{ lindsay's lens }: Birthday Eve

Okay, so it was really like, Birthday Eve-Eve-Eve. But whatever. My parents were in town, and that's when we could get away.

Friday night, David took me to Dogwood for my birthday date. Dogwood is a modern southern restaurant in Midtown Atlanta, right near the architecture and engineering firm where I worked when we first moved here--the same firm that hired me on my birthday, 9 years ago tomorrow.

Did you know that? I worked for an A&E firm called Rosser from 2000 to 2002. CNN hired David to work there, and while I loved my reporting gig at WYMT-TV, I couldn't really argue with CNN. We were engaged and I figured it would help to live in the same state if we wanted to get married. So I moved down here with no real job prospects, and after two weeks waiting tables at Olive Garden, I was hired as an administrative/marketing assistant at Rosser. Emphasis on the administrative part.

It was such an exciting time! I moved into the townhome David and I would live in together after the wedding. It was in Avondale Estates, and I took Marta in to work every day. I felt so urban and loved reading my book and smirking smugly as we passed over the sea of rage known as the downtown connector.

Rosser is located in an extremely nondescript building on West Peachtree Street, but it always makes me happy to remember that time in my life. So many new things--new jobs for both of us, new city, new marriage, new future...together. Since we had a bit of time to kill Friday before our reservation, we strolled over to see if all was the same.

On the way over, and as we stood outside and admired how the building hasn't changed in 9 years, we talked about how in love we were back when I worked there. The conversation turned to now, and I told David I am more in love with him now than I was then. We agreed--that there is all the feeling we had back then, plus so much more because of all we've experienced since.

So, when all is said and done, you can have the great food we ate that night. You can even have my gorgeous birthday gift he got me (which, btw, merits it's own seperate blog post, so come back for that). Because right there? In that little walk, and that little talk? That is the best birthday gift I could ever, ever have asked for.