People watching at fancy hotels is the best. Such a strange group of people. You realize that money doesn’t make you pretty and that humans are just humans, bathing suits and bellies and bottoms and tan lines and burn lines and hairy backs. And we all just want to get some sunshine, order a beer, and go for a swim.

“Oh man! Look at that guy!” Kamel said, “He’s roasting! He looks like he’s smoked a thousand cigars. He looks like, he looks like…”

The first thing that came to mind was the word “Tanning” …. but I didn’t mean it in the “lay out in the sun and get a bronze” way, I meant it the other, original way. But instead I said…

“He’s turning into leather!”

Kamel busted a gut laughing. And I didn’t even think it was that clever. It really wasn’t that clever. But, like so many other times, Kamel’s laughing made me laugh, and then he laughed harder and I laughed harder, and then we were imitating the very tan man smoking his cigars and retiring from his hard life of money and excess, and we were falling over each other in the pool, laughing and laughing and laughing.

I guess the traditional 3-year anniversary gift is maybe a watch band? Or a nice leather jacket? Or? I’m not really sure. But I think what we give each other instead is the ability to laugh stupidly, to laugh from the belly, to be ridiculous and hilarious and a 2 person comedy routine with each other. Even when work sucks. Even when the baby is crying and refuses to sleep at 4am, even we hate each other, and especially when things just happen to be perfect for a hot second.

“Oh hey, look Lauren,” Kamel nudged me the next morning while we swam laps in the pool, pretending to get some kind of work out in, “It’s the leather man from yesterday.”

“Leather man,” I said.

We smiled at each other and kept swimming. Another stupid inside joke to add to the list. Another wink and a nod, another head tilt, another giggle behind the back of my hand.

Happy Anniversary to my buddy. Stay goofy.

And just because this was actually the goofiest thing to happen during our anniversary staycation, I give you Gabriel, leaning back into pillows he thought were firmer than they really were:

This weekend was one for the books! Staycation, celebrating our 5 years of knowing each other, and our first night away from Gabe! Last year for our anniversary we went to Target after work, got stuck in traffic, and then ate take out at 7:30 at night while the baby cried. This year we decided to treat ourselves and spent 2 nights at the Four Seasons Seattle. The weather just happened to hit 90 degrees on Saturday. It was at July anniversary miracle. The Four Seasons were kind enough to supply us with a real crib, complete with bumpers and sheets and a quilt. Plus all the Johnson and Johnson baby products you could ever wish for AND a...

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