A Slower Pace

Kenny and I went away this weekend. Just the two of us.

We try to get away twice a year for a long weekend without our precious children. Thankfully, we have very kind parents that are so supportive and are willing to keep our children for the weekend. This past weekend, we went to Northern Virginia and DC. I hadn't been to DC since I was in the 6th grade, so it had been a few years...

One of the things that struck me the most over the weekend was not how much I love my husband, although I do love him very much, and it wasn't how much I love my children, although they are so precious to me, it was how fast paced everything was.

Cars everywhere, people everywhere, concrete everywhere, construction everywhere. It was so busy.

I was walking through the mall at Tyson's Corner and I just kept thinking "I love my slow paced life!".

Sometimes we just need reminders that the life we have is what is best for us. It isn't perfect, not always fun and never easy, but it's our life. And I LOVE it. I love that we live in a small "city" where things are Southern and slow paced. That was live in a quiet neighborhood. That we have a home church where people know our names and love our children. That Kenny doesn't have a horrendous commute into work. I'm thankful for a slower pace where we aren't trying to just keep up.

We try to focus on our family, on our children, on each other. It's easy to lose focus and that is why we go away twice a year.

Now, don't get me wrong, I so enjoyed all of the good shopping (not that I bought much because I'm a serious bargain shopper), but I was happy to enjoy two large malls and IKEA. (Oh sweet, IKEA, my new love!) I was thrilled with the great places to eat! (Oh sweet, Cheesecake Factory, my other new love!) And it was amazing to be able to go into DC and explore the museums (Air and Space, Natural History, American History and the Spy Museum). I could have done without the Metro, but preferred my overwhelming feelings of being trapped to trying to drive and park in DC. And more than anything, I enjoyed spending quality time with my husband!

And to refocus.