Shhh... Can you keep a secret?

Can you keep a secret?  I totally ran away this weekend.

And it was awesome. It has been so stressful the last few weeks, months, year or two.  We've been fixing up the Maison, moving,  remodeling the Chalet (which has been fun but stressful at times), and then my mom became ill.  I love Mr. Man, but he has a tough time relaxing.  Things need to be "done" before he can chill.  In November as the pool was being worked on, he said, "Phew, we are getting close, once the outside of the house is done, THEN I can relax."  We both know, that as soon as the outside is done, then he will move on to something else to fret about.  Relaxation is something just out of his reach.  For me, I can never truly relax at home. In the back of my head there is always something that needs to be tackled.

 

 In the past few weeks, things have been building.  I miss my mom, I keep thinking, I just want 5 more minutes with her.  Just one more conversation.  I'm not sure what I would say, I'm glad I said everything I wanted to but still, just five more minutes. I'm worried about my sweet dad, who is openly grieving for the loss of his wife.  Add in Tax Season, which I enjoy, but it is stressful, and I missed the first month of it, so I feel like I'm playing catch up.  Pile on a few other issues, such as Sandy the ancient dog's dementia, and I just am barely holding it together.  Two weeks ago, I  exploded and it wasn't pretty.  Mr. Man noticed our new towels shed like a dog, and that trivial item was the straw that broke the camels back.  I felt like it was one more problem I just couldn't solve. We have bought 3 different brands of black towels for our bathroom, and ALL of them have shed black fuzz. I've tried countless tips and tricks and nothing has worked.. The last batch came from Neiman Marcus and cost a small fortune, but... towels from Neimans won't shed?  Right? Wrong. It's totally irrational that shedding towels is what caused me to just break down, cry, and scream, "I just can't hold it together anymore.  This is so hard.  Nothing is going smoothly. I just want a good towel, that's the only thing I need in my life right now." Those weren't my precise words, there may have been a swear word and lots of fragmented sentences about towels in between sobs.  We all know, I wasn't really crying about the towels. 

Enter in our dear friends, who were inspired to give us a call and say, "Hey we are going to Palm Desert in a few weeks with the kids, come with us!"  My first thought was, "Uh, in April? Nope, taxes first."  Then, Mr. Man told me, "Wendy, this sounds like a golden opportunity for the whole family.  Let's try and make this work, for the kids, for us, and for the sake of your mental health."   Turns out financials can be reviewed poolside. 

Even better, last week as I waded through my files stacked on my desk, I realized I was almost out of work.  I'm waiting on phone calls and additional information on everything that is outstanding. The stars were lining up, I'm not kidding when I say this trip was inspired.

The place we stayed was GORGEOUS.  I kept wondering if we should have made the Chalet more like a Hacienda.

If only we had room for a BLUE Tennis Court.  *swoon* 

 

Mr. Boy swam the entire time and loved playing with his friend. These are his new Relaxipant Inspired Swim Trunks.

AK quickly adapted to Cabana Life, and spent most of her time lounging in and out of the pool with her friend.  

 

SHUT UP! *shove* Is that Mr. Man?  Is he really just lounging by the pool relaxing?  I have not seen Mr. Relaxed Man in years.  It was so nice to see him and enjoy his company for the weekend.  

After a day lounging around, I started to feel my shoulders relax.  My smile returned and I have not felt this relaxed in at least a year. I laughed a lot this weekend, loved on my kids, and swapped stories with friends.

  

I highly recommend running away with your friends to everyone.