Just Because

I adore this kid...

Just the Two of us...

When Nathan brought up the idea of just the two of us getting away, my initial response was- there is no way. What would we do with the kids, how would we have the time, money... the list went on forever. He kept going forward with the idea though, and I am SO glad he did!

He arranged for a ski in ski out condo up north for a few days at the end of January. As the date got closer, we both felt like we needed the vacation more than ever. My parents were gracious enough to take the kids for us when we went so we packed up our snowboards and a few other essentials and headed out!

I was so looking forward to doing everything we wanted to do- and nothing we didn't want to. Stay up late and sleep in, or go to sleep early and sleep in late. Sleeping in late was definitely part of the plan no matter what we did. :)

We got checked in around 7:30ish and we were starving. We found out there was a restaurant right on the resort property so we planned to go there for dinner. Nathan suggested that we get cleaned up for dinner- but I was too hungry so we went in our "cleaning, driving, I washed everything else" clothes. As soon as I walked in I knew I should have taken Nathan's advice and cleaned up. yikes...

The meal was amazing, TOTALLY EXPENSIVE, and we ate in our grubbies. Oh well. We got our fancy restaurant!! :)

The next 4 days were bliss. We were right next door to the pool and hot tub room and rarely saw anyone else there.

We were able to so completely relax and connect it was incredible. We discussed things that would normally be extremely stressful, but with no other distraction we were able to just see each others side of things without being anxious or frustrated. It was awesome! We soo needed that.

We went snowboarding a lot. We got great deals on lift tickets the whole time which was an added bonus! I loved that we were right on one of the runs because it meant that we could snowboard for a while, and come back for a while, and then go out again and it was not a big deal. Totally the way to go...

We took a little day trip to Traverse City too. We were cool enough to use this cool retro thing called a map... made of PAPER! ;)

We went to see a movie (for grown ups!) and did a little shopping before going to this cool place for dinner. It was a total shot in the dark but we got shot a bulls eye. The food was sooo good, and the theming was very cool.We got sooo full!! :)

It was a much needed get away and we loved every minute. We promised ourselves we wouldn't let too much time pass before our next trip- just the two of us. I really feel like after this trip I was a better wife, mother and Holly. Why does it take so much for us to allow ourselves the things we soo need?

It is sad to say, that I had some glimpses of my marriage I hadn't seen in a while, that I didn't know where missing. Since this trip, we have managed to continue to keep these feelings in the forefront.

1. When we left from home, the speakers in the car weren't working. At first it was strange to know we were going to be in the car for 3 hours with no sound but ourselves. It was amazing how fast that feeling past when we started talking about things just to talk. We used to love going on road trips so that we could just talk for hours on end. We loved it, and we finally were able to do that again. So often it gets to the point when we are only discussing the kids, money, or other things that we "need" to talk about. It wasn't until we were almost home after our trip that the radio suddenly started working. Now it seemed like an unwelcome distraction. We still, after all these years, love talking to and hearing each other.

2. We really like each other a lot. I remember in our newlywed bliss feeling like I was so lucky that I could just always be with my best friend. We were so excited to have so much fun together and just hang out. Of course over the years we have still had fun, but it has been mixed in with work, responsibility, kids, schedules and all the other things that take time away from just "hanging out" with each other. I felt the same way I did in the beginning this weekend. I am so lucky to just be with the coolest person on earth, and I really like him alot. :)

3. We laughed so much on this trip and it felt soo good! I had some soy chocolate ice cream that I was just eating out of the carton while we were there. At one point, we were in the hot tub talking to some people about their stay. My lips were dry so I licked them. I tasted chocolate. I was horrified! I poked Nathan. "Do I have chocolate around my mouth?!?"

He looked at me, "Um... yeah."

"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you tell me?!"
Then he says, "I know it sounds weird, but honestly- it looked normal.

Nice. We couldn't stop laughing. :) I am glad that I am married to someone that makes me so happy, and someone that I can laugh with. I mean like- cheek hurting laugh. Love that.

When we got home, we were probably more happy to see the kids than they were to see us. They had so much fun being with my parents. They keep asking us if we are going away anytime soon. I am going to take that as they want to be with grandpa & grandma rather than NOT be with us... Either way- I hope it won't be too long.

And for the record- we fell asleep by 10:30 every night, and were up by 8am. So why is it that it is after 1am (and I have to get up at 6am) am I still awake?!?

Thanks again Nathan- for the time of my life! I LOVE YOU!!!