48 hours - on your mark, get set, go!

A few months ago, I hit my breaking point one day while Jeff was at work and it was just me and the two kids. I needed a break! And, even more so, I needed to spend some quality time with my husband. Other than a few hours here and there with a babysitter, Jeff and I hadn't had any time together without the kids for almost an entire year. Something that I feel is very necessary for any relationship.

I looked at the calendar and realized that one weekend we had free coming up was Labor day weekend. And, this particular weekend coincided with our 6 year wedding anniversary. I called up my in-laws and asked if they could take the kids for a few days and give me and Jeff a much needed break.

The amazing duo of Harold and Marcia looked fear directly in the face and said yes. It wasn't Ian that had us worried, it was Sam. She is a big unknown these days on how she will sleep and if she would be willing to let anyone other than her parents take care of her. If she wasn't up to this idea, then it could be complete torture for 48 hours. In addition, if she didn't go to bed easily at night, or sleep through the night, and of course, woke up extraordinarily early, it would be difficult for my mother-in-law to function until we drove back to Baltimore. Our fingers were crossed that all would go well and my in-laws would still be talking to us Monday morning, when it came time for us to get the kids.

Jeff and I didn't have plans to go far; we simply wanted be at the house and not have the kids around. So we drove the kids up to Baltimore on Saturday morning and our 48 hours began. I believe we made amazing use of our time and really enjoyed our two day break.

SATURDAY:

Parkway Deli (Silver Spring, MD) - Jeff wanted to stop here for lunch on the way back home. This is one of his most favorite restaurants ever.

Gym - we were actually going to go to the movies, but couldn't find a movie we had to see. Too funny when you think about it. Going to the movies is the one activity I miss the most, and here was our opportunity to go without paying for a babysitter, and we couldn't find a movie to see. (Full disclosure: I am saving "Going the Distance" for a girl's movie night on 9/21). We each had a great workout and it made me very happy that Jeff suggested we do this.

Rosa Mexicana (National Harbor) - We stopped here for a bite to eat before our next activity.

Sunset Cruise (National Harbor) - We took a 2 hour sunset cruise on the Minnie V (a 104 year old SkipJack sailboat) around the Potomac. It was very peaceful and a great way to relax and end the day.

SUNDAY:

We spent the day in Monticello (a 2 hour drive from the Fairfax, VA area).

Burnley Vineyards (20 miles from Monticello) - We stopped here for a wine tasting and to do a picnic lunch. I researched and researched wineries in the area and decided upon this one because they had a great sounding selection of white wines/sweeter wines and they offered a chocolate wine. I realized I picked just the right vineyard when we drove up and a German Shepherd was there to greet us. Oh my! This was my first up close meeting with another German Shepherd since Bailey. And, let me tell you what a sweetie Cooper was. He was 8 years old and very lovable. Of course, I start tearing up and it was all I could do to not tell Cooper to jump in my car for me to kidnap.

Monticello - Jeff has always wanted to visit Thomas Jefferson's house. Personally, I am not into history and this wouldn't have been a high priority of a destination for me. However, I must say that Monticello is beautiful and we had a great time touring the house. I really enjoyed myself and was surprised at how much I got out of the experience.

Downtown Charlottesville/Historic area (4 miles from Monticello) - After Monticello, we walked the outdoor area that was filled with shops/boutiques and restaurants. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and a nice way to spend an hour or two walking around.

Fellini's #9 (part of the downtown area): I had researched gluten-free friendly restaurants and found this one came recommended. I made reservations and told them I had a gluten allergy. They brought in gluten-free pasta and bread for me. Jeff and I had a very leisurely dinner (meaning we were there longer than 40 minutes!) and enjoyed the food very much.

Now here's a really cool ending to an already fabulous day. I got an email from my friend Kelly telling me she made me a gluten-free treat and asked when she could drop it by. Since I was checking email on the drive home, I called her and said that we could do a drive-by and pick it up. The picture below is what she made. WOWEEE!! And let me tell you, this cake tasted amazing. It was as delicious on the inside as it was beautiful on the outside. I have no idea what I did to deserve such a sweet gesture, but it made our anniversary that much sweeter.



We picked the kids up the next morning (exactly 48 hours later) and went back to full-time parenting.

What a great weekend. And many thanks to Jeff's parents giving us this opportunity to do so many non-kid-friendly activities. Everything we saw and did, we didn't feel like the kids were missing out. We had a great time and didn't worry for one minute that they weren't in excellent care, having fun too.