SECOND HONEYMOON JITTERS

Older married couples, like myself, will remember the feeling of jitters right before their long awaited honeymoon.  The excitement of it all, the nerves.  How does my hair look?  Do these jeans make me look pudgy?  Did I remember the airline tickets?  For our Honeymoon, in 1998, we traveled to Greece and had 2 adventurous weeks of Greek Island hopping, from Santorini to Mykonos and Delphi.  It was paradise.  We have always loved to travel, but the last time we traveled without the kids was late 1999, when I was pregnant with Christian (now age 13).  By the time this is published (yes, I wrote this ahead of time), Anthony and I will be on our “Second Honeymoon,” in Vero Beach, Florida.  Just a long weekend but we are having plenty of Second Honeymoon Jitters, of a different sort. 

            My in laws have been kind enough to take care of the kids and the dog but I still get nervous.  Did I pre-pack all the lunches and snacks?  Is there someone to take them to soccer?  Are all their school uniforms clean?  What about Christian’s basketball jersey?  And Michael’s Irish step shoes?  I have 36 trays of frozen trays of food in the deep freezer, will that be enough?  Ok, yes, my readers all know I’m a little neurotic about getting my kids fed and to their activities but hey, with a schedule like ours, you have to be.  The whole concept of “letting go” isn’t really in my vocabulary. 

            Sooo, yes, Anthony and I are right now at Disney Vacation Club’s Vero Beach Resort, without the kids, for a romantic long weekend.  We have very little planned, so that we can just enjoy the beach and the dining and maybe swing by Downtown Disney, to enjoy shopping and dining without kids, and hit the jazz and blues clubs we always pass by wistfully.  I hope we can actually enjoy ourselves, and not talk about the kids the whole time, or worry about them the whole time. 

We have been wanting to do this for the longest time.  We used to go away a lot in the brief time we had before children.  We went to Florida many times, the Caribbean, and we went to bed and breakfasts all over New England, from Saratoga to Vermont.  We really enjoyed our time together.

            I will never forget when I was pregnant with Christian, and one of my friends said to me, “how does it feel, knowing you’ll never be alone with your husband again?”  The thought had never occurred to me and I felt a little panicky, truth be told.  She saw the look on my face and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll never regret it, having a family is the best feeling in the world, and you can always take little getaways with your husband.”  It really is important to nourish your relationship with your spouse or life partner, and spend some time alone, whether it’s movie night or a trip to Sonic’s.  We try to go to a nice lunch together every couple of weeks, one of the perks of owning your own business together.  In the end, you are making yourselves happier and therefore making the kids happier. 

            It’s been almost 14 years, but we are finally taking the plunge and going away without the kids.  Sure, I feel guilty.  A little bit.  Then I look at the snow on the ground, and the forecast for Vero Beach.  And I looked through our honeymoon photo album (yes, I was taking pictures even back then).  The last page in my honeymoon scrapbook is the following line, which I penned in haste:  “the trip to Greece may be over, but the honeymoon has just begun.”  And now, let the Second Honeymoon begin.

            Have a great day, everyone!  And, as always, remember to Count Your Blessings!  <3 Mrs. Lo (photo of DVC's Vero Beach Resort)