A Surprise Get Away (well not a surprise for me ;-))

I’m sitting here on a nice quiet Friday morning, with a yummy cup of hot coffee.  Both my kids are in school and Joe is at work.  I have quite a few chores to get to—some, I’ve already accomplished this morning—but this is my quiet time.  I’m getting ready to start on my Bible study and reflect on the week that’s passed and the one that’s ahead. 

You won’t be reading this until at least Saturday afternoon because I can’t risk Joe reading this until Saturday afternoon, and he’s pretty good about checking out my blog when I post.  The reason I can’t take that risk is because I’m kidnapping Joe Saturday when he gets home from work and we’re heading off on a much needed weekend of rest and couple-time.

I’ve been planning this for a little over a week, when I realized we might actually have a weekend without obligations (well, I still have some but I have made arrangements to be present via Skype) and I’ve watched my husband slowly run out of fuel.  He’s been on empty for at least a week now but has still managed to keep a great attitude and keep on going.  I was worried that he would volunteer to do sound at church or that he’d have to go to his second job on Monday and this whole weekend would fail—but miraculously, he his sound schedule was clear and the plumbing job was postponed, which left him with two actual days off this week. 

The next matter was finding care for my kids.  My mom graciously stepped up to watch them, including most of the day Saturday, Saturday night, all Sunday & Sunday night, along with getting them off to school on Monday.  I’m extremely grateful, especially knowing how much this weekend is going to mean to Joe and I to get to relax and enjoy some quiet time together without any responsibilities (I can’t tell you the last time we’ve gotten to do that).

My head is spinning as I contemplate packing for two days for the boys, including medicines, instructions with dosages for those medicines, church clothes, school clothes, school lunches for Monday, the dog and food for the dog.  Then I need to pack for us, including our computers and Joe’s schools books (I’m sure he’ll have some homework—though he’s already told me he doesn’t have much), clothes & toiletries for both of us, food (we’re staying in a condo, so we need to prepare meals), movies and things to occupy our time (it’s supposed to rain/snow all weekend so we’ll be trapped indoors by the fire place—DARN!).  I’ve got to do all of this without Joe noticing, that means mostly tomorrow morning before we leave.

I can’t wait until he arrives home Saturday afternoon and I order him into the car and tell him we’re leaving.  I envision telling him “Taken care of” at least ten times as he asks about his school work, the boys, the I Heart Ashland project, my meeting Monday morning, the pets, etc…  I so love surprising him!

This weekend we will get to reconnect and reflect on how amazing and wild the last 11 years have been for us.  On November 8^th we will have been married for 11 years after having eloped to Las Vegas on a week’s notice to our parents and close friends.  It’s been tough…REALLY tough. It’s been heartbreaking at times and disappointing.  And it’s been the most rewarding endeavor I’ve ever embarked on in my life.  It has been my greatest joy and thrill.

Recently, as part of a marriage Bible study Joe and I participated in, we were asked to write a letter to a future generation about marriage, specifically what I had learned in marriage and what advice I would give to someone embarking on the same journey.  I’ve been contemplating what I would say and how I would say it.  I plan to finish that letter this weekend and post it in honor of our 11^th wedding anniversary on the 8^th.

But until then, I’m going to enjoy the next few quiet moments left in my Friday morning before everything else invades and I’m going to enjoy the anticipation of surprising my amazing husband with this wonderful weekend.