Meltdowns and Melted Cheese
on remembering to date my husband
This has been sitting in my drafts for ages and I figured it’s as good a time as any to share.
My family was fortunate enough to be able to take a much-needed beach vacation over Veteran’s Day Weekend. We were all sick with our once-a-month childcare-induced head cold in the lead-up to the trip, which was tacked on to a conference I needed to attend for work to rack up hours towards my annual continuing education requirements. The day of the conference was the perfect day to be inside as the Southeast coast of the U.S. was seeing an influx of wind and rain from Tropical Storm Nicole. It was also the day my head felt the foggiest. Perfect to match the overall mood and vibes of the island. My husband and I had been planning a child-free evening for a while and there was no way I was going to let the weather or my sinus symptoms get in the way of it. So, we went. The entire 15-minute drive to the restaurant was s i l e n t and IT. WAS. AWESOME. I’m in a season of parenthood that makes me feel more like a mediator than a mother. Someone is always whining or needs another cup of milk or their butt wiped and I am tired. Tired is probably an understatement but you get the point here… I needed some time with another adult.
My husband surprised me by making reservations at a local Southwestern-inspired restaurant where we shared cocktails and the most generous portion of ceviche. I think we dropped the average diner age of the restaurant by at least 20 years. I felt fancy for a second, especially in strappy (hot pink) heels. He ordered a steak (because that’s not something I cook) and I got the grouper au gratin. You read that right. Chipotle parmesan au gratin ON TOP of grouper, rice, and veggies. My lactose intolerance could wait because I was not about to resist the cheesy deliciousness. Did I care that it was the most expensive fish entree on the menu? Absolutely not. We’ll deal with the credit card bill later. After an hour of talking about things I won’t remember, we went back to our kids, extinguished a few more fires, and got everyone settled for bed.
This season of life is hard. I miss my husband a lot. We needed this trip to show us how valuable just an hour of alone time can be. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience new things as a family… even if for now it looks more like playing at a local park 3x instead of indulging in our old hobbies.
I’d love to hear if you have a sort of “formula” for travel destinations. Are you a museum hopper? A foodie? Historic site enthusiast? Sound off in my subscriber chat or in the comments below.
