My husband announced to me on Wednesday that for Valentine's Day, we were going out of town. I redid my work schedule and worked hard that day and Thursday, so I was free to go away.
It was exactly what I needed from beginning to end.
If I could wish anything for my children is that they enjoy their life partner as much as I enjoy mine, especially after 32 plus years.
We saw breathtaking scenery--mountains, pine trees, the ocean--always so immense and powerful--the river, some seals, barges, and sky.
We stayed in a hotel without children--quite an experience. Watched what we wanted on TV. Read. Giggled. Talked. Cuddled. More, but that's private. :)
We ate in great restaurants--and disappointing ones. We foolishly tried to get into a restaurant Valentine's Day evening and were turned away twice. Ended up at a Denny's and it was just lovely, even though we had to wait an hour to get our food.
We explored a coastal town, my patient, patient husband pushing me most places in a wheelchair, as I would have never made it on foot. The weather was incredible for this time of year--sunny and mid 50s!
I was grateful for pain pills since they let me relax enough to have such a wonderful time. I marveled at my hubby loading and unloading the wheelchair, pushing it through the tiny aisles of stores and never once complaining. Instead, he just said it gave him more opportunity to tower above me and look down my shirt.
We went to familiar places and brand new ones. We laughed and talked and kissed and basked in how lucky we are to still be this much in love after more than three DECADES together.
We sighed over babies and longed for grandchildren.
We went to wonderful thrift stores and boring ones. I found paper (shocking), and some penguins for Evan (as always), and gifts to send to penpals. I paid too much for special cards to send to Nicole.
We had a slightly harrowing ride home--the roads back from the coast are very windy, and dark, surrounded by towering pine trees and changing elevation every few minutes. Our new van, Ruby,performed perfectly, but vision was hampered by something on the windshield, as well as patches of fog. I stayed awake and made sure to help J with at least a second set of eyes and help when needed.
It was, without a doubt, the perfect, perfect, perfect getaway. The best Valentine's Day present . . . . probably ever. Although we were only gone 36 hours, they were precious hours and I return one happy, lucky woman.
2 comments:
Awesome. Did you take any pictures?
And I'm unsurprised that Joseph spent the whole weekend looking down your shirt. ;)
What's on the windshield?
Our little car films up, I have found the best thing is a little Dawn dish soap and water on a cloth, wipe the hell out of it with that, then one with clean water... then a dry towel. Cumbersome, but works GREAT.
I am so so so glad it was fantastic. You were right. You needed that. Sometimes, after enough hours and enough pain and enough of an empty house, you need to get away with the ones you love. (Sounds like a song!) If you have hard days in the coming week that I'm out of town, return to that. Return to those roads and beaches and hotel rooms and smile at that bliss. You deserve it more than anyone I know.
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