Every now and then Greg and I will sit around and reminisce about the “Glory Days.” Those glorious days we refer to as Greg and Roxanne B.C., as in before children. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids more than anything in this world, but I also miss those fun filled days without a care in the world. We have been married almost 12 years now, so that carefree living was definitely thrown out the door a few kids ago. It’s hard to say exactly what it is that I miss the most. I miss the spontaneity of being able to simply pick up and go whenever we want. In a strange way I long for the days when I had the ability to be reckless. I’ve never been on a motorcycle before and honestly it’s really not even my type of thing, but I miss the freedom of feeling like I could try it if I wanted. But above all I really just miss my husband. I miss all of the time we had to spend together. Our lives seem so busy with all the daily tasks that need to get done, not to mention the kid’s homework and sports activities, that our time together as a couple seems to be less and less. Having so little alone time together often leaves me feeling very desperate.
The kids have been on Spring Break all week and it’s dawned on me that this is just a glimpse of what summer vacation holds. From the time I wake up in the morning until the time I go to sleep at night someone wants or needs something from me. Between the kids and the dogs someone is always hungry or needs to use the bathroom. I feel like this is some sort of sick joke. This summer the pool will be open and that’s hours of entertainment everyday, not to mention it makes for sleepy kids at night, at least I have that going for me. Again, the sheer lack of couple time or alone time for that matter is bound to leave anyone desperate for any type of time at all.
At this point I hadn’t yet realized just how desperate I had become until I found out that Greg had an overnight appointment in North Carolina during Spring Break. He had a late afternoon flight out of Detroit on Wednesday, a 6:30 a.m. meeting Thursday morning, and an afternoon flight home immediately following the meeting. He would barely be gone for 24 hours. It was at this point that the committee in my head got together and saw the golden opportunity for a short getaway with my husband. The babysitters would also be off for Spring Break, which would make them available for the job. I couldn’t have asked for better timing, so I thought. Here was my so-called perfect plan. We would leave Wednesday and drive to North Carolina, stay the night, Greg could go to his early morning appointment, and then we would drive home. Oh, did I forget to mention that it’s about a 10-12 hour drive. I’m much to embarrassed to tell you what we pay for an overnight babysitter for four kids and two dogs. Let’s just say that it starts with a 1 and ends with two zeros. I was so desperate to get away and enjoy some alone time with Greg that spending between 20-24 hours in the car for a total of a 36-hour trip actually seemed like a great idea to me. Greg wasn’t nearly as enthused about this great plan that I thought up as I had been. I guess I don’t blame him. Luckily from this experience Greg was able to understand the importance of us needing to spend some alone time together on a regular basis. He has a trade show in Orlando at the end of April that we will both be attending. I’ve also learned something from this whole experience, which is maybe I need to think up these irrational ideas more often, if they end up landing me a trip out of state.
What is the moral of this story? Always remember the importance of regular date nights with your significant other. They keep you connected as a couple and help you from losing track of what made you fall in love in the first place. Oh yeah, and never underestimate the power of a hotel room. The saying that “A happy wife makes for a happy life” is oh so true!
Just a day in the life...
