{"id":226,"date":"2011-07-28T18:29:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-28T18:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irreverin.wordpress.com\/?p=226"},"modified":"2013-02-10T09:29:09","modified_gmt":"2013-02-10T16:29:09","slug":"going-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2011\/07\/going-anyway\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

When Jeremy and i moved to arizona, we had 5 blissful weeks between the time we put ky in the rear view mirror, and my start date at foothills. We resisted all urges to come straight to phoenix, unpack, find jeremy a job, and be grown-ups. The movers took our stuff to storage (some of which we got back eventually\u2026 not recommending that moving company any time soon) and for 5 weeks we were on roam. \u201cYou\u2019re homeless!\u201d my bff Bridget said. \u201cWe\u2019re free!\u201d said i.<\/p>\n

We spent 3 days at a posh resort in scottsdale with our marriott employee rate, and then headed north with an air mattress, a tent, and Frommer\u2019s guide to national parks of the American West\u2013otherwise known as \u201cthe Bible\u201d at our house. Suffice it to say, the journey was both epic and restful, adventurous and nurturing, more of a honeymooon than our actual honeymoon (which was a quick 5 days while i was in seminary). We hit Phoenix feeling ready for anything.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Fast forward 5 years to our most recent travels\u2013let\u2019s just say, this was not that. I went to the Disciples General Assembly in Nashville, one baby in tow while the big kid stayed home with dad. My mom came to Nashville to help with the baby, but anyone who\u2019s ever been to a huge church gathering will tell you, it is anything but restful. I also got to spend a couple days with my brother and sister-in-law, and then we flew to Florida for a beach vacation with the in-laws. Jeremy and Harper met us in the Atlanta airport, and we headed south together.<\/p>\n

When is a vacation not a vacation? When you have small children. Period. I don\u2019t care how much fun it is, how well your kids travel, or how much you need that family time away from home\u2013a week away with young kids is work.<\/em> Babies don\u2019t sleep well away from home, hauling all their stuff through airports is exhausting, and you spend your whole morning getting stuff together for the beach, only to get there and realize it is already somebody\u2019s nap time. Then you get all fed and rested and sunscreened-up for the afternoon and\u2013oh wait!\u2013it is somebody else\u2019s naptime. (maybe even mom\u2019s).\u00a0 Large, loud family dinners are so much fun (i\u2019m not being a smart-ass, i really do love them), but send the kids home over-stimulated and not quite ready to wind down for bed. Everybody crashes, exhausted, and wakes up to do the whole thing again the next day. Before you know it, you are on a 4-hour flight home with a screaming, teething infant, and realizing that you have to preach a sermon in about 36 hours. All the while wondering, \u201cwhere did my vacation go?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Someday, i will have another 5-week road trip with just my husband, no reservations, no itinerary, and no diapers to change. But in the meantime, i would not miss a moment of these early-year travel experiences. For one thing, i figure it\u2019s like getting your kids\u2019 teeth cleaned. It might seem like a chore, it might wear you out, and it might even be unpleasant\u2013but it is saving you alot of pain and expense down the road. I can\u2019t help but notice that my 2-year-old knows how to behave on that 4-hour plane ride, and never complains once of being \u201cbored,\u201d or \u201ctired,\u201d although i know she must be. I figure all the dragging her around the world at a young age is starting to pay off. She is downright fun to take places.<\/p>\n

Some other moments that made it all worthwhile, and make me certain that we\u2019ll do it all again soon:<\/p>\n

\u2013after spending a week away from her, i was so excited to see harper in the airport\u2013but she was even more excited to see her baby brother. they squealed and climbed all over each other and generally made a joyful scene worth any amount of hassle that it may be to get a small child through security.<\/p>\n

\u2013when you live a country away from your whole family, giving the kids a whole week with the grandparents is a priceless gift to everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u2013speaking of grandparents, having them around means that mom and dad get a vacation date night! while a pre-kid vacation meant date night, every night, a WITH kids vacation means that you appreciate those couple of hours a whole lot more. we spent a ridiculous amount of money on the kind of place that has a \u201ccatch of the day\u201d vs. something that comes in nugget form, a place that had real linens vs a playplace, and\u00a0a place where\u2013Gloria Steinem and Sandra Day O\u2019Connor forgive me, the boy tastes the wine first and says \u201cyes, WE\u2019LL have that.\u201d worth every penny.<\/p>\n

\u2013kids playing on the beach. kids learning to swim with little inflatable things on their arms. kids getting tired enough to sleep for days when you get home. yes, yes, and yes please.<\/p>\n

\u2013and finally, for all the little worthwhile moments that added up to a wonderful\u2013if exhausting\u2013vacation, i watched my little girl walking across the airport parking lot with an irrational sense of pride. it was late, it was hot, she was exhausted\u2026 but damned if she didn\u2019t hold her daddy\u2019s hand, walk like a big girl, and pull her little suitcase to the car, all by herself.\u00a0 I told her baby brother to watch and learn. We might be taking them to Yellowstone sooner than we think\u2026<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jeremy and i moved to arizona, we had 5 blissful weeks between the time we put ky in the rear view mirror, and my start date at foothills. We resisted all urges to come straight to phoenix, unpack, find jeremy a job, and be grown-ups. The movers took our stuff to storage (some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":2246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6,21,1],"tags":[23,247,24,248,26,27,140,249,250,251,36,252,105,253,19,20,117,14,32,137,102,254,1195,255,245,63,85,256],"class_list":["post-226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-desert-life","category-marriage-and-family","category-travel","category-uncategorized","tag-arizona","tag-camping","tag-connect","tag-destin","tag-disciples-of-christ","tag-faith","tag-family","tag-floriday","tag-frommers","tag-general-assembly","tag-joy","tag-marriott","tag-ministry","tag-nashville","tag-national-parks","tag-nature","tag-parenting","tag-phoenix","tag-relationships","tag-sabbath","tag-seasons","tag-teething","tag-travel","tag-travel-with-children","tag-vacation","tag-wilderness","tag-work","tag-yellowstone-national-park"],"yoast_head":"\nGoing Anyway<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Jeremy and i moved to arizona, we had 5 blissful weeks between the time we put ky in the rear view mirror, and my start date at foothills. 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