Compassionate Communication for an Anniversary Gift

My 30th wedding anniversary is coming up Feb. 15. I know, why not Feb. 14? Well, we had to work that day. We got married in the living room of a dear friend and the snow started coming down as we became man and wife (man and woman?) That didn't stop us from driving to Chicago to a nice hotel for our short honeymoon. We couldn't stop for fear of getting stuck once we got onto the highway. (They weren't freeways in Illinois.) John started a new job the Monday after our wedding so we took a longer honeymoon several months later.
The thirtieth is a big event, especially when we've both been married before. So today I read about a five-day retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains in nonviolent communication (also called compassionate communication) which just happens to take place on our anniversary so I took it as a sign. John was enthusiastic about it, so we will spend that big day in a rustic cabin in the mountains, refining our communication skills so our next 20 or so years will be as much fun as the first 30.
It was challenging that we dropped the car off today for a tuneup and learned that we need four new tires and a new battery. But the car is paid for and it's important to keep it in good shape and safe too.
Because we just have one car, a friend agreed to meet us at the car dealer's and we went to the mall to walk for 45 minutes. We were challenged by John to stay on task and not be distracted by shiny things. He was actually the first to be drawn from the path; he just had to check the price on those spiky, strappy heels at Macy's that I told him were all the rage. $110. And I told Linda I was grateful we never had to wear those things. We marched past the Pottery Barn and the Crate and Barrel and were not even lured in by the Border's. We finished the walk with a healthy lunch at Pluto's where you get a gigantic salad with seven toppings for under $7. I'm looking for inexpensive entertainment this year and that was a good outing. Saturday we brought a few sacks full of books to a used bookstore in Sacramento called Beers and were offered $39 in credit or $30 cash. We also took a walk around that neighborhood for something different to look at. So I have stuck to my resolution to walk 45 minutes a day and I have blogged twice. Now if I can just get myself to unwrap the yoga DVD.