside the gate, our friend dan summed it up well: "they look a lot bigger than i thought they'd be..."

centuries of human development, reasoning, and instinct screamed warning sirens inside my head as we walked through the electric fence and into the park, where 2 lively young male lions waited eagerly to get out and walk with us.

at first, i didn't plan on actually touching the lions. i figured it was enough to walk alongside them and do my best to breathe regularly and not make eye contact (sure that if they saw my eyes, they'd see the petrified fear encased within, and would realize that i'd be an easy, curled-up-on-the-ground-wimpering snack if they chose to so much as take a step towards me). 

these were not lazy, lethargic, fat lions. they were young, robust, and you could see their ribs. they chased each other, stalking one another in the long grass and pouncing like springs with roars and paws and sharp teeth. but the guides insisted on grabbing our camera and telling us where to touch them. walking with them was a rush. some might say this excursion was a commercialization of wild animals, or a waste of money, or a gimmick. but when you're touching the indifferent, sinewy back of a calculated, wild predator, with nothing stopping him from turning and maiming you... you're breath catches in your throat. you feel nothing but awe and absolute humility. those few moments of connection are surreal. 

not a bad way to start our anniversary. and we left with all our limbs and appendages intact, to boot. 

that night, david surprised me again. he'd been emailing with the blessmans to see if there was a way we could do a special dinner together on the night of our anniversary. i figured we'd gotten all of our festivities out of the way by now so, when jim asked me to accompany him to the giftshop at the nearby lodge, i didn't think anything of it. 

the power had been out all day in the village, and so we pulled up to a dark lodge and a man named Conrad waiting for us. jim dropped us off there and said he'd be back in bit. we ended up having a candlelit dinner in the shikwaru lodge restaurant, and we were the only ones there. we had a few courses that came out: stuffed mushroom, then a salad and rolls, then the main course was chicken and kudu, grilled veggies and fries. dessert was cheesecake. Conrad is the head chef there, and is from zimbabwe. he was cooking in the back using gas lanterns for light. he came out and chatted with us for a long while about his life and family, and i loved every moment. only in africa would the head chef hang out and talk with you during your anniversary dinner that he cooked in the dark. it was so thoughtful of david to arrange it. 

it was an incredible way to celebrate our first year together. it was so thoughtful of david. i am amazed at how this year has flown by. we've learned so much, and we've also had so much fun. i've laughed more this year, (and lightened up more this year), than any other year of my life. hanging out with my husband is endlessly fun to me, because we get each other. i'm humbled that i get to share this life with him, and i can't wait to see what the next year will bring.