Our plans for an anniversary getaway were interrupted by a sick little baby, who, when the 24-hours-in-advance deadline arrived to either cancel or keep our reservation, was the sickest she had ever been. Fever, cough, lethargy, near constant whimpering. It was heartbreaking, really. So we called the doctor, cancelled our plans and cocooned in our house, passing her back and forth every few hours, trying to catch naps on our "off" shifts.
But the next morning after her very worst day, Keira awoke happy and rested. She had even slept through almost the whole night and had eaten a hearty breakfast. And so, we improvised. Grandma was called, Keira was in great hands, and we headed to downtown Salt Lake City for a little day trip.
We had a perfect day, after all. We didn't have a plan. We just wandered and talked. We had lunch (German fare), shopped for watches and shoes, went to an afternoon movie, and then had sushi for dinner. Travis joked that we had eaten only "Axis food" that day, apart from the Scottish chocolate, and that this particular day would never have happened if it were 1947. :)
As we walked around downtown, going in and out of shops and up and down the quiet Saturday streets, I set the goal to photograph all the letters in "E-I-G-H-T Y-E-A-R-S" as we spotted them on signs, on tiled floors, on the side of a truck, and even in a railing that was shaped like a "T." Travis humored me, and often even helped.
As I look at my collection of letters, I remember exactly where we were when each picture was taken. And since I looked for the letters in order, it outlines the trajectory of our day, from "E" (found on a compass in a watch shop) to "S" (on the sign of a little bistro next to The Oxford Shop).
Some of the best memories happen when our carefully laid plans go awry. I think this day will always remind me of that.
Eight years down. A lifetime to go. I can't wait to see what happens next.
