#8 Getaways with Darin

Let me preface my post by saying that I love my children dearly, they are delightful little people, most of the time.  However as any of you who have ever had children know, they are also really needy little people who on certain more "challenging" days can use up every ounce of energy and strength you have.  Some days I find myself at bedtime feeling like a mini tornado (or two) went through my house not only because there is stuff everywhere, but also because I feel like I've been knocked off my feet and twisted around and and around and all I want to do is lie still on my bed  in absolute silence or you know watch some sort of mindless television without any one asking me for something!  You know what I mean?  On those days I unfortunately have nothing left to give to my wonderful husband because well the kids took it all.  That is why I have found it so important to have getaways with my husband.  I love getting away with just he and I, whether its for a date night or a fun trip somewhere.  The trips are obviously the most fun, but the date nights help tide us over in between trips as circumstances (and finances) don't always allow us to go on trips.  Also my husband is a pastor, which is a job he loves, but can be very stressful emotionally and its nice to go away, relax and just have "us" time.

Our first getaway together was our honeymoon to a Couples resort called, Swept Away outside of Kingston, Jamaica.  Deciding to splurge and go on a really nice honeymoon was definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made in our marriage.  A honeymoon was a once in a lifetime trip and we felt it deserved a nice trip. We had no idea what life was going to throw at us or when we would be able to go on a trip like that again, so we just did it and it was amazing! Now we had put money aside for this trip so we were fortunate to be able to do it, I don't know that I would recommend splurging if you are going to have to put it on a credit card and be paying it off for years and years to come.

Swept Away is an all inclusive resort for couples only and we enjoyed a week I will never forget. It was an all inclusive resort with 3 pools, 5 restaurants, a hot tub, a huge beach area, and lots of fun activities that were included for free, like sailing, paddle boating, water skiing and snorkeling.    The food was great, and you could eat as much as you wanted, anytime you wanted.  Also one of our favorite "little things" about the resort was that they had these beach chairs with rubber cushions that you could use as a flotation device in the ocean or the swimming pools.  I still remember lounging out in the ocean with my new husband, soaking up some sun as we enjoyed our wedded bliss!  It didn't hurt that we knew it was snowy and freezing back home.  They also had dancing and various other entertainment in the evening that was fun, but some nights we just went back to our room and hung out, we watched movies, played dominoes, and just enjoyed being together.  I remember thinking a few times, I can't believe I'm on a trip by myself with a guy and its okay!  I know I was innocent, but that's okay, I'm thankful for that innocence.

Our next big vacation we went on was a trip to Ft. Myers with my side of the family.   It was a really relaxing fun week.  It was pre-children for all of us so it was probably the last totally "relaxing" family vacation we'll  have for a long time.  I was actually pregnant with Landon on that trip but it was pretty early.  On that trip Darin and I decided it would be fun to rent a scooter and go explore.  It was fun, for him. I unfortunately did not respond well to the heat, fumes and bumpiness and I began to feel pretty unwell (I'm sure the pregnancy factor didn't help), but I tried to stick it out for as long as I could,  I think he finished the ride by himself though. 

The next two years were filled with adjusting to parenthood and most of our vacations time was spent traveling to show off our new son to our extended family members.  However, when he was about 15 months old we decided it was time for mommy and daddy only getaway.  I remember we were watching the superbowl and they were advertising a huge sale on apple vacations and it got us starting to think and look at options for a trip. However, it got pushed aside with the "practical" thoughts of should we spend money on this and who would take care of Landon?  Then a few weeks later we rented a movie called Couples Retreat where these couples go on a getaway to this island paradise to work on their marriages.  Seeing the island paradise pushed us over the edge so we got online found a really good deal (less than we would have spent on a beach vacation somewhere in the states).  It included airfare and the resort was all inclusive.  So we called my parents, asked them to watch Landon and then we booked our trip!

We went to Cozumel, Mexico and had a wonderful time.  It was great to reconnect and relax at a beautiful beach resort after a draining (but rewarding) 15 months of adjusting to parenthood and wading through some difficult times in our ministry.  This resort was not quite as big as the resort we went to in Jamaica, but it was nice and the price was great.  My favorite thing we did during that trip was snorkeling out in the reef area. That was without a doubt my favorite one day adventure Darin and I have ever had together. It was beautiful, the water was so clear, the fish and coral were so beautiful, it was incredible to be so close to nature. It did end up being an extra excursion in our trip but it was well worth it. If you ever have the chance to go to Cozumel you have to go snorkeling, it is amazing.  I still vividly remember being out in the middle of the ocean with Darin, floating facedown in the water, holding hands and admiring God's beautiful creation swimming all around us.  It was incredible.  I hope we get to go back one day.   

Besides loving the beach, another interest that Darin and I share is history. We are both big history nerds. We love learning about history and exploring historical places.  So in August of 2010 we had the opportunity to take another getaway (just a short 5 months after our trip to Cozumel, we were definitely splurging that year).  This time we only had a few days so we decided to go to Washington DC.  I had never been there before, but I had always wanted to go. Darin had been but he was excited to take me and explore our nations capital together.  We made it a full blown history trip and even got an audio book about the founding fathers to listen to on our drive.

We had the best time. After our honeymoon, this was my second favorite getaway with the love of my life. We had two days to explore so we bought a trolley pass which allows you to go to all the hot spots and get on and off as you like. We toured the capital first, then the library of congress, saw the Jefferson and Lincoln monuments, we could see the White House from afar there but we didn't plan out trip enough in advance to get to take a tour, something I would love to do if we ever get to go back. Then we went out to Arlington, saw the eternal flame at Kennedy's grave (I was kind of underwhelmed by that, not sure what I was expecting, but I guess that wasn't it.) We also saw the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier (one of Darin's favorite things), and we walked through the Robert E. Lee's house.  It was all pretty interesting. .

The next day we went to see George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, which was my favorite part of the trip.  I love seeing old homes and the tour guide told some really interesting stories about the Washingtons.  Plus I was a little bit in awe of being in the same place where Washington had lived. I know he had his flaws and was merely a human being but he was such an extraordinary man who was an integral part of the start of this "great democratic experiment".  They also have an amazing museum where I learned so much about his life.  Plus I really like the personal side of history, its good to learn about battles, conventions, foundational documents, etc, but I like to learn about what the people were like, what their family life looked like and all those kinds of things.

D's shirt says "I'm really excited to be here."

After we spent the morning at Mt. Vernon we headed back to DC to visit a few museums including the national archives. It was pretty cool to see all those famous documents up close but I admit I was a little underwhelmed there as well.  Next we headed to the museum of natural history and we got to look at a really cool jewel exhibit.  Then we got dinner downtown and headed back to our hotel, totally exhausted but in the best way possible.  It was a great trip, probably a little too short to really be able to see everything, but we had a great time.  We got to see and learn so much on that trip and it was cool because since we both enjoy history, it gave us a lot to talk about. I love that my best friend shares my passion for history. We are looking forward to some more similar adventures one day.

This past year we've also had two adventures (we take a year off after having a baby so I guess we feel we have to make it up the following year by having two adventures.)  We went back to Ft. Myers, but this time with our kids and Darin's parents.  It was a really fun week.  It wasn't just a getaway with the two of us but thanks to having the grandparents around we did get plenty of alone time and we got to watch our kids enjoy the beach and (mostly) the pool.


Our second trip was just a few weeks ago, we got to go on an overnight to Niagara Falls while my wonderful in-laws watched the kids.  Darin had never been to the Canadian side so we decided to stay over there and it was wonderful getting to enjoy God's amazing creation with my favorite person.  Plus it was really nice to finally getaway just  the two of us, I hadn't been away from Emmy since she was born, so we were due an overnight alone.  We did the classic touristy things, Journey Behind the Falls, the movie Niagara in the making and Maid of the Midst.  We also enjoyed a really nice dinner at a restaurant overlooking the falls. On the way home we stopped in Buffalo and had dinner at the anchor bar which is the place that made buffalo wings famous.  They were really good, and it was a nice end to our little getaway.

Example of why getaways are essential!

I've loved all our getaways and I'm looking forward to hopefully having many more with my best friend.  We've discovered that it is something that is much needed for us to do every once in awhile. We do love our children dearly, but I believe an essential part of helping your children have a good home environment is having a strong healthy marriage, so its important that we spend time together just the two of us.  It's relaxing, fun and I do believe it makes us better parents.

Darin, I love you and I'm so glad we truly enjoy spending time together.  You are the best husband and father to our children I could have ever hoped to have. Thank you for making our relationship a priority and taking the time to invest in it.  Where should we go next???