You Reaps What You Sows

This past week DH and I were empty nesters for three days as the trio went on school camp. Three days and two nights with no kids in the house... the first time that has ever happened since they were born 9 years ago. The house was so quiet, and so clean..and so terribly, terribly boring. Originally DH and I had planned to take ourselves away for those 3 days, but finance and life meant that we nixed that idea a while ago. Plan B was to go away just overnight, but then in light of recent events that too got nixed.

On Monday, while I prepared for my job interview and he sent out job applications (what an exciting life we lead...) I had the brilliant plan to take my own advice. One of my favourite coping mechanisms (as previously blogged about) is to take a micro-mini vacation. I decided it ws high time I took my own advice on what to do when life just gets to be too much. Thus decided, DH and I used the lovely wotif.com to book an el cheapo night at a CBD hotel and we headed off a few hours later.

It ended up being one of the best decisions we've made - because we decided that, for 24 hours, we were not going to worry. We were not going to fret about money, about jobs, about kids, about anything. We were just going to have fun and be indulgent and worry about NOTHING...other than the very important task of giving DH a make-over, one which he needed in both a physical and mental sense.

So we started at the barber shop, where he shaved off his 50 year old comb-over. A HUGE event as he was very, um, attached to that thing. And it's the same barber shop who gave him his first haircut at 6 months old, so there's a certain cosmic fabulousness to it. When then ate copius amounts of lollies from a newly-discovered lolly shop, had a completely delicious meal at Sahara (which neither of us has heard of, we stumbled upon it) and then saw a stupid movie at the Halfpipe cinema. The next day we indulged in retail therapy, which was a necessity, having thrown out a vast majority of the contents of DH's closet only moments before leaving the house. So we got him new jeans, boots, business shirts, polo shirts...and so on. Basically we made him a new man from top to bottom.

We ended our day with a trip to IKEA (because who doesn't love all things cheap and colourful?) and a stop at the mall (to pick up some bits not found in the CBD) and then the totally necessary ice cream stop. A very full, fun, thrilling and mildly naughty 24 hours. We ended our day poorer, but with both of us feeling exceptionally cheerful and excited about all the new things which are sure to come our way. We came home to the same troubles, the same worries... but somehow, DH is walking taller (and it's not just the new boots), I am succeeding at smiling a bit more than I was, and we are determined that we'll get through this.

Truth is I have no idea what is coming around the corner for us - but I do know that our little escape from our lives reminded us that we can get through this, as a couple, and we will survive. I am of course hoping that good things and new jobs are around the corner (as is DH)... so keep the prayers and good wishes and whatever else coming our way. In the meantime, hands up for all those who believe in the healing power of lollies and love.