Some things in life are just so good for the soul. I guess those 'things' vary depending on who you are. For some, it's sunshine, family, alone time, Jesus, coffee, vacation..the list could go on and on. But seriously, nothing beats a little R & R! Even when that R & R happens to be with 3 kids aged 1-4. Spending a few days in a cabin with absolutely no agenda was so good for my soul (and those 3 tiny souls as well!)
It's no secret my husband's schedule and work life takes a toll on him and our family as a whole. He is beyond wonderful at balancing it all the way he does. But a vacation week for him is a vacation week for all of us. And my goodness, like the rest of the world, sometimes we need that time to unwind together more than we even know.
For the past (who can even count anymore?!) years, we've been in this phase of life of constant change and uncertainty while trying to create a sense of stability at the same time. And now, we are right smack dab in the middle of 'seeing the light at the end of the residency tunnel' and 'moving to begin a whole new phase of post-residency life.'
In a way it feels like the calm before the storm (although residency has been quite the storm!) But we have this lull of time before everything gets wild between selling our house, finding a new house, moving our family, figuring out schools, J starting a new job with an insane amount of responsiblity (no pressure, hubs!) and all the fun in between. That calm feels good right now. So, so good. This week off work for him has been one of the most refreshing weeks for our whole family.
We went adventuring - or "hiking in the woods and sleeping in our cabinet" as Emma would say.
We may have steered away from our top choice for this vacation - a giant cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains with neverending views and hot tubs and such...but, we are wusses. We are Floridians (South Floridians, at that) and highs and lows of 50's-20's scared us away. So the weather brought us to our next choice - Disney's Fort Wilderness cabins. And it did NOT disappoint! It was so much more than we could have imagined, really.
Did you know that a no-fuss, no-agenda couple of days in the woods filled with nature walks, horses, camp fires, smores, and did I mention no cleaning up 234987 toys every hour could be so good for the soul?! Ah...
We made our own Mickey pancakes, drank coffee on the deck each beautiful morning, hung around in a hammock, babies took naps, Mommy & Daddy stayed up til wee hours of the morning drinking one, two, three, or more delicious brews on the deck. We golf carted it around every day, walked the paths, boated around, rode the monorail, hotel-hopped for drinks and ice cream...truly magical. Yup, Disney is still magical when you don't even step foot in a park.
get off the phone, kid!
When we didn't go to Chip n Dale's campfire sing-along, we were in Disney Springs, eating some seriously delicious food, riding the carousel and train, and winning lego car races. Woohoo! But, the campfire was missed...so back we went!
Oh, and we even had the DiSalvo's over for a BBQ and campfire night. Emma has decided to call these kids her cousins, so of course she couldn't wait for them to come! She had to show them the ropes of her 'cabinet' life with a golf cart ride and nature walk at sunset - in a track suit, for some reason!! You look good, kid.
When you only get 3 weeks a year off in a job where you are constantly working weekends, nights, and days, we try our hardest to make the most of his time off! We still have a few days left to maximize this time and rejuvenate our mind, body, and souls til the next time..yet I am already missing the 'cabinet' life, the coffee on the deck and watching our babes soak up the great outdoors.
After this magical trip in the woods of the mouse, I'm ready to soak up the next few days left of this vacation and I'm feeling more optimistic and encouraged than ever to take on the next few months of our regularly scheduled beautiful chaos! Til next time, I hope you too enjoy finding the magic wherever it is you fancy!
