These Dreams

I have dreams...lots of them. But the one most pressing is this ache, this crazy ache, to get away for a couple of weeks. It's been building for weeks, and yet the reality of it happening seems pretty...well...dreamy.

Some people don't seem to mind the dailyness of life. I actually know couples who don't celebrate their birthdays, their anniversaries. weird. Life is too short NOT to celebrate each other. Of course, there have been a few times that for one reason or another a birthday or anniversary went "UN-celebrated". Not by choice, mind you, but by necessity or calamity or whatever.

The dailyness of life is so...DAILY. Blah. Most of the time I am totally fine with my schedule, my life. But lately I have been restless. Jarrod and I have not gone away together for years! Oh my gosh, did I just really say that?? YEARS?!? yeah, when I think back to the last time we stole away even for overnight, just to get away, man I'm thinkin' 2006. Trust me, it's not because we don't care or don't think it's important. It's because life has taken over.

Last month some friends of ours returned from a two week trip to Hawaii. I was so happy for them. I truly was. They needed the break, the retreat. I'll confess: I began to get jealous. I would watch Hawaii 5-0 and think, "There they are, and I am here."

Then Valentine's Day arrived. Jarrod and I made a decision; one that most people think is a no-brainer. For us it was a need. There are times when your emotional needs far outweigh any other needs. We went out, at night(yes, we're getting old), to a wonderful restaurant called

The Cooperage. Just being alone, dressed in something other than jeans and t-shirts, slowly savoring every bite of our meal, and talking about how wonderful it is to be together, made the night so worth it. I am glad we did it. It will have to be my "trip to Italy" for now.

And someday...SOMEDAY, Jarrod and I will fly to Italy. Or Hawaii. Or the Bahamas. someday.

Today's Confession: God created me with a love for beautiful things and beautiful places. One day I will experience them.

"FAMILY CONFERENCE!!!"

You know how some mornings go…the kids are getting ready, eating breakfast, getting ready some more...but all the while they are fighting. You take a deep breath, referee for a minute, then try to ignore it and hope they’ll work it out or quit. They don’t. Finally, the last straw is broken, and as they’re huffing and puffing out the door you blow the whistle and yell those infamous words:

. “FAMILY CONFERENCE!”

Guess what? That happened this morning. And I’m glad it’s over. Once again, our two oldest have succeeded in pushing the other over the edge and the younger is busy bouncing a little rubber ball through the house, pretending to ignore what’s going on. Hubby calls a time-out and all parties move to the living room couches.

. The ages of the offenders?? 13 and 11. Enough said.

The scenario unfolds: the 13 year old denying any wrong-doing; the 11 year with eyes glazed over, wondering why in the heck we even have to sit here; the youngest not knowing if he needs to join the pow-wow or if he can continue bouncing his ball through the house. I won’t bore you with the details; however, I will just tell you that 10 minutes later tempers were cooled (hubby’s and mine, anyway), we prayed for forgiveness and a fresh start, and three little bambinos marched out the front door.

. Happy? Not really. Loved? Definitely. That’s enough for me.

Some days, ok many days lately, I drift into a daze, looking dreamily back at the preschool years and think, “I miss those sweet times when they were so little and cute and care-free”. But my mind does a quick reality check and replies, “Honey, remember the diapers, the sippy cups, the temper tantrums, the nap-time battles?” POP! My bubble is burst and I zip back to present-day.
Don’t let yourself live in the past days of “how it USED to be”. It always seems more warm and fuzzy than it really was. Special? Of course. Better? No. Some dear friends and mentors of ours used to say to us,

. “We loved every stage of our kids…but we loved when every stage was over.”

Confession: My sentiments, exactly!