We all need time....that is time with our significant other, time with our girlfriends and time for ourselves. I need "me" time every day! I am not going to lie. Even if I have to hide in the pantry when the kids come home for 3 minutes or if I chose not to answer the phone when it rings at 11:30 because in 30 mins "my" time is up! I need this to take a deep breath and move on.
I love my time with my girlfriends! Girls Night Out (GNO) is a must at least once, if not twice a month. This is when girls can be girls and vent and talk about what we need to, to make sure we are not crazy! I think I would also count my "girlfriend" time, when I pick up the phone to call that one friend who I know would love a good story, or that friend to vent to, or that friend to ask for advice. I probably do this every other day. These friends are very important to me and I need to hear their voice often! When I am having off days, these are the friends who give me the much needed laugh I need or the ones who understand me and my life.
There is also Girls Weekend Away, which usually happens once a year (or needs to happen once a year!). We need to see our "girls" in person, talking over the phone, or emailing or sending messages via facebook is only good for so long! Just like guys need their weekends away, we need our girls weekends too!
Every three-six months Will and I need to go away to get recharged to keep up with our daily lives. Sometimes it is for long weekends and others only for one night. Whatever the length of time, we need it! We love to go to tropical beaches, but when that trip isn't the chosen one, our second place we always love to visit is Charleston, SC. Will and I just go back from a much needed long weekend away.
As I mentioned in my previous blogs, we have been sleep deprived (she is sleeping now....KNOCK ON WOOD) and thinking about tendon lengthening surgery for Anna Cate; but I did not write about Eli's tests for his large (and I mean this boy looks like he is pregnant!) stomach to see if he had Celiac (which thank God came back negative) and his x-ray of his stomach to come full circle to find that he is just like his father....full of ****! What this kid produces every day, who would have thought! And a visit to the allergist for him too, as he has been battling a 6 month runny nose, to find he has severe allergies to things in his environment with the worst being cats! Now all my kids have a confirmed allergy to them! Eli's is the worst! So cat dander from friends and family is extremely dangerous for him....allergy shots here we come!
Then with one day left before we can relax, Anna Cate wakes up in the middle of the night with the stomach bug! Really???? It was going to be my catch up and pack day on Wednesday!!!! I guess that is what I get for waiting to the last minute!
Then VACATION day came......and as soon as we are in the car driving South we automatically feel relaxed knowing that for the next 3 days we don't have to worry about anyone else but ourselves!
When we go out for date night or away on vacation, we try really hard to make sure all the conversations are non-kid related! This is really hard to do at first, but then you find all sorts of things to talk about. I always find that I "think" I have told Will a story, when in fact I haven't and then can't believe how long it has taken me to tell him something, as there are many days that go by where we feel like we are two ships sailing in the night. It was so nice to sleep in till 7:30 (my body can not sleep past this FANTASTIC hour, but it is better than the 5:30AM daily alarm at home!), and go out for a long walk holding hands and just taking in all the things we take for granted daily as we are living such a fast pace life. The beautiful color of the sky, the birds, the outstanding weather, the sound of the water, Will's smile, laugh and kiss.
And then there are the sounds of things like the trash truck going by that reminded us of Eli as he is addicted to trash trucks, or the sound of dogs playing in a doggy park that reminded us of Anna Cate as she loves dogs (or as she says "puppy") or the sound of a popular song that is on the radio that Betsie sings all the time; which then makes us think of the kids while we are away from them. Hearing these sounds that reminded us of our children, often got us laughing as we would always think of one funny story about each one.
Being away was a time for us to spend much needed time together when daily our alone time is usually only an hour or so depending on how much work Wally has to do that evening or if it is a bad night for Anna Cate We enjoy not having a "schedule" when on vacation as we feel we live on a schedule at home. We just go and do! We love Charleston for this very reason as we never get back into our car until it is time to go home (unless we drive over to Sullivan's Island). And it is a VERY good thing we do everything by foot, as we also eat our way through Charleston! This place has some of the best restaurants ever! If you ever get a chance to visit, make sure that you go to Amen Street, and order their calamari....I am telling you it is the best we have ever had!!! Over our entire stay, we ordered it 5 times! It was the perfect "thing" when we wanted a little something to eat!
Sometimes we like to go away by ourselves and other time we like to meet up with friends who we haven't seen in a while and who support us every day! This trip we meet up with our great friends Anne and Scott from Charlotte (or from Iowa, depending on the day, right Anne!) They have been friends of ours since Katie was 6 months old, so they have been there for us from the beginning! It is always fun to meet friends on our long weekends away, as within our couples trip there is alway time for much needed "girl/guy" time too! Will is great about the "shopping" when it is just the two of us, but quickly gives up the obligation when there is another person for me to go with! This I think was the FIRST time I went away and truly wanted to relax and not shop (besides trying to find something for the kids). I must have been EXHAUSTED as this is so unlike me! And it is also fun for Will to have "guy" time even when we are on vacation together. They need to talk to "guy" talk, just as much as we need to talk "girl" talk. Anne and Scott, we had a blast! Thanks for all the laughs!
Recharging our batteries is essential for us to keep giving it our 100% every day. We are very lucky and extremely thankful that Mimi and Poppy were able to come stay with the kids so we could have some much needed R and R. But not only is it important for us to regain some energy, it is also equally if not more important for Wally and I to have time together without the kids to remember behind three wonderful and exhausting children, there is husband and wife who need attention too!
Will, I thank you for a much needed long weekend away to relax and spend time with the love of my life! I love you!
P.S. When is the next trip?
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