Getting Away

This past weekend, I got to go on a mini getaway (just overnight) with my husband to the Bay area.  We'd been planning the trip for months because one of our favorite bands (Christian ska band Five Iron Frenzy) had reunited and was touring.  We originally planned for the whole family to go and to drive down there, but decided with the cost of gas and the cost of the concert, that the kids would stay behind and that husband and I would go alone (yay!).  We scored great Ding! tickets from Southwest ($89 each way--usually it is about $130) and made plans to stay with friends in Palo Alto (the concert was in San Francisco, about 30 minutes away).

When we had originally planned the trip, I was still in nursing school.  And had no idea that I wouldn't be in nursing school at this time.  Next week is "finals" week for my nursing cohort; so I would have been towing a lot of heavy books with me (requiring a suitcase of their own) had all that worked out, and I wouldn't have been present to enjoy the getaway with my husband.  But instead, I got to truly relish in the weekend and in the extra one-on-one time with Peter, without worrying about pathophysiology, pharmacology, or patient priority.  It was a huge blessing that our marriage needed and that we as individuals needed to get away from all the worries and frenzy of "real life".

So, our getaway was truly a get away.  Get away from the stack of books on our bedroom floor that have collected dust over the past couple of months that leave me feeling sad and empty.  Get away from our bickering kids, and more specifically, the tween's sudden attitude problem (more on that in another post).  Get away from the stress of work (and looking for a job in a jobless market) and household management.  Get away from the every day routine and practice a little fun and spontaneity.

Sometimes, we need to get away from our problems.  Not that we will forget them or ignore them, but I think it is important to not be inundated by them all the time.  A little getaway like we had is a perfect remedy for that.  Spending time with each other and spending time with old friends helps to refresh us to come back and face the problems with a new perspective.  Or, at least with new energy.  In our case, it was just what the doctor ordered.

We all need more getaways in our lives.

Five Iron Frenzy--still rockin' after 10 years "off"

My getaway partner  ♥