Years ago our oldest child was in the late stages of a degenerative disease and would have required a nurse rather than a babysitter for us to have a night out. H and I opted to celebrate our seventh anniversary at home after we put our two young children to bed. There was a storm that night and the power went out.

We sat on the couch sipping locally brewed blueberry beer (something new to New England that summer). My husband looked me in the eyes and played love songs to me on his guitar.

Since we need electricity to get water from our well, we couldn't shower. Later that evening I filled the bathroom with candles and we gave each other sponge baths using gallons of mineral water we had bought for drinking.

Since then H and I have had anniversary dinners in 4-star restaurants and taken romantic-destination second honeymoons. But none share the place in my heart that this anniversary does.