Every human deserves a trip like the one I just returned from. I can’t remember the last time that I felt as relaxed as I did at the end of March. One of my closest friends MT and I decided to meet in our favorite type of destination: the beach. We researched a few options but ended up choosing Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after finding a sweet deal on Expedia. We both had a connecting flight in Atlanta and were able to fly the second leg of flight together.
Leading up to this trip, our house was plagued with a nasty stomach virus. I got hit HARD the day after Fiona’s first birthday/ St. Patrick’s Day party and thought I would never feel hungry again. Fiona got it next and had an odd manifestation of it, throwing up once every couple of days for a solid week. I worked a stretch of three nights in a row and had one night off to pack, snuggle my one year old and prep for my early morning flight. On that one night off I gave Fiona a bath, placed her in her clean pajamas, read her a few stories and tucked her in with her favorite bunny- making sure to take in enough of that clean baby smell to last me for the next few days while I was gone. She had been extra cute during this particular bedtime, nuzzling into me as she drank her nighttime bottle. She didn’t fuss when I laid her in her crib, and as I was walking out of her room I began to go through my to-do list in my head of everything I wanted to pack for my trip. I was about to shut the door when I heard the unsettling sound of her coughing and then retching. Then a terrible splatter noise came next. I made my way over to her as she sat up and witnessed an exorcism of vomit- not one, not two, not three but four streams of fluid spewing out of her mouth into her lap and all over her bunny. She became extremely distressed and reached up for me and my initial thought was “there’s no way I’m picking you up right now.” But my heart broke for her and I undid the corners of her fitted sheet and tucked it all around her pukey self as I lifted her out of bed. I went to the only logical place I could think of- the bathroom and proceeded to strip her, give her another bath and snuggle her as I placed her in new pajamas. She was still crying as I made up her new crib sheets and proceeded to tie an old blanket of hers into the most bunny-like lovey shape that I could before rocking her to sleep again and sneaking out of her room. Fiona is normally asleep by 7:15 pm, give or take. I didn’t get out of her room until 8:30 pm, right around the time that Tony came hurrying in from the gym with the bleach I asked him to stop and get on his way home. I bombarded him with distraught language like “I wasn’t meant to go on this trip.” “there’s no way I can go” “what if you or Emily (our friend nanny) get it and I’m not here to help?” And my husband who had patiently listened to this all week snapped a little and said “I will not hear another word about this. YOU ARE GOING ON THIS TRIP.”
And so I packed my bags and prayed for the best- and truly had the most amazing time. And in spite of my skepticism- everyone stayed healthy while I was away. Though the weather was considerably cooler than the average temperatures this time of year, South Carolina treated us so well. The forecasted rain for Tuesday ended before we landed, and shortly after we were enjoying our first of many delicious margaritas of the trip, the sun came out and Zac Brown Band’s “Toes” began playing over the hotel speakers. One of the very first things that MT and I ever did together was attend a ZBB concert with our husbands. We became fast friends the same weekend that Tony and I became a thing, as most of our husbands’ friends were boys without girls at the time. She has a two year old and has been one of the hardest working mom friends that I have ever known. This trip was restorative that we both agreed to do this annually. I haven’t been on a trip in the last several years where I experienced the joy of doing nothing. There was no sightseeing to be done, no bachelorette party agenda, no dinner reservations, no bedtime or nap time to work around- we literally arrived in MB without ANY plans and I cannot recommend this type of trip enough. Time seemed to crawl on this vacation- in a good way.
Trips for me always feel so rushed and I find myself feeling like I need a vacation after my vacation. This trip was therapeutic. After a couple rounds of what came to be our favorite margaritas at the Hilton Double Tree hotel bar, we headed to a local nail shop and treated ourselves to mani/Pedi’s. I cannot remember the last time I splurged and let myself get both at the same time. We both picked a bright coral for our toes and something a little more neutral for our fingernails before heading to a dinner with a view at a local Mexican cantina. After another round of margs and delicious food, we headed back to our room to put on sweats and read! I’d been given “Girl on the Train” from a friend to borrow for this trip and I intended to finish it. Guys- I finished TWO books in 48 hours. I can’t tell you the last time I read a book, start to finish, and it felt GOOD. Our second day began over a leisure boozy brunch with a slice of cake for an appetizer because “treat yo’self.” We walked the beach to our next destination- another outdoor deck with a view place called The Roof, and had another round of margs. We then hit up a Starbucks with a view to refuel before walking the beach again in the direction of the hotel. We hung out by the pool (with drinks) in shorts and tanks, and overhead an older lady wearing fleece from her neck to her toes comment at how “us girls must be frozen.” We could not have been happier. We eventually made it back to the hotel room and slowly got ready to go somewhere for dinner. We decided on a burger and sushi joint that boasted a great view on Instagram. When we arrived it was too cold to sit outdoors and the tables with the view were taken, but we were still excited for food. It was probably the most disappointing food of the trip, but I guess when you eat in a place that serves both burgers and sushi you run the risk that they might not be doing either one of those things well. We stopped at a Tiki bar next before calling it a night.
Our last morning was the sunniest, and was forecasted to be the warmest day. We didn’t have to leave for the airport until 4:30pm and we planned to make the most of our last day of leisure. We ordered room service for breakfast and sat on our little balcony overlooking the ocean. We got some lattes from the hotel gift shop before heading to the pool to enjoy more reading in the sun. I finished “Girl on the Train,” in those hours before we walked the beach and checked out of our room. Our last meal of the trip consisted of a BBQ Chicken pizza AND tacos overlooking the pool, and you guessed it- more margs. We headed to the airport a few pounds heavier, a little sun kissed and more relaxed than either one of us had been in months… maybe years.
All of us humans need a trip like this- but especially parents and caregivers. The feeling of being needed ALL the time by a tiny human, fur babies etc, is very taxing on the spirit. There is not possibly enough time in each day to carve out time to truly relax or work on bettering ourselves. So what’s the answer? If you can – get away from the tiny human, the dogs that need to be walked, and the home with the endless laundry and the dishes and the windows that need to be cleaned and just get away. Go somewhere low-key, don’t make plans and just see where the day takes you. If you can’t get away for days at a time, take an evening for yourself. A girl I work with gets the same Christmas present each year: her husband books her a hotel room and she gets to spend an evening by completely by herself. Some of you may laugh at that idea but here’s the thing: if you’re laughing, you’re probably a pretty refreshed human being in general. Get away for any length of time that you can and truly unplug from life as you know it- even if that means hiring a babysitter or asking a fellow mom friend to host a play date for your kid while you take some time for yourself. Go for a walk alone, get your hair done, sit in a coffee shop and read- just take time for you, because I was reminded of a few very important things on this trip. I am enough. I am worth it. I deserve it. And taking time like this for me isn’t selfish- it’s actually necessary for my mental health and overall well being. A trip like this makes me a better mom.
I’m not going to sugar-coat it- I missed my kid tremendously but that first day back to reality was HARD. I adored my momcation and the feeling of putting myself first again. I can’t do that on a day to day basis, but I’m still doing small things to keep that vacation feeling alive. I got a library card finally and I’m happy to write that over a month later I have finished another two books. I am making better choices in the kitchen (FOR ME, not for anyone else) and I’ve incorporated a little more of my favorite beach colors into our décor thanks to some local thrift shop finds. The colors of the ocean will always be a reminder of tranquility for me- and when I’m having a really tough day of being knee deep into caring for everyone other than myself? Well those days call for a round of margaritas, extra lime.
