Sabbatical
I did not cry ONE time this week...EXCEPT on the night before we left to come home. Oh, I totally lost it as we said goodbye to this vacation. It wasn't a hopeless depression cry, though, and I have both personal and professional experience to recognize the difference.
I have officially decided that the Emerald Coast is my happy place. The idea of moving did come up again... |
Folks, I've been needing this vacation one-hello-lot...just me and my one and only - my safety, my martyr, my stalker, my only fan, the only person in this life who sees ME and accepts me and never seeks to hurt me, my Matt. Ahhhhh sigh.
At one point, I told him, "I've never felt this peaceful in my entire life." Then, I asked him to name a time I've sat so contentedly still...it was a stretch - nearly 16 years ago.
ANYWAY...the girls manned the fort at home. Did you know, if you have a mini-farm in the suburbs and you want to take a vacation in the summer, you have to find someone to take care of all the little details you are leaving behind, like: the dog, the rabbit, the chickens, the garden and taking the mail from the mailbox to the recycling bin (well most of it...)?
Lovely moonrise after a beautiful sunset on our last night. (This is definitely when I cried.) |
We felt bad asking them to stay behind and take care of it. (So, I bought them the new Switch 2 as a trade off, and if you don't think that was as much for me as them...you REALLY don't know me at all.)
We compensated for the cost of "their" reward by reducing costs on our vacation as much as possible.
1) We drove instead of flying and renting a car. 15 hours each way. 24/7 together. (We didn't argue at all. As it turns out, the travel happens to work out really well when you are with your best friend. The only trouble...we so rarely get away, and chaos and strife seem always to be ringing our bell.)
2) We do not ask much in the way of hotels. I need a comfortable bed and access to some pretty specific food requirements. I prefer a clean, relatively quiet space, and a private bathroom is a must. (I'm really, really weird about that.)
I DID manage to find a Hobby Lobby near me. I don't need a lot, but I need a LOT of what I need. |
3) We didn't eat out much (once or twice, splitting plates, etc.) or spend a lot of money on material things. I'm not a big shopper, anyway. We chose the hotel for its nearby access to a state pine forest. We had free access to the beach within a 1/2 mile walk, and we stuck to free/low cost activities. (We don't mind a little discomfort, if it saves money. I think we could all of us use to be a little less comfortable now and then. The weathering of discomfort tends to soften and shape you - like glass in the sea.)
I took my "busy bag," which included several books and projects...so I didn't feel like there was a lot of wasted time in the car.
4) I married a really easy-going guy. Pretty much, if I'm happy, he's happy. (It does require a little mind-reading on my part, because sometimes he doesn't see his own needs. But...fortunately, I told you I have been working on my telepathy for awhile now. Who better to help me hone my skills???)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
I have been trying to memorize the Beatitudes. I am finding it is more difficult to memorize things these days. I'd like to blame it on the increase in work load, but I've never been one to turn away from the painful truth. I can look aging in the face, regardless of the pain in my pride. Besides, I don't think just because something is hard that should grace me out of the work. (Did I mention I am simultaneously refreshing the Spanish from my high school days by reading the Salmos en espanol?) Progress is just a LOT slower than it used to be. I don't let that stop me. I've been working on the whole patience thing. (And if you think THIS is bad, you should have seen me before!!). Besides, it gave me something to do. I don't tend to sit well (see above).
Anyway, it is the second time in 25 years we have laid down our responsibilities and taken a vacation alone together, and this one came at a desperate time. I think we are going to be able to continue to breathe (and work) now.
I love to see my kids enjoying time alone with their grandparents. What a blessing to me! |
Evan is really into fishing now! |
Dillon brought in a really cool Grouper! |
And we were grateful the boys had a fun experience of their own!
K.
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