After the falls we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. At this point I still had no idea what was in store for the evening. Either way, I was totally excited and eager to have a night out with Jess.
Since Jess was in charge of everything, she drove us down to the river front and was all “Hey, that’s a cool lookin’ boat. I wonder if you could eat dinner on one of those?” As it turns out… we WERE having dinner on the Southern Belle Chattanooga Riverboat. I’ve heard about the riverboat, and my parents have done it, but I’ve never been myself. I was really excited once I found out what the plans were. Jess and I were lookin’ pretty fly and we were about to begin our first ever, Riverboat Adventure.
Well, upon stepping aboard the boat we were transported to 1984. It was as if we ran 88.5mph and triggered the Flux Capacitor. I could tell that Jess wasn’t overly excited about the experience. There were old people all around and the boat itself didn’t appear to have gone through any major changes over the past 20 years or so. I knew that in Jess’ mind this was a lot more magical and modern than what we were experiencing, but never-the-less, we were going to make the best of it.
We waited in line to get our picture made and step onto the actual boat. We were promptly sat by the 3rd string Quarterback from the local YMCA. Our waitress, brought us out some water as I went to get some drinks from the bar. I had to remind Jess that it wasn’t about the boat or the lazy-eye’d waiter walking around or the buffet prime rib. It was about she and I on a dinner where to us, no one else existed. It was about having our first Valentine’s Day (that counted). So we sat there and chatted and talked about the past, present, and the future. We marveled at the people and the odd couples that were everywhere. We went outside and enjoyed the night looking out at the city. We did what we always do, we had a wonderful time.
The whole trip was about 2hrs. Near the end of the excursion, the DJ guy decided to bring out the big guns and hit up some Cupid Shuffle. I mean, it was only fitting seeing as it was Valentine’s Day. So he called everyone out and taught them the steps. Then the music got going and…oh boy… This was a sight. Watching some old people who just learned the cupid shuffle attempt to dance was quite entertaining. Jess and I couldn’t just sit there so we got up and showed everyone how it’s really done. I’m pretty sure we gave some people heart palpitations, but what ever, we did what we had to do.
After the dancing the boat docked and we headed back to the hotel. We were both eager to go out and do something fun, but since neither one of us had ever really been to Chattanooga and sought out the night life, we didn’t really come up with anything. So it was back to the hotel.
Duppa duppa doop! Next day we headed over to get our Valentine’s Day massages. We had found a local shop that had some openings and jumped all over it. I have to say, that there really is something that is so much better about a) having a massage with someone you love there beside you and b) going to a place that isn’t like the Target of massage (Spa Sydell for example). After that we headed over to the TN Aquarium. I’ve been there a few times, but always enjoy another visit. For some reason I kinda like it a bit better than the GA one. Maybe it’s because it’s no so crowded. Who knows, it was still a ton of fun.
We were both pretty hungry after seeing all the fishes so we decided to head to what I thought was the Mexican place I eat at every time I go. As it turns out, that place closed down a few years ago and they built a new one it it’s place. We had a great lunch. Sitting, talking about the riverboat, the weekend, Ruby Falls, the blizzard like snow that was coming down outside, the chlorine leak that was taking place in the building next door, and all the other wonderful things that make us happy.
We finally decided it would be a good idea to head home. It was a great drive. The weather was perfect, the tunes were pumping, the sun was shining, and our Valentine’s Day was pretty much it was the best it could be. We got home, got cleaned up and then just enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the afternoon.
Our Valentine’s Day Weekend had come to a close and it was just as amazing as both of us had anticipated. We got to play in the snow, stay in a hotel, enjoy a wonder dinner/experience on a riverboat, dance, laugh, see some fish, sing, etc. All the things that make life worth enjoying. I can’t wait for next year, the year after that, and the many, many, many more years to come. I’ve continually fallen more and more in love with this woman and our lives. She continues to inspire me and bring me more joy that I could ever imagine. I love her and cherish every thing about her. This will certainly be a weekend to remember.
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