I married my best friend and I want it to stay that way. What am I doing today to nurture our friendship?
A cabin getaway is an inexpensive option for us, though I realize that not everyone has this opportunity. We've also done weekends at our place while the grandparents have the girlies. That's another really inexpensive way to get just couple time. We've treasured those times as well.
This cabin getaway, with just the two of us, was refreshing. For one, we got to sleep in. I was fairly certain that neither of us knew how to sleep in anymore, but when 8:30 am rolled around a few mornings in a row, I was clear-headedly jubilant!
Cooking for just the Rugged Mountain Man was a bit of a treat. I'm always juggling so many tasks when we're at home, that it was nice to put all of my brain into cooking something nice for him. The meals were still simple, but it's nice to do simple well.
Though we spent many hours on the fabulous and favorite cabin porch, curled up in our comfortable vintage 70s chairs with noses stuck in our Kindles, it's obvious from these snapshots that we ventured into the Great Outdoors too.
As a teen, my mom took us a on a mushroom walk. Since then, you've noticed that I've developed a bit of a fascination with mushrooms. Though 20+ years have gone by, this fascination doesn't seem to be abating. The little "icicles" on this white mushroom were exquisite! We saw plenty of mushrooms and flora, when we were clocking our 16 miles of hiking in two days.
One of the trails was a brand new to us trail. It led to the site of a 1964 forest fire. We went from hiking in the deep woods to abruptly coming upon a glorious vista of the area. Breathtaking!
What a pleasant surprise!
On another trail, we found a dilapidated foundation of an old CCC storage area.
Hiking just the two of us with just our two hounds was something a little out of the ordinary. The dogs hiked with us all 16 miles. They were very pleased to sprawl out in the cabin afterward!
After all the hustle of packing and logistics and details and worries and scheduling before our trip, when we finally (triumphantly?) plopped our duffels, pillows and coolers on the cabin floor that first evening, I was so glad we came.
It is invigorating to separate yourselves from the distractions and stressors, to go back to the basics of friendship.
The value of being able to think slowly, talk uninterruptedly and dream aimlessly is what makes this kind of getaway so meaningful, so worthwhile.
I find it highly inspiring to hike behind the Rugged Mountain Man when he's wearing one of his old football t-shirts.
No excuses...
in marriage...
in friendship...
in life.
