My husband and I haven't been on a vacation by ourselves in five-and-a-half years. This, my friends, was becoming a problem. We parent our two wonderful sons together day in and day out. We both work full-time and due to our schedules end up missing each other or seeing each other an hour before bed time. After being parents for four-and-a-half years, let's just say our alone time sadly went missing.
In November of last year, I realized we had been waiting long enough. We ran the numbers in the budget and decided that 2013 would be the year! We were bound and determined to go somewhere. It didn't have to be fancy. It didn't even have to be for a whole week. But we knew it was time.
I began researching vacations in Mexico but quickly found that it was out of our budget. One day my husband commented that he might like to go snow skiing again. We went together six years ago and really enjoyed our stay in the quaint little town of Breckenridge. It never occurred to me to go someplace wintery. But the idea started to grow on me. A cozy little cabin with a fireplace? Downhill skiiing with the rush of cold wind on our faces? Suddenly it sounded heavenly!
As fate would have it, the next day there was an airline sale to Denver. My mind was made up; Breckenridge was the place! I have found so much joy in planning this trip. Finding the perfect lodging, reserving our ski equipment. I have also found that having this planned a few months ahead has given us something to look forward to.
When the day is long and the tantrums have quieted, my husband and I plop down in bed and state the countdown. "Only thirty more days," we'll say to one another.
Travel was something we did a lot of before we had kids. I promised myself I wouldn't let travel opportunities pass us by but planning to leave your children can be a tough choice to make. I realized though that planning and going on an adults-only vacation is actually important to our marriage. It will give us time to connect on a deeper level. It will allow us time to process our relationship, help us to see how far we've come, and talk about where we're going. If nothing else, it will teach us to appreciate our reality, albeit stressful and hurried.
There is no doubt in my mind that we will return home rested and rejuvenated because of the time away from our jobs and our kiddos. I will miss our boys for the four days we are gone. But I can't wait to give them kisses when we get home and tell them we love them with a renewed sense of gratitude.
If you're on the fence about taking an adults-only vacation—just do it! We waited too long, and now we are counting down the days until we're on the slopes together.
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