{Recap} 2nd Anniversary Dinner

We have been married two years as of June 12!

I can honestly say that these past two years have been the most satisfying, rewarding, and memorable years of my life. I cannot believe where Michael and I have journeyed together in the short time we've been married. I'm so glad to have a companion in life that inspires, challenges, and loves me so completely. I will never have the capacity to express the depth of my gratitude to God for the gift He has given me in Michael. I am so blessed!

We decided to commemorate this anniversary with an evening dinner at Cotton, a locally owned restaurant in nearby city. Appropriately, the traditional gift for the second anniversary is cotton. It's fun to say that we gave each other "cotton" for our anniversary! This restaurant serves local, seasonal, creative Southern cuisine- a point of view that we can certainly support. Another nifty part of eating at Cotton is that we recently watched the chef compete and win on Food Network's show "Chopped."

We had a tremendously unique and elegant experience there. The atmosphere and ambiance of the venue was vintage Southern charm...even down to the subtle details. When we walked in the door the maitre'd  wished us a happy anniversary and led us to our charming two person table. I was busily snapping pictures of the tablescape and the gorgeous flowers that decorated it when I realized with a start that there was a message amid the blooms. Upon a closer look I realized that the flowers were from Michael, sent ahead to be at our table when we arrived. I almost squealed with delight (who am I kidding, I probably actually DID squeal with delight)! The note was so genuine and heartwarming. It was a perfect way to begin a magical night.

Clockwise from upper left: studying the menu, lighting and exposed brick, deciding on a dish, my note from Michael

Our server was incredibly informed on which dishes we should try. We ended up taking his suggestions for every course. For the appetizer: bacon wrapped duck in a honey glaze; the salad: strawberry, pecan, and spinach topped with a fried egg; the entrees: (M) cochon du lait, a gormet smoked pork dish, (J) Gulf fish of the day delivered merely 2 hours before; the desserts (yes, more than one): (M) banana pudding and (J) peach mascarpone cheesecake. The entire dinner was simply DIVINE.

freshly caught Gulf fish; posing downtown in front of the restaurant; succulent appetizer; tablescape

We will certainly be returning to Cotton for our next celebratory event. I highly recommend the entire experience. I know I will cherish this second anniversary memory all my life.

Mason jar water glasses; floor to ceiling windows on entrance wall; the menu; peach mascarpone cheesecake

Surprisingly, we were able to celebrate our 2 year anniversary two nights in a row. When we originally made reservations for dinner, we made them for the night before our actual anniversary due to a conflicting church softball playoff game (no way M was missing that!). Unfortunately (fortunately?), the game was rained out the day of our anniversary, so we quickly improvised and put together a second anniversary dinner. Michael grabbed a movie and some dessert on his way home from work while I whipped up a nice dinner at home. I served grilled eggplant over whole wheat pasta with an Italian tomato sauce and a side of sauteed kale. Recipe to come later!

See? Whole food CAN be gourmet!