This past weekend, my husband and I spent a much needed alone weekend. We have been trying to get away for years, but something or someone always got in the way. No matter how meticulously we planned or said, "This time, we are going!"- it just never happened.
26 years of marriage, and I can only think of one time we went away for any significant amount of time (not just a night) by ourselves for the express purpose of being by ourselves. That was our "honeymoon" after renewing our vows at our 5 year anniversary. We had gotten married in the courthouse the first round, a day earlier than planned because of a paperwork mix up, no real ceremony, no fan fare, no celebration....just got married, loaded up the car and headed to North Carolina to begin life together.
Our little rendezvous in Spain certainly counts as a honeymoon. Sounds exotic, doesn't it, but we were stationed there with the Air Force, so escaping wasn't a major expense! The next 21 years have been full of kids, kids, and more kids. I am a teacher, so kids are how, when and where I spend my energy. I love working with kids. I really do. I love seeing their faces light up when they discover something new. I love the giggles, the mischievous smiles, the look to see if I am watching twinkle in the eye....all of it, except maybe the rebellion. Not sure why our human nature tells us that we think so much more than we do, and that our way is the right way, when so much of the time, time and experience teaches us otherwise!
Now....it is almost time for our empty nest to begin. Our youngest of our three children is getting married in a few short months, and the time will be all ours. This last weekend, I practiced. We went away to a resort for a few days, just me and my honey. We turned off the phones, didn't call in to check on our daughter, didn't let our minds drift to worrying about any of them. We just spent the time together! Empty nest....ready or not....here we come!
26 years of marriage, and I can only think of one time we went away for any significant amount of time (not just a night) by ourselves for the express purpose of being by ourselves. That was our "honeymoon" after renewing our vows at our 5 year anniversary. We had gotten married in the courthouse the first round, a day earlier than planned because of a paperwork mix up, no real ceremony, no fan fare, no celebration....just got married, loaded up the car and headed to North Carolina to begin life together.
Our little rendezvous in Spain certainly counts as a honeymoon. Sounds exotic, doesn't it, but we were stationed there with the Air Force, so escaping wasn't a major expense! The next 21 years have been full of kids, kids, and more kids. I am a teacher, so kids are how, when and where I spend my energy. I love working with kids. I really do. I love seeing their faces light up when they discover something new. I love the giggles, the mischievous smiles, the look to see if I am watching twinkle in the eye....all of it, except maybe the rebellion. Not sure why our human nature tells us that we think so much more than we do, and that our way is the right way, when so much of the time, time and experience teaches us otherwise!
Now....it is almost time for our empty nest to begin. Our youngest of our three children is getting married in a few short months, and the time will be all ours. This last weekend, I practiced. We went away to a resort for a few days, just me and my honey. We turned off the phones, didn't call in to check on our daughter, didn't let our minds drift to worrying about any of them. We just spent the time together! Empty nest....ready or not....here we come!
