Anniversary Weekend

In the Lobby Lounge at the Ritz Carlton

Last weekend, February 11-13, Adam and I celebrated our first year of marriage. We had a fabulous weekend and even more fabulous food. I had a day-trip planned to Atlanta on Friday for work so we decided to meet and spend the night there and go to Lake Oconee on Saturday night. Adam's fabulous groomsmen gave us a night and a round of golf at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee so we thought there was no better time to go off on a romantic getaway than our anniversary.

Adam picked me up from the High Museum on Friday afternoon to begin our celebration of year-long wedded bliss. We checked into our favorite boutique hotel in Midtown, Hotel Indigo, and then headed out to grab a beer before we decided on dinner. I wanted Italian so with the help of Janna and Opentable.com, we decided on Veni Vidi Vici. From the moment we entered, we felt like we were at our favorite Italian restaurant in Lucerne, Switzerland. Our entrees were even the same, with a few little American twists. I chose the pappardelle with duck breast and mushroom ragu, and Adam had the spinach and ricotta gnocchi with gorganzola, speck and cream. From the warm ambiance and impecable service to the crispy bread sticks at the bar to the to the luxurious and decadent chocolate dessert, our meal was a huge success.

The next morning, after a quick shopping marathon, we check in for our lunch reservation. The Buckhead Diner is one of those iconic Atlanta restaurants that reminds me so much of my childhood. Whenever the Powell girls would go shopping with Mom in Atlanta, she would always treat us to the Buckhead Diner. After a huge plate of their sinful homemade blue cheese chips, I indulged in their Croque Madame and Adam devoured the equally delicious chicken pretzel club. Just let your imagination run wild with that one!

After lunch, we left the big city for a quiet night surrounded by nature. Well, if you consider multi-million dollar houses and a lakefront view with a two-boat dock to be nature. We arrived to our destination to find out immediately that Cuscowilla is a beautiful gem on Georgia's Lake Oconee. Our villa was perfectly placed on the banks of the peaceful lake and surrounded by trees, boats, fishermen and, oh yeah, one of the highest consistently ranked golf courses in Georgia. It is the sort of place that golfers and their wives can really enjoy themselves, even if that means separately.

The Ritz-Carlton at Reynolds Plantation is only 20 minutes away from Cuscowilla so for our anniversary dinner, we decided to make reservations at their upscale restaurant, Georgia's Bistro. We arrived about 30 minutes early to have a cocktail in the Lobby Lounge where the leather couches, roaring fireplace, jazz trio greet you with an unapologetic sense of luxury. With a quick toast of Champagne and reminiscent tales about surviving our first year, we relaxed and took in the beauty of the place.

At dinner, I was greeted with a long-stemmed red rose (it was Valentine's Weekend, don't forget) and shown to our romantic table for two. Our server immediately brought over a bottle of bubbly and a card that read, Happy Anniversary! We love you, Mom, Dad, Katie and Scott. That sneaky Mom! As we enjoyed our drinks, we ordered our dinner. We started with the Taste of Georgia Artisans sausage and salami, cheese and homemade preserves plate which was heavenly. We moved on to our entrees of crab cakes and shrimp and grits. And then we made it to our delicious Swiss dessert. On the rim of the plate that housed our chocolate fondue, fruit and cakes, our "Happy 1st Anniversary" was written in warm, melted chocolate. What an end to a perfect meal. Except that when it came time to settle our bill, our server told us it had already been taken care of by Mom, Dad, Katie and Scott. Dinner and Champagne at the Ritz is definitely the best anniversary present!

The next day, Adam's parents came to Cuscowilla for Sam to play the earlier mentioned round of golf with Adam. Although I'm learning to play and I even have an awesome new set of clubs thanks to the Lands, I thought it might be a waste of a round on that spectacular course to have me play about six holes and ride in the cart until number 18. Needless to say, Sam was eager to meet us there. Sam and Dianne treated us to a deliciously hearty breakfast at the golf club, and then the boys started on their round.

Dianne and I hit the road for our spa day at the Ritz. Who knew a 25-minute manicure could be so fun and relaxing? We talked about what we were doing exactly one year before (which was just what we were doing that day and time...getting manicures!) and how much fun we had at our wedding. As an added surprise, Dianne treated me to my manicure. No one could ever say I don't have a terrific mother-in-law!! After our spa treatments and antique excursion in Madison, Dianne and I met the boys for our farewell lunch at the golf club. After all the rich food we'd had I chose their grilled chicken salad and Adam opted for the chicken caesar salad wrap.

It was the perfect way to spend our first anniversary. I'm sure not every anniversary after this will be as luxurious and painstakingly thought out, but this was a wonderful end to our first wonderful year together. Now, if only we can figure out a way for our parents to pay for another weekend at Lake Oconee. I guess we need to start begging now!