Weekend Recap: Mountain Weekend

I’m not sure when the last time you went on a little getaway just to do nothing, have no agenda, except to be silly with your friends and lounge in your pjs all weekend long. It had been a while since Kevin and I had done that with our friends! After becoming parents, it takes so much to plan activities with other parents. You have to take into account overnight childcare (with people you trust), your level of comfort of being away from your kids, weekends that work out with all of you, if you can stand your friends on vacation (seriously!).

This past weekend, we finally got to go on a little weekend escape to Blowing Rock, NC with some of our best friends and just have uninterrupted time to talk and get to know each other a little better. We planned it 6 months ago, so we had been counting down the days for a while now. Normally, we chat around screaming toddlers, changing diapers, and reheated coffee, but this weekend was chatting around a fire, extra sleep, and hot coffee!

We also got to spend extra time with our spouses, which is a nice treat in itself. It was like two vacations in one. Girl time and hubby time. Both nights we were there, we were challenged with certain questions to dig a little deeper into ourselves and into our marriage. The first night, we all decided that we all needed to do a “ditch date.” Kevin and I WILL BE DOING THIS! One of my friends has already done this with her hubby, and said it works so well and just sets the tone for the year. And since intentional time with Kevin and simplifying our life are two of my goals this year, it’s the perfect thing to do to keep growing and keep momentum going in our marriage and “dating” life.

Basically, a “ditch date” is a date you go on where it’s just the two of you, and you decide what you need to get rid of over the next year to help simplify your life and cultivate a healthier life together. Kevin and I had already talked about this around Thanksgiving a bit, but this weekend, we’re going to dive into it a little deeper. We have goals. We are GOING to reach them, but it starts by taking a lot of things off the calendar to really prioritize what we want for our life and how to stay unified.

This weekend is our anniversary, (6 years!!!) so it’s good timing to sit down and really speak life into what our goals are and how to get there. Both of us are “yes” people. Saying “no” doesn’t come naturally, but it’s going to have to soon! I’ll let you know how the “ditch date” goes!

Aside from planning our ditch date, we literally just played games and walked a little around the little town for a couple hours. If you’re looking for an excellent barista, go to Camp Coffee. My almond milk chai latte was amazing, and our barista knew everything you needed to know for a visit. I wish I could go grab my latte tomorrow morning again. And we found the cutest little shop. If you love shiplap and everything girly, go to Take Heart.  All of our hearts exploded a little bit when we walked inside. The walls are lavender shiplap. I don’t think I even need to say another word. Super cute. You’ll want to buy everything. The employees were so great! I walked out with a cute pair of earrings and my friend walked out with the most comfortable sweatshirt you’ll ever put on.

Coming home today was definitely sad. I wish we had an extra day to just walk around or sit around the fire and talk a little more, but you know how it is being away from your babies… I was ready for my big Hallen hugs and Hazel giggles. Parenthood is so ironic like that, isn’t it… you’re so ready for a break, but as soon as you get a break, you miss their sassy little mouths like no other!

Hope you guys had a great weekend!