When I was in my early twenties, I watched older couples I really admired take trips together—at least annually—as a way to connect sans kids. Before I was even married and had my own babies, it’s something I resolved to do once I was in that stage of life. It was easy to perceive that it is an incredibly healthy marriage habit. Logistically, Marshall and I have not been able to get away every single year since having kids, but it’s a marriage goal we’re working to make happen more regularly.

This time around it had been almost 2 years since our last mini-solo trip and I was  v e r y  ready to fly the coop after the strain of the past year with the pandemic, family loss and the fast pace of life in between. We set out for the Southwest to find some tall mountains and deep canyons for beautiful winter hiking...because nature and mountains are so good for our souls! As soon as our plane landed in the pacific time zone I had relaxed from the stress of preparing to leave (it takes a month of planning at this point to have the kids covered, work stable, and all of the other things planned and taken care of- but oh, is a week of hardly any responsibility SO worth it!

It’s one of the best things we do to support our marriage and I am thankful for the ability and to have learned from others who’ve gone before us. I recognize it both as a great gift and wise investment each time we go away. If you’re married with kids, or one day might be, it’s a worthy rhythm to build into your family life. And if you need any on-a-budget ideas, we are your people to ask. Some years we have extra funds and other times we are very creative.

As we traveled home, I felt sad to leave all of the fun behind—there’s a large dose of reality with re-entry post vacation. But I’m thankful for the week-long connection with Marshall without the distractions of day-to-day life. I’m excited to be home with refreshed perspective as we prepare to dive back into family rhythms, eagerly work towards new goals within EdenThistle, and enjoy lots of extra kid-cuddles this week!

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