Planning committee of two

Jake walked in around four to find me surrounded by what he diplomatically called “research materials” but looked more like I’d exploded a travel magazine across our entire kitchen counter. Three different mountain town options, each with its own color-coded folder because apparently that’s who I am now.

Planning committee of two

Two hours of negotiations later - and yes, I’m calling them negotiations because Jake approached this with the same systematic precision he uses for everything else - we finally landed on our compromise weekend. He wanted adventure activities, I wanted cozy downtime, and somehow we found a place that promises both hiking trails and a spa that doesn’t require advance booking.

The aftermath of anniversary planning negotiations

What struck me most wasn’t the planning itself, but watching how we’ve both gotten better at this over the years. Five years ago, this conversation would have been me making executive decisions and Jake nodding along. Now he shows up with his own research and actual opinions about thread counts and breakfast options. It’s messier this way, takes longer, but honestly? The end result is always better than anything I would have planned solo.

Also discovered that my boyfriend has very strong feelings about hotel coffee quality. Who knew that was going to be a dealbreaker factor?