Ten Reasons to Go Away

Today is Sunday, I think.

Yes, yes it is.

We returned on a red eye flight from a whirlwind 4 day vacation to the west coast very early on Friday morning. I slept one hour on the plane. Then there was an hour and a half drive from the airport to home. Of course there was a diet busting gargantuan iced caramel latte involved.

A few hours after this, I was at work with bells on. I'm tired folks, very tired.

Still though.

I wouldn't change a thing. Our vacation was nothing short of delightful and refreshing. ha! I can't help but laugh at my choice of words. Yup, I called it refreshing. Despite my exhaustion and absolute dependence on sugar and/or caffeine to keep me awake for routine tasks, I call it refreshing.

Here are my 10 Reasons why you and your Mr. should go away.

1. Time off of work is sometimes the most productive thing you can do at work.
Fact: Some companies are now offering unlimited time off to their employees. Don't just take my word for it. Read this. Our brains and bodies are overworked. We need time away to refresh and renew. Using that time wisely can often lead to a more focused level of work. Though exhausted when I returned to work on Friday, my focus was on providing our community center patrons with the same level of service that I received at our luxurious hotel. Who cares if the price point of our activities are much, much lower than the rate at our hotel.

2. Routine stunts your growth. Get away from it. 
We love auto pilot. Yes we do. Sometimes it's the auto pilot mode that gets us out bed and into work. We as people tend to feel comfortable with the occasional distraction while driving because we feel so comfortable in our rut that we feel like we know every single twist and turn of our commute to work. We depend on routine so much so that at times we stop thinking. We don't analyze. We don't grow. Getting away gave me the opportunity to see just how much my life, our lives, are dependent on the grace of God. Though I was TERRIFIED initially on the 5 and a half hr flight to LAX, God reminded me that I was not hidden from Him. He was just as with me as He is during my routine tasks. This is good stuff. This is the stuff that spiritual growth is made of.

3. Being alone together. 
The Mr. and I don't have children as of yet. Even so, we needed time to be alone together. Home life is cluttered with work stress, things to do, technology, and other responsibilities. Getting away relieves you from these distractions and frees you to enjoy life together. I love bargain hunting and thrifting, but oh do I love to admire glitz and glam. We saw a lot of glitz and glam on our trip. We drove around Vegas in a Corvette. We stayed at the incomparable Mondrian Hotel in L.A. However, one of my favorite memories from the trip was walking around West Hollywood with The Mr. It wasn't because of the potential celebrity sightings or because of the million dollar real estate. Though that was exciting, it was incredible to just enjoy the experience together. It was nice.

4. Food tastes better when someone else is doing the dishes. 
Oh it was lovely. We ate what we wanted, and did absolutely no clean up. That is indeed the greatest pleasure of eating out and getting away. Not only that, but even The Mr. was able to enjoy the luxury of having the door opened up for him for a change. Don't get me wrong. Neither of us mind our roles and responsibilities. We decided on them prior to marriage, and we re-visit the subject as needed. However, we all need a break, even form the smallest things.

5. Hotel rooms are romantic. Hotel beds are sexy. 
 Need I say more?

6.  Change of scenery. 
The Mr. has lived in Florida his entire life. He is a native Floridian. You may or may not know this, but that is a very rare occurrence. I have lived in Florida since age 4. It's pretty much the only life that I have known. Florida is pretty. blah. blah. blah.
It's also very hot and extremely humid. Though I know that we live in a swamp, I always assumed that the majority bugs and heat that we experience is common to hot climates. Wrong. Just as love bug season is revving into high gear in Florida, I saw not one in L.A. The weather was beautiful. I loved it. It stretched my thinking and gave me a new perception.

7. Cure yourself from stereotyping. 
The Mr. is a successful software engineer. However, he fell in love with a woman that doesn't bring much money to the table. This isn't a means of putting me down. He doesn't, so neither will I. It's just fact. I say this to say that we don't live a life of glam. He is frugal and so am I. My favorite place to shop is the thrift store, and I am proud to say that our beach side wedding of almost 200 guests cost us less than $6,000. It makes me smile to say this to those that attended our wedding and see the shock on their faces. Our L.A./Vegas adventure was a taste of a life much more expensive than our own. We stuck out a bit from time to time, especially when we mispronounced the name of our hotel. LOL! Anyhow, I thought we would be looked down upon by the richer and more connected folks that we came across. Though some may have, we didn't notice that one bit. Those that we encountered were nothing less than friendly. Who would have thunk it?

8. Re-define possible. 
A few years ago, I was in a car accident. It was a fatal car crash, and to say that I was traumatized would be an understatement. Truthfully. I remember sitting at the parking lot at work for about an hour because I was scared of driving home. It was horrible. My sister encouraged me to keep going and keep driving. She told me that the more I work on replacing good memories associated with the tragic route I took that fateful day, the more bearable driving would become. She was right. Experiences are valuable. I did not think I could survive a plane ride, but now I know that through God's grace I could survive a 5.5hr plan ride. Say what??!?!! We live in a small town and there is a limited variety of food, shops, and fashion, Experiencing different fashion trends, sushi rolls, style of music, way of living, and cupcake shops help to spark creativity and re-define possibility.

9. Testimony of fun. 
 Christians are known for what they don't do. We see that a lot in terms of relationships and marriage. Christians don't have sex before marriage. They don't live together before marriage. They don't enjoy sex. Okay...that last one is a stigma we need to work on getting rid of. Anyhoo...
Whether we see it or not, our unsaved friends are looking at us. Honestly. Most of the married couples we know moved in together before marriage and were unashamedly sleeping together before saying "I do". Do I really think it they didn't notice that The Mr. and I lived hours apart from each other rather than living together in sin? Umm...It would be foolish to think so. Yes, a lasting marriage founded on the Lord is a testimony. Let's keep it real though. A better testimony is one of a lasting marriage founded on the Lord where both the man and woman enjoy life and each other. It's not enough to live married. It's about the intentional act of enjoyment and fun together in the Lord. People notice that, and when they do it points to Christ. I believe that. Do you?

10. Exercise your contentment muscles. 
My Pastor said it best. "Contentment is a discipline." You have to work on it with Christ. It's a learned trait. Hear one of my Pastor's sermon on the topic here. Coming home from this trip has been a great way to exercise this. As witnessed on the plane, I live in a swamp people. There was a huge slug on the outside of our home when we returned. We have been swatting away love bugs since we returned. As if that wasn't enough, the air is thick with humidity. Nothing is within walking distance, and going for a walk may mean running into an alligator. My allergies are slowly but surely beginning to flair up. American Airlines take me away!!! When I was stuck in my routine I didn't notice the swamp land. In comparison to the glorious Hollywood hills, I see everything. The choice is mine. I can mutter and complain, which I have done some of. Ooops. Or...
I can exercise contentment. I can rejoice in the fact that the Lord has us here for a reason. Plus, there's something that California will never have. It's the family and friends that are here in our swamp land. We are so blessed to be part of an amazing church community as well. Truly, there's no place like home. :)

Well, there is is. I may be tired. It may take me a wk to wean myself off of caffeine and sugar and another wk to lose the weight I gained while away; but it was all worth it. I had an amazing time. The Mr. had an INCREDIBLE birthday celebration!!

It was more than worth it!

And now I nap...