Weekend Sabbatical

When Dylan found out his plane would be in maintenance rendering him a free agent for a few days, he proposed that we go to Oregon to visit family. I was scheduled to report to the grindhouse and negotiating my work schedule last minute is a not something that will ever be possible, so I told him to count me out. But that didn't slow Dylan down. By Wednesday he had booked a ticket for he and G, and on Friday morning, I dropped them off at Sky Harbor on the way to work. When Dylan first decided to go with Gavin, my first thought was "don't take my baby for that long!" By the time I drove into work on Friday morning my attitude had changed to "I'm FREEEEEEE!!!!"

I missed them both like crazy, but not more than I enjoyed being alone in my house for the first time since Gavin was born. Unless you count that one night when G and D took off to Seattle a day before me because I had to work...but I don't count it. I was afraid I'd be bored. I'm so out of touch because I usually spend my weekend chasing after Gavin. But it turned out not to be a problem at all.

Saturday morning was a hike to Tom's Thumb with some work friends. I also FINALLY got to Sumo Maya, the only restaurant that's been on my to-do-without-Gavin list for a long time. On Sunday I rode Papago with Ben and Amanda, had a quick visit with family, and finally got back in the yoga studio. At night, my 5-year-old nephew FaceTime'd me, proceeded to his bed where he began jumping, and invited me across the street for a snow cone party. How could I say no to that?

Ready for blast off to PDX

What a set-up Gavin has at his grandparents' house. A swing with a view of the Pacific Ocean.

Tom's Thumb with Ali, Leah, and Laura.

Biking Papago

Watching the airplanes while waiting to board.

This morning at work Patti asked how the weekend went...if I had aired out. That's exactly how it felt. So refreshing and relaxing, good for the mind, good for the soul. Taking some time to breathe and be a little self-indulgent. Just what the doctor ordered.

I had a list a mile long of things I wanted/needed to do with all of my free time, and I barely scratched off a few things. But, it was productive anyway, and I'm so glad it involved getting outside, seeing friends, and sleeping. Anyway, here's the list and whether or not each thing was achieved.

1. Bake a successful loaf of bread.

BOOM! That happened.

2. Spend copious amounts of time at the gym in exercise classes, relaxing in the jacuzzi, lounging around at the cafe with my computer, doing yoga.

I barely got in and out for one yoga class.

3. Do some creative DIY Pinterest project or learn a new craft.

Nope. But I did read some interesting things!

4.  Give my dogs extra TLC and go on long walks.

The dogs were loved, but we took zero walks. They fare better when I'm with G and Dylan's out of town.

5. Binge watch a good show on Netflix/Amazon.

No. But I did download 'Begin Again' and watched it over two installments.

6. Go to the Farmers Market and also the grocery store and cook some fabulous food for the week.

I didn't even set foot in a Safeway.

So, my goals were a little lofty considering I only had one weekend. Two full days alone, though, felt like an eternity (in a good way) in my mind. I thought I could conquer the world in this time. It went by so much faster than I thought and was also more fun than I had imagined it would be. I guess I'll have to save all the above items for my next sabbatical.

Dylan and Gavin loved seeing our Oregon family. Gavin's not a real easy-going traveler and apparently spent some time feeling cranky, but he got his act together by the end of the trip. He treated Dylan to a poopy diaper on the flight home, and so he's now 4 for 6 for pooping on the airplane. I can tell you that you'll never catch me traveling alone with Gavin as a lap child, so big ups to Dylan. D does have an advantage over me in that Gavin is not actually as big or as strong as he, making it easier to keep him confined and in control. Also, he gets stressed out next to never. It ended up being a great weekend for everyone involved, and as much as I loved being at home, I hope I can join in the fun on the Oregon coast next time!