Heading up the White Mountains in New Hampshire during Halloween sounded to me like the beginning of a horror film, but it is what my new wife wanted. Feeling my ears pop as the car diligently did the climb, I looked over at her and realized I would have agreed to go anywhere. 

As a young couple with a baby on the way, we didn’t have the money to take a trip to some exotic locale. I think we both wished that we could have had that dream, but love has a way of glossing over lots of disappointment.

The view on the drive was gorgeous. The snow-capped mountaintops and cold mist gave everything an almost medieval feeling. I almost expected to come across the next turn and be led into town by a garrison of knights. Instead, I was checking the speedometer on my Audi, trying to get as much acceleration as I could from an engine with over 200,000 miles on it. 

I was eager to get to our resort and begin enjoying our first time together as a married couple. My wife, Michelle, slept blissfully in the passenger’s seat next to me. The first trimester had made her a narcoleptic of sorts. There were days when she slept 20 out of 24 hours. 

She had put on an amazing show of energy at the reception, laughing and smiling with our family and friends. She had even gotten up and danced a bit. For such a high-energy person, being this tired was very difficult for her.

As we headed down the hill, I saw Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa, our home for the next week. Visions of unloading the car and getting a start on a week of relaxation and romance made me smile. I turned into the lot and stopped the car. I gently nudged Michelle awake.

“We’re here,” I said. She smiled. Every time I saw her dimples and those soulful blue eyes, I melted. I would be with this woman forever. 

“You’re going to carry me into the room, right?” she said. “It’s a tradition.” 

We both laughed. I knew it was more about her body being incredibly tired, but I also was never one to shy away from a grand gesture.

“You know it,” I said.

I checked us in. The staff was amazing. It felt like being welcomed home after a long time gone. Once I had gotten our key, I went back to the car. Michelle had dozed off again. I unloaded all of our luggage and went back to get her. Keeping with tradition, I carried my bride over the threshold.

A Week of Romance

It was very clear to Michelle and me that this may be the last time that we were able to get away together before the baby arrived. In just a short time, our lives would change forever, and the focus would shift away from us and onto this new life, we had created. We were both committed to making this a very special time. 

The first night we were there was fairly low-key. We had a romantic dinner at a restaurant and listened to live music. I asked one of the guys in the band if he knew “Red Right Ankle” by The Decemberists. By some miracle, he happened to know this obscure song by an even more obscure band. It was our song. They agreed to play it, and we danced to it. It was the perfect start to our incredible week. The atmosphere was pure magic, with the soft melody filling the room and the warmth of the moment wrapping around us like a blanket. Later that evening, as we strolled back to our hotel under a canopy of stars, we passed a tiny boutique where a display caught my eye—rings glinting under soft light with a sign that read, diamond color meanings explained. We paused to admire them, each stone seemingly holding its own secret story, just like the memories we were beginning to create.

During our week there, we made sure to appreciate each other. We took advantage of all the spa activities that were safe to do while Michelle was pregnant. She got a prenatal massage while I got a deep tissue massage. Our tables were next to each other so we could look at each other. 

We did some hiking and spent a good amount of time on the summits, appreciating the view. North Conway is a great place to do some shopping. We went into town, and we participated in one of our favorite past times. She liked to put on fashion shows and see if she could put together outfits that would leave me in awe. Michelle was well aware that I worshipped the ground she walked on. We had a lot of fun in a few vintage clothing stores and even picked up a couple of things.

The best times I can remember from that honeymoon were the times that we spent just holding hands and taking in the view at the end of the day. As a married couple, we didn’t have a lot of money at that point in our lives, but we were so very much in love. Holding her during that time, I felt like the richest man in the world.