One of the things that I have always loved most about Pete is that he is extremely realistic and honest about his own limitations. He is not one of those people who cannot say "no" and, therefore, takes on more than he can handle. By contrast, he is exceptionally talented at juggling multiple balls at once, but also knows when he is taking on too much and is ruthless about prioritizing what's on his plate. He is also very forthright and honest about what he personally needs in order to maintain his own mental and physical health. For example, he told me early on in our relationship that he needs "at least 4 nights a year sleeping under the stars." And I have learned over time that he is right!! If I give him these four nights (or one weekend away with the guys each year, or three days a week to work out, or whatever) that he really is a better person for it. Not surprisingly, one of his favorite life philosophies is the one that flight attendants say before take-off: "Please secure your own life mask before attending to those around you."
Pete also applies this same philosophy to our marriage. He believes strongly (as do I) that the strength of a family lies first-and-foremost in the strength of the marriage. One of the ways that Pete ensures that we focus on our marriage is by pushing for regular, adult-only getaways so that we can re-connect as a couple without the distraction of the kids. Luckily for me, in the mind-numbing haze that characterized the first few weeks after my diagnosis, Pete had the foresight to know that we would need a weekend away just prior to surgery in order to re-connect. And so we made plans to get away for three days to a resort on the Sonoma Coast (Timber Cove Inn) and that was where we were last weekend.
The weekend was fabulous: the views were spectacular, the food was incredible, we watched 5 great movies, and, in between movies, we talked non-stop. I think that getting out of town enabled us to escape from everything more than either of us expected, which was a welcome reprieve after the long ordeal we have gone through. And so, needless to say, it was difficult to return to reality but at least we were in a better emotional place when we got back. Anyway, below is a link to the pictures from our weekend. Enjoy!!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AbNnDFs3YsXMA
Again, click on "View Pictures" and then "View as a Slideshow".
2 comments:
I LOVE Timber Cove Inn!! I'm so jealous! Good for you for taking the time to reconnect. I completely agree with your "strength of a family" beliefs.
Hey, I thought Timber Cove was my place! Glenn proposed to be there! Good philsophy about couple get aways. I think that even after the kids have grown and left home, you still have to flee the nest together occasionally. This, I am finding harder to convince my hubby to do now, than when we had the little ones around.
Great photos.
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