Home Free

We just got back from a 4 day trip to Hilton Head Island where i thought i was going to make beautiful beach memories with my family and sip pina coladas (virgin, of course, remember my last blog) while my kids played and my husband and i fell in love all over again---NOT! Girls, why do we do this to ourselves--i have learned to set my expectations low even though i am always trying to dream big which is a hard paradox to keep up!
Our trip went more like this...husband was in business meetings every day from 7-5pm (gone all day and wanted to sleep on his lunch), so i ended up entertaining my 2 and 5 yr.old every day and it was too cold for the beach thing (that should give you an idea right there about my trip). I started looking fwd to dinner plans every nite, so the first nite i arranged to eat at The Salty Dog--famous place--sorry SaltyDog the food sucked! and me pregnant, thought crab cakes would be great from a coastal restaurant--not--so i discretely picked at my plate--which my husband picked up on it and started a whole "you are so picky" bit, then my 5 yr. old had to potty right then so i had to take her to the not so nice public restroom and my 2yr. old broke a picture hanging at our table---so when i came back my husband says "we're leaving"--Great---so i (pregnant, remember) tear up and walk out of the restaurant b/c my lofty idea of a fun vacation is shattered (to which my husband would argue--it was a conference--not a vacation---(unlesss you are a stay-at-home mom and you don't get to go anywhere, ever!) Then i sat in the car, pondering my life (all of it) and i have hit the point where I have realized...

that everything takes a lot of effort (does anyone else feel this way?) My kids, my marriage, my body, my attitude, my image, my church, my relatives, and now my vacations (conferences--same thing), and the list goes on....

...do you remember when life didn't seem to take much effort? I do and that's what i want to create for my kids, at least while it can last b/c those were some good memories.
Allright, so on a happy note, the trip ended better than the first night (after lots of prayer =0) seriously). Second day, we did the Outlet Malls--fun for me--and my kids got lots of candy! Then we did dinner at STicky Fingers (ribs) which was AWESOme! that was a first for me and my kids were perfect and so was my husband then we came hotel-home and watched "Father-of-the-Bride I and II" while again i cried through the whole set b/c i know I will one day look back on these days with little kids as hard as they can be and remember the good stuff with my same old husband "remembering when" with me.
So I am glad to be Home Free as i have titled this b/c it is nice to miss your home (the same home that can make me feel boxed in at times, is so great to crawl into after a long drive) "to know how sweet your home can be; just go away and keep the key"--so true!