HOLDEN FAM 2.0 | ADVENTURE AWAITS

HOLDEN FAM 2.0 | UPDATE 06
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FRIDAY
Happy Friday! It's finally the end of the week (in my game of course), and the Holdens have a weekend full of fun plans. First things first, we've got a birthday in the house. Can you guess who it is? That's right, Captain aged up from a small pup into one handsome fella! The Holdens figured what better way to celebrate his birthday than to take him on his first vacation?! They were going on a mini vacay anyway to celebrate their anniversary, so it was the perfect fit. And where are they going? The one and only destination hot spot for an outdoor retreat— Granite Falls. So get in Cappie, we're going camping!
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After a long road trip to Granite Falls, they finally made it to the Riverside Getaway Cabin.
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Once they unpacked and fed Cappie, it was time to enjoy the outdoors! Wade took it upon himself to teach Captain how to fetch. He's a smart dog, so it didn't take him too long to catch on. Aww, look at how cute he is giving his daddy the ball!
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Well okay, he needs to work on giving Wade the ball back. He seems to think that once he retrieved it, he gets keep it! :D
Wade: "Alright buddy, you gotta give it me. Haha c'mon boy, hand it over!"
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Then the two went fishing in the river right next to their cabin. They caught some perch fish, but that wasn't sufficient for dinner, so they threw them back in. Darla managed to catch some sort of box though which she was really excited about! I wonder what's inside..
Darla: "Babe look at what I caught, it's a box!"
Wade: "Well look at that! Good job honey, but you're supposed to be catching fish! This is fishing not boxing!"
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After they had enough of trying to catch a decent-sized fish, they threw in the towel and decided to grill up some chicken. It was such a beautiful day, perfect to eat out on the patio.
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Now, one thing about the Holdens is they are extremely competitive with one another. They decided to break open the card deck they packed and start up a game of cards. Darla drew a pretty good hand, and she was certain she was going to win this round!
Darla: I've got myself quite a good hand, good luck beating me partner!
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Wade: Ooh, would you look at that?! Looks like you're the one out of luck. Better luck next time little lady..
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After it got dark, they huddled around the fire pit, roasted some marshmallows, and told one another ghost stories.
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At the end of their night, they decided to pour a couple glasses of juice and relax in the hot tub!
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SATURDAY
The next morning, they each did their own thing. Wade woke up early to go hiking to admire the nature all around him. He leashed up Captain and took him along. Captain had so much fun going for a walk around Granite Falls with all the new smells and places to mark!
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Darla enjoyed all that nature had to offer too, but she took a more relaxing approach. Some good ol' tanning on the patio was enough for her. She typically would love to go hiking, but she just wasn't up for it that morning.
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Later on in the afternoon, they went over to the Granite Falls Day Spa for some massages that Darla booked. She specifically chose the "Romantic Rendezvous" package. It was their anniversary after all! The massages were so relaxing and just what they needed.
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The package included a complimentary pass to the rejuvenating hot spring. Let me tell ya, they took advantage of that complimentary pass.. <3
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After the day spa, they had to quickly head over to the Woodland Bar & Grill for dinner. They put in their order; Wade got the steak and a tall glass of Barley Bale while Darla got the herb crusted salmon which she paired with a glass of Riverblossom Cranernet Nuala. While they were eating their meals, they decided to talk about the "Rose and Thorn" of their trip.
Darla: "Uhm okay, I'll go first. Well my rose is definitely the fact that Captain got to join us on this vacation! It seems like he's really enjoying it up here, so I think we need to take him on our trips more often. Do you wanna give yours?"
Wade: "No, you can go ahead and finish. What's your thorn?"
Darla: "Hmm, this one is difficult...oh! My thorn is when you drew a star and beat me at cards! Ugh, that was so annoying!"
Wade: "Hahaha, next time I'll take the star cards out of the deck just for you."
Darla: "Okay, your turn!"
Wade: "Alright, I guess I'll start with my thorn and save the best for last. My thorn has to be that our trip is almost over. I've been really enjoying it up here and I don't wanna leave yet."
Darla: "Wade! That's such a cop-out answer!"
Wade: "I mean, it's true! I'm glad we picked Granite Falls as our anniversary spot, and I'm not looking forward to the drive home."
Darla: "Alright, alright— and your rose?"
Wade: "Well see, now this is the difficult one for me because my "rose" hasn't happened yet.."
Darla looked at him with confusion.
Wade: "So I've got a surprise for you back at the cabin. Once we're done eating, we'll head on back there. Don't rush though! The surprise isn't going anywhere, so take your time."
Darla: "A surprise?! How'd you get that past me? You didn't even know which cabin we were staying in!"
Wade: "I've got my resources.."
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They went back to their cabin, and Wade showed her what he had planned..
Wade: "Okay babe, turn around, you can look."
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Wade: "Sooo we're going to sleep under the stars tonight."
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Okay, as the writer, I need to interject for a minute. You're probably thinking "Oh, that's sweet" or "Aww, cute," but sleeping under the stars is not just the act of literally sleeping under the stars to Darla. Let me explain. When Darla's parents disappeared during their visit to Forgotten Hollow, she used to look out her window in Oasis Springs and wish upon a star that they would return home. After several months passed, she finally accepted that her parents were not coming back. Out of respect for her parents, she scheduled a funeral for them with a small circle of close family and friends. Though she did not have solid evidence of them passing, she just knew they were gone. At the funeral, she referenced the importance of stars as she closed out her eulogy quoting: "Perhaps they are not simply stars in the sky above us, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down upon us to let us know they are happy and at peace." Stars are not just luminous specks in the sky, they represent her parents and their happiness. With that said, "sleeping under the stars" in Darla's perspective is sleeping with the comfort that somewhere out there her parents are happy and at peace, which is the best gift Wade could've ever surprised her with.

With tears filling her eyes, she hugged and kissed Wade. They cozied up on the blanket outside of their tent, and looked up at the stars. There was a lot of silence for the rest of that night, which was very peaceful in a way. Wade really didn't mind it. Quite honestly, silence is loudest to the ones who love you the most. He knew how much this gesture meant to her, and her silence— yeah, that was his rose. They looked up at the stars until their eyes were so heavy they couldn't resist letting them rest.
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Thanks for reading! :)

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