Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Vacation: From Anxiety to Adventure

Escaping to Mexico mid-January may seem like a dream, but the truth is leaving behind four kids is STRESSFUL! There's so much stuff.  So many lists.  So many schedules.  By the time everyone and everything was squared away I asked Billy if he even wanted to go on vacation with me anymore.  Ha!  (but, seriously)

The act of leaving our children is physically painful for me.  I cry and inevitably want to back out of every trip we've ever been on post-children. Billy convinces me I'll be fine once we get there, but that doesn't stop my mind from racing and my heart from beating anxiously all the way to the airport.  I'm positive I've neglected to do something. Oh well, too late now.  I hope my kids know I love them and that I'm coming back. What if they all get the stomach flu and infect our entire family (<--this one actually did happen unbeknownst to us during the vacation)

However, once we stepped off the plane and breathed in the warm air I was cured.  We needed this.  I changed into a sundress and flip flops in the airport restroom.  The sadness and guilt of leaving the kiddos melted away in the 80 degree sun as we waited for our driver.

When we got to our resort we did exactly n o t h i n g.  Nothing feels so awkward when you're very accustomed to doing all the things.

Nothing consisted of:  Reading.  Full books.  Books, PLURAL.  We ate and slept and ate and dozed in the sun and walked on the beach and listened to the waves for hours.  We played card games, connected and talked...and really listened.  At night we danced until my feet were so sore I had to walk back to the hotel barefooted (because good choices are made after a little tequila). We got massages on the beach -  $20 for 70 minutes?!   The price alone was a good enough excuse to get a massage daily. It was incredible.

The only day we actually did anything was on our last day when we decided the vacation needed a little adventure and we swam the underground rivers at Xcaret, which I highly recommend to anyone planning to visit the area.
Lots of dancing.  If you want a fun vacation I highly recommend you take Bill Murray :)
Early morning walks.
Although the resort we stayed at was technically a family resort we saw probably 3 children total during our stay. Everytime we saw a kid we were like "Hi!  We have kids.  Can we talk to your kid?  Is that a baby?  I might steal your baby..."  Kids on romantic vacations are super fun when you're not responsible for them ;)

Dear boys,
We missed you so much, but we take time away so we can give you the most important thing...a mom and dad who are happy and whole.  We are the center of our family and we want to be the strong foundation you deserve.  Being your parents is the best thing we've ever done.  By taking time away we are investing in us and in you.  Our future and our collective happiness.  Just a few days away to reconnect yields incredible results...I hope you remember that when you're married someday (and we'll watch your kids!! :)  I put these pictures from our trip on the blog because we want you to see who we are outside of being your parents.  We're real people (if you can believe that!) and we truly have fun together.

We love you so much, but we loved each other first.

Our whole hearts,
Momma & Dad
PS.  We cannot wait for our next FAMILY vacation!  Those are pretty awesome too :)

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