One of my best friends invited us to Newport for a little escape from Mom life and a weekend with the girls. Her boss owns a home there that we were able to stay in, and let me tell you, it was just what the doctor ordered.
As I'm sure most Moms do, I always struggle with guilt when I go away for the weekend or any amount of time. I try to line up as much as I can (meals, activities, etc.) before leaving to make it easy on Andrew. I was feeling especially bad this time, because my parents were out of town and our nanny was busy so she couldn't give Andrew any breaks. It did help knowing Andrew has a guys weekend on the books (even though I'll have help while he's away since it's for a longer stretch). Eventually, we'll be able to travel together when it's not as much work taking care of our three boys, but for now we try to be supportive of one another and give each other some time away.
As it turned out, Andrew managed just fine without me. I shouldn't be surprised, it's just a lot to manage 3 little ones solo. He even took them to the park once by himself, I was shocked, proud, and wondering when I'll work up the nerve to do that myself.
As you know, this year I am trying to prioritize myself and filling my own cup, so I can show up as the best version of myself for my kids and Andrew. So, I tried to leave the guilt behind and truly enjoy myself and take the break I knew I needed. We had the best time, and I truly felt so refreshed afterwards. Ready to come back home and jump right into Mom mode.
We had a great time. It was a perfect mix of relaxation, good food, shopping, lots of good wine and laughter. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends that feel like family. I love that we're raising our kids together and building so many wonderful memories. On our last morning on Balboa, we ran into the cutest woman who was asking about our trip as we waited in line at a bakery. It turns out she and her best friends have been doing similar girls trips for more than 40 years. They all live around the country but meet in Aspen where they met when they were younger. She was so cute and said she got chills talking to us and said never lose what we have, it's special. Which, we all know already, but it's always fun to hear that from others and be reminded just how unique it is. It was the perfect interaction to end our time together. We're already planning our next girls trip in Scottsdale with the full gang!
Some highlights from our weekend that stand out to me are sitting on the deck in the sunshine talking and laughing, walking on the beach, morning walks to get coffee, delicious food and flowing wine, and our evening on the deck enjoying our wine, watching a boat sink. True story! Thankfully it wasn't my friends boss' boat, but it was on their dock so we had front row seats. It caused quite the stir on the island and we were fascinated by the process of the workers trying to save it, then eventually realizing it was a total loss.
I hope you all are able to find a tribe of friends like that if you don't have one already. And remember just how important it is to nourish these relationships. I am feeling refreshed and thankful after a fun-filled weekend!
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