All five of us have been on a business trip with the Spouse since Saturday, and I just wrote a little post about our trip that I somehow managed to delete {in its entirety} with the click of a button. I have absolutely no idea where it went.
Can I just say that I really don’t have the time or patience for such technical nonsense?
Normally I would find this so incredibly frustrating that I’d just give up and go to bed. But, really, it’s kind of fitting because the very theme of my post {if it ever had a theme} was on embracing the craziness of this season.
When the Spouse and I were first married we went on several trips here and there, all without any awareness of how much freedom we were experiencing. We packed quickly and painlessly. We had great conversation and listened to our favorite music in the car as we were driving. When we arrived, we went to bed when we were tired and got up when we were ready to do so. We dined when and where we pleased, eating meals like brunch and enjoying late night lattes. We hopped from one destination to another easily and carelessly. We read magazines and newspapers and books in the room. We relaxed at the pool or in the lounge in the lobby. We traveled leisurely and went home refreshed.
And, we took it all for granted.
Now, it takes us no less than twenty-four hours to pack for a four-day trip. We load our van down with things like a double stroller, a single stroller, a cooler, an infant seat, a rock n’ play, a pack n’ play, princess blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, coats, coloring books, toys, board games, etc…. and somehow it still feels like we aren’t taking enough. We make it twenty minutes down the road before we have to make our first stop {still in the city we live in} to change a diaper. We strategically make all of our dining decisions ahead of time to *try* to avoid meltdowns and mishaps. For this reason, we’re willing to eat at Chick-fil-A five times in four days. We listen to songs about monkeys and watch movies about Barbie. The protagonists in the books we’re reading are most often llamas or pigs. We ride elevators instead of escalators. We carefully plan any and all of our outings around naps, moods, and feeding schedules. We “relax” by crashing into the bed with either the Preschooler {who tries to find new and creative ways to fall out of the bed} or the Toddler {who sleeps best when she can affix herself to the nearest warm body}. And, when we get home we’re simply relieved that we’ve made it back.
This is our life.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not perfect. It’s far, far, far from it.
It’s tiring. It can be very frustrating. It’s crazy most of the time. And, too often, we put ourselves in situations that make things more challenging than perhaps they should be.
But, tonight, while I sit here sipping on a Mott’s for Tots fruit punch juice box in place of a hazelnut latte {because the Starbucks in the lobby apparently closes prior to 9:30 PM}, I’m grateful. Tired, but grateful.
For the Spouse.
For these girls.
For the crazy.
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