L'anniversaire.

Our anniversary was on Thursday.

Kevin planned a special evening last night to celebrate.

First, we went here.

This local spa is in a converted church Sunday school building.

The church burned down about 40 years ago

and this building sat empty.

Then a few years ago
 a local business man bought it and restored the original 

15 foot windows and the basic interior 

for his wedding. (NBD)

Later, he sold the building to the spa owners,

who have done a great job

creating a soothing and relaxing space inside.

Isn't it pretty?

We each had massages-

what a luxurious treat!

Then we went here for dinner.

A little treasure of a restaurant.

It's a tiny place with only three tables.

The chef creates a simple vegetarian menu that rotates monthly.
(Now by simple, I mean limited choices.
I do not mean flavor profiles.
She creates flavors I didn't know existed.)

The chef then serves the meal,
interacting directly with her guests.
It is a charming place.

Here's what we had to choose from.

The decor is simple as well.

Fresh cut flowers in mason jars add charm.

One Terry Rowlett painting, which is always
fodder for conversation.

We ate the bread and drank the wine
and thanked God for 15 years of marriage.
We've been through a lot together.
We've weathered storms
and shared dreams
and grown and changed
together.
We're raising three children
and walking into the future
together.
It is a good thing
and I'm very grateful.

We enjoyed every minute
of being together
over some thoughtful
and imaginative food.

 Local carrots, peaches, and beet stems, pickled.
They were sublime.

 Tender butter lettuce, shitakes and scallions
with a white wine vinaigrette.

And this?
Cucumber gazpacho.
There aren't proper words to describe how
wonderful this was.

The Gymnopedie chef, Sarah Dunning,
has an intriguing story.
She came from New Zealand
to Athens to pursue her PhD in physics.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Once she completed that,
she began this culinary pursuit.
We asked her why she made such
distinct career shift.
She said she has always loved food
and cooked throughout her years of studies.
So when the time came, she was ready for something new-
"a different kind of hard work, one that is not mentally taxing."
Indeed, I believe this hard work
is the kind that fills rather than drains,
for her food is inspired.

We split the entree.
This is garden lasagna-
with raw zucchini ribbons in place of noodles,
and cashew ricotta instead of cheese,
fresh tomato sauce and pesto from the garden.
It was outrageous!
A totally raw lasagna-who knew?

And for dessert?

Oops.

It was chocolate marshmallow foam (ooh la la) in the glass
and warm pineapple crumble
with homemade vanilla ice cream in the ramekin.
Both were delicious.

I'm so happy that we had the opportunity
to experience Gymnopedie.

For one, even though I love simple
and local food, I'm not sure I would have
ordered these things had they been on a broader menu.
This forced me to be adventurous
and for that I am very glad.

For another, next weekend marks the end
of the current restaurant format.
Sarah will be closing the doors
to work on a cookbook,
doing her research in Paris.

So,
if you're an Athenian and are in town during the last weekend in June,
go experience it while you can.
If not,
consider joining her mailing list
to find out about her future endeavours.
To sign up,
visit her website here.
You'll be glad you did.
.......

It was a lovely evening.

I'm very thankful to have such a caring,
thoughtful husband.
He's a man of integrity,
full of kindness and grace for others.
He is good to me and our children.
He's funny and creative, too.
I'm glad to be on this earthly journey with him.
Happy anniversary, Kevin!
I look forward to many, many more.