Mommy's Week Out

On Monday night, I will be driving to Buffalo for the second time in three days.  Last time was on Friday and I was only gone for about 16 hours.

I saw a comedy show headlined by a friend of mine from my high school/youth group days.  Not at the cool theater, unfortunately, but rather upstairs in the bar next door.  Good times catching up, though.  Twenty years is a long time!

This time I'll be gone for five days.  The last time I was away that long was for my work conference at Dartmouth three years ago.  And I've never stepped on a plane and flown that far away.  I'm going to Asheville, NC with my mom.  We're visiting my aunt and uncle who moved down there a couple years ago.  It was the retirement destination that they decided upon shortly after their daughter passed away and they no longer had her to move closer to.  It turned out to be a great move for them.  It was the fresh start they needed to reinvent their lives a bit and start moving through their grief in a healthier way.  After my parents passed through on a southern road trip earlier this year, my mom and her sister hatched a plan for us to visit so we could go to the Chihuly exhibit at the Biltmore Estate.  It's my gift for many occasions over the course of the year, which is well worth the trade-off!

I'm super excited, of course.  I haven't flown on a plane in almost five years, and outside of Jacob's lacrosse trips I haven't really gone anywhere new and interesting in a while.  Don't get me wrong--I love those trips and will miss the good ones in the next year since this new team doesn't go as far--but there's something special about a trip that's purely for fun.  And to not have to worry about kids in a hotel room, or trying to feed Jacob on the go...well, it almost doesn't compute in my brain right now.

I'm very excited to do this with my mom.  We've never really done anything like this, so it will be fun to make some memories with her.  As important as my time with my kids is, and as hard as it is to leave them, the reality is that my time with my mom is precious--she won't be around forever.  Hopefully we have many, many more years ahead, but particularly with living 90 minutes apart, it's not always easy to get time together.  And to do it without the constant distractions from the kids, that's downright miraculous.  That will make it extra special.

After all they went through with the loss of my cousin, I know my aunt in particular is very excited to have family visit.  They're down there by themselves, and while they've done a great job keeping themselves busy, I know it has to be even better to have family to show around and reconnect with.  I'm eager to see a new place--I've never been anywhere in North Carolina that wasn't in an airport--and it sounds like a great town.  Even more exciting, a nearby tourist attraction is the Biltmore Estate, which just so happens to be hosting an awesome Dale Chihuly exhibit!  To be honest, that was sort of the driver of this whole trip, or at least the key to the timing.  My aunt and uncle are members there, so the good news is that they already know the lay of the land!

The bad news?  Well, there's a bit of a hurricane moving in that general direction.  If you look on the map right now, where we're going falls right where a line would extend from the current path.  Where we'll be is way inland and protected by mountains so I'm hoping it won't be bad (or so my aunt says!).  However, our return flight is through Charlotte, which could probably be a bit more impacted and could delay our flight back.  I keep praying it will miraculously turn to keep the coast safe and not ruin our trip, but it looks less likely to change its path each day.  So we may get more than we bargained for, but hopefully we can squeak out a great trip before the rain gets too bad.

Right now I need to be packing, but my stomach has been a bit off (uncomfortable but very few "fireworks", so to speak--and all lower, thankfully) since Saturday morning.  Initially I blamed it on the greasy dinner I ate Friday, but then it stuck around longer than usual.  I'm still off today, but mostly with a low energy level and a sore lower back.  It doesn't help that it's cold outside (60ish) and the house was so cold earlier that my hands were frozen, and I haven't wanted to move out from under my blanket since.  I have a full list ready to go, but I feel like decision-making on clothes isn't my forte right now.  Hopefully when some Tylenol kicks in.  I'll have a little time on Monday after work, but I need to leave mid-evening so I can get to Buffalo and get to bed before a fairly early flight, so I can't leave much to do then.  Today has to be the day, even if I have to drag myself through it!

I know Craig is crazy busy at work, and now it's the first full week of school, so I know this is asking a lot.  I've put together a food plan so Craig knows exactly what he needs to pack in both boys' lunches each day and has some ideas for dinner.  Pulled pork for dinner this weekend will give them leftovers for one night, and some strategic eating out might get them through a couple others.  It's hard to eat out too often with Jacob, so hopefully I'm giving them enough options.  They won't starve, but there might be some questionable nutrition at times!

Overall, I'm just looking forward to the adventure and trying to keep my mom guilt at bay.  It's been a long time and I know this time with my mom, aunt, and uncle is important.  And how can I pass up a Chihuly experience?  Keep us in your prayers as the hurricane moves in and as we travel.  Stay tuned for updates soon!