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Gettin' Away -- September 2007 Contest
Anyone that's married knows the drive to get away from it all, away from the stress of the day to day grind, the office nightmares, the hectic chaos of life in general.
No one knows this more than parents. It's they who find how crucial it is to get the kids to bed early, turn out the lights and reach for their spouse to unwind from the stressors and tension that day had brought.
My husband and I found ourselves at this point, early into our marriage. He was working as a car salesman, long horrible hours where we hardly saw each other, struggling financially. I was working a full time office job. Burdens heaped upon burdens until we could hardly stay above water- we had to get away.
I secretly planned an overnight getaway for the two of us. Childcare was arranged, phone calls were placed, our luggage hidden in the back of our car.
When he got off work, I told him I was "kidnapping" him to get away from everything. We drove a couple hours, just outside the city where we lived to a quaint log cabin inspired hotel. A forest of trees, polished wooden beams, antler light sconces, thick Indian blankets in giant life size tiger prints, all lent to the outdoorsy rustic feel and caused us to instantly relax.
I had packed our favorite non-alcoholic wine, a tasty effervescent red grape juice and slender stemmed goblets. We toasted to each other, our marriage, our life together before becoming immersed in frothy fragrant bubbles of our in-room Jacuzzi, relaxing in each other's arms, listening to the crackling fire in the stone fireplace across the room, then gentle flicker of light from the tealight candles lining the back of the tub--all of it working to seduce us as our muscles unwound and we could focus on each other.
It was a wonderful night of letting go. Of inhibitions, of stress, of the feeling of always being "on" as a parent, rarely getting personal time let alone couple time.
We played a waterproof "bath" card game I had purchased at a Spencer's gift shop beforehand that helps couples learn more about each other's bodies as well as spicing up the evening with intriguing questions and quizzes. Laughing , kissing and cuddling, enjoying that intimacy that can only come from being married and devoted to your sweetheart for life, we vowed never to wait so long between small, much needed getaways.
You may think you don't have the budget for a weekend trip-then do like we did and go somewhere special overnight. It will make all the difference in the world, your marriage and ultimately your family. Oh yeah, and your husband will thank you- over and over again--Take it from me and just do it! ~Jorene
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