I have always loved this alone week at the cottage with my husband ( 6 days to be exact ) We have had it for a decade now yearly and cherish it . We think it even beats going on vacation together .. Or very very close anyways
This summer we did not think we would have it as only one camper in the family, left but both boys decided to leave for jobs for summer so all three away the same week .
And it is really heavenly . Truly . We feel that someone else is in charge of our kids ( false as both boys in charge of other people's kids actually ! ) but nevertheless we feel carefree in some ways these 6 days .
I hide my phone on myself . We buy treats we would never usually eat . We often sleep in until 10:30. We talk and laugh in bed until often 11:30am . We go to bed as late as we feel like it often 1:30am .We eat as simple some days as a bowl of cereal for dinner and other days fancy bbqs and pastas. We watch funny movies together and sad ones too . We boat and sail and kayak and take naps in the sun in eachothers arms .
We have our vacation morning rituals too. We express gratitude daily and set our intentions for the day . We say a prayer to our angels in heaven ( all parents and granparents we lost except my mom who is still living ) and have faith they they get us through (or ones we love through )the more difficult times of life . We stretch in the morning as our backs and necks hurt as we age .
We sleep outside on the bali bed dock on the lake and laugh that absolutely nobody but us would want to do this ( aka me forcing hubby and he ends up liking it ! )
We book future trips ( yay for a new place in turks in novemeber ! ) and make dreams come true ( machu pichu trek for hubby in october ) and we make plans of how to pay for it all ( lots and lots of career plans and projects and hard work and extra hours )
We make plans about our lives and our schedules and how to improve them to ensure we are putting our values into action and staying well and happy and healthy as much as possible
We fight and yell and tickle and laugh. We love and resent , worry and cherish. Its all one big melting pot of 20 years of shared history and 3 children together .
This couple week is as essential as oxygen to us . We need time alone and without these types of getaways - don't have it
We try as hard as we can to not feel any (until your elsest son of course calls from the hosptial in Bromont far away and says he has broken his wrist biking and your worry comes all back )
Until you let go a little more together and allow him to handle it in his own different , confusing, annoying and unique responsible way on his own ( a whole other blog )
And you try not to look and worry about schedules and just anticipate us all finally being together for a weekend ( until your middle son calls to say that he wants to discuss the weekend with you later ) uh oh !
You have learned to love them together since the moment they were born ( and you reminisce about these beautiful memories many times this week of their birth stories and cradling them in your arms and feeling it is not possible to be happier than seeing your newborn baby in his daddys arms )and you learn to let them go together too ( which may be the hardest thing you will both need to do together but managing pretty well so far)
All you know is that you always were .. You are .. And you always will be just that : in this crazy life ... Together .
And that ? Feels right .
Despite all the uncertainties and obstacles and worry and sometimes fear and doubt. Many other times such love and intimacy and closeness
Like a week like this week that we wish would go on forever . For the first time ( sssshhh ) not even sure we want to get the kids back so soon !!!
It is right . And that .. You know for sure
