Joyful Journey

For my birthday I had requested from Mark to plan a short family trip for us. We don't often pay to stay places, so that would be a treat, and having someone else plan a trip was a gift in itself. Mark enlisted the help of his students and found Joyful Journeys, a delightful hot springs getaway. He booked us to stay in the yurts, something totally new to me. I was excited when we set out this past Thursday, but a little apprehensive just because I had such high expectations for it.

The past three days have been some of the best days we've had as a family. Things went smoothly, and the rhythm just seemed right on. It was just us, so we had no one else's agenda to fit into, and we could do what felt right at the time without external constraints. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the kids were in good spirits, likely feeding off Mark's and my concurrent happiness.

We soaked often in the crystal clear, untreated waters, and they even had a pool that was cool enough for Carter. We also went to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, a place I had been before with 60 of my students, so it was a whole different experience with our small group of four. The Alligator Farm, a highly touted attraction in the area was another of our planned day trips. It turned out to be quite an odd place, more like your weird aunt Betty's backyard where she keeps odd animals that happen to come her way.

On our last morning there, I even got to take a two hour yoga class because there happened to be a yoga retreat there for the weekend, and the instructor let me drop in to a class. It was quite different than many other classes I've taken, and refreshing for that reason.

The one downer for the trip was my camera that got dropped in the sand and is not functioning at the moment (hence, the lack of accompanying pictures). Hopefully, some of the links will make up for the visuals.

The past three days far exceeded my expectations. Again, it was less about what we did, and more about how we were able to enjoy our time together as a family. It reminds me that these years with itsy bitsy kids can be trying, but that it doesn't have to be all hard, and that it does get easier. This trip reminded me how very much I really love the little family we have created. I feel so complete. These past few days truly were a joyful journey for all of us.

Life's choices

I just finished watching a special on MTV about a guy who documented his year traveling around the world. He gave up his high-paying job in NYC and spent $20,000 in 23 countries over 50 weeks. I spent a bit of my day getting out newborn baby clothes and washing burp clothes for our upcoming family addition.

In this moment I find myself melancholy, not for the path I've chosen and regret, but for not being able to live two simultaneous lives that cannot coexist. Travel has always been a huge love of mine, and I look back at my times out of the country with only the fondest memories. But I think of my little boy sleeping soundly in the next room, and my heart melts.

Everyone always tells you that life is tough; that it's full of choices; that you can't have everything. I know this, and yet I still wish I could fulfill my dichotomous needs of having a family and traveling the world. I know that kids and a husband don't automatically mean I can't have some adventures abroad, that there are ways to make it happen, but traveling single with loose plans and no one to answer to don't fit in that picture.

Do I wish I had done more before I got married and had kids? I really don't think so. I love the life I've chosen and the family that completes me. But I find myself looking around at this moment, and noticing all the stuff we have, and how complicated things are at times. Have I gotten too comfortable in the suburban, family-years, 3-car owning lifestyle that is absent in the presence of travel? I have glimpses into a fantasy of getting rid of most of our things, living out of a little rental apartment, and having the freedom of being mobile again. After looking into selling our house and finding out what a mistake that would be, we are anything but in a position to uproot right now.

Part of my mental state right now, I'm sure, is due to the fact that I'm 30 weeks pregnant and extremely limited in what I can do. I'm not even supposed to fly on a plane beginning in a few weeks, much less travel around the world, and that simple restriction makes it look all the more appealing.

Perhaps what I need to focus on is not what I wish for that I can't have, but what little things I can do now that will at least partially satiate my need for experiencing something new and different, something beyond white-skinned, English-speaking, hamburger-eating Americans. A short, inexpensive trip to Mexico or the Caribbean may even do it for me. I'll keep that as food for thought for now.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy the choices I have made and recognize all that I would be missing out on if I were off traveling: A wonderful husband and a little boy who is the light of my world. These are not small things to be thankful for.

Washington adventures

Mark and I are now in Washington visiting my parents and having a blast. We started out the trip on the boat for a couple days with Carter. A mobile kid really keeps you on your toes when your in 300 feet of water.

You'll notice Carter has a tether attached to his life jacket so he doesn't fall overboard, and the life jacket's a little snug around his cheeks!

Sometimes he'd tolerate it, and other times, the whole apparatus was just a little too much for him.

Carter still thinks he's pretty cool, though. Especially in sunglasses. He put these on himself.

Carter and "Papa" (Carter's name for grandpa) keep up their oral hygiene, even on the boat. Don't want to have bad kissing breath!

Mark and I got some good snuggle time while "mimi" and "papa" took care of Carter.

After our boating adventure (and Carter going green for a short time during some rough water), Mark and I set out for our own trip. We planned a backpack/climbing/mountaineering expedition in the North Cascades National Park while my parents watched Carter. After we got to the ranger station, however, it turned out the road to our trail had washed out, so with 50lb packs we had to hike an additional 2.5 miles each way. The trail was also quite challenging, often having to climb hand over foot because it was so steep. Here's Mark climbing through a tunnel of trees.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, though. We saw a black bear, avalanches, and evidence of why it's called the cascades. There are these beautiful waterfalls everywhere. You can see them here in the background.

We got to Boston Basin, sort of the base of our rock climb, to set up camp. I've never slept in such a beautiful setting. It was so pristine and untouched. I felt as if I had found the top of the world where no one else had ever been.

We camped that night pretty near where I'm standing, and woke up to beautiful blue skies and warm weather. But I just couldn't do it. I was so physically worn out, I knew I'd never make it up a jagged peak and then make it all the way down to the car. I'm definitely not in the great shape I used to be in. So we enjoyed our view and then hiked back down. Two days later, I'm still in pain. Meanwhile, Mark's gearing up to climb Mt. Rainier with a friend tomorrow. I'm still working on climbing the stairs.


Anyway, we're having a great trip so far, and I'm looking forward to some quiet time around town with my parents and Carter while Mark's gone. We've talked about going to a lavender farm and an earth sanctuary (some sort of meditative, relaxing place). I think those plans are more my speed considering my aching quads. Hopefully, I'll be up for the long walk through the airport by the time we leave on Monday!