This weekend Daniel and I got away for the first time in six years. Yep, I did say six. Either we've been living out of state (or country) without the help of family to care for our kids, or on rice and beans with no breathing room in the budget, and sometimes both. I don't need to say that this weekend was overdue.
So I made Daniel a carrot cake and we packed a little bag and headed just outside of town to the Bella Vita suites in Saugutuck, MI.
We had a
great time. Lately I've been feeling as though I'm falling in love with my husband all over again, and this weekend I got to stare at him and laugh with him and admire him without the (sweet) distraction of our little boys. We were, however, more than excited to see their little faces this morning, as they greeted us with mixed emotions. They were happy to see us, mad at us for leaving, and sad that their special time with Grandma and Grandpa was over.
I want to point out the dress I wore to dinner on the second night of our stay. 32 years ago, my dad asked his new girlfriend (my mom) to accompany him to Chicago to meet his brother and sister-in-law. Being the country girl that she was, my mom needed a dress for the big city! Excited and ready to knock his socks off, she went out shopping. At Gantos in Grand Rapids, in July of 1978, my mom bought this little black dress:
As it turned out, the poor country girl never did get to see the big city that weekend. They stayed in and my uncle cooked them dinner because he and his wife had three little kids and it was easier that way. Her snazzy little dress hung in the guest room in plastic and was never donned. She ended up wearing it to many fancy occasions over the next decade, though, and it always suited her well. To this day it looks brand new (good and faithful polyester), and though my mom did not wear a wedding dress the day she married my dad, her second husband, I will always have this dress. I'd rather wear a piece of history, while eating Pad Thai with my husband at The Everday People's Cafe, than have a wedding dress in the attic that no one ever sees anyway. Thanks, Mom, for keeping this dress for me:)
