I’m always saying I need a break. That I’m tired. That working full time, having two small children and a husband that coaches is exhausting.

So I finally decided to just take a damn trip.

Baseball season was over. I had vacation days. I’m not getting any younger or less stressed.

So my husband and I planned a long weekend getaway for Chicago and went last weekend. Kid free. And it was glorious.

I always say don’t complain about something if you aren’t actively trying to find a solution to the problem. So I took my own advice and gave myself a break. And took the damn trip.

The kids were all packed up and ready to go by 7 am on Friday. If that’s not a sign I needed a ticket out of town, I don’t know what was.

We really didn’t have a plan. We just wanted to be. To explore. To hang out. To drink beer. To go out without a diaper bag and an iPad. To not worry about upsetting an entire restaurant because our four year old yelled that he needed to poop out loud.

We drove six hours there. It was a perfect, boring ride. We talked about things. Some important, some trivial. We hadn’t been able to do that in ages.

When we arrived at our hotel, we took naps. #ParentWin

Then we explored the city. Drank beer. Ate dinner. Drank more beer. Ate a second dinner. And just relaxed.

I slept in until 10:30 am the next day. I thought that was impossible. I get up at 4:30 am six days a week normally.

By the end of the trip, I was tired, but I was so refreshed.

I went shopping. ALL ALONE. At Nordstrom Rack. It made my life.

I made my husband take a selfie with me in The Bean.

It’s the little things peeps. It’s the extra sleep. It’s not having to share a bed with your big ass dog. It’s actually taking a break. It’s having a conversation with your husband. Or just sitting in silence with your husband. It’s eating all the calories and drinking all the beer. It’s relaxing.

So next time you say you don’t know if you can do it any more without a break, just make it happen. Take a day off work. Pawn the kids off on their grandparents or a doting neighbor. Book a hotel. Pack your yoga pants.

Just go. Don’t make excuses. Work will survive a day without you. The kids will not forget you. You have the time, you just have to make it.

So for the person reading this right now, TAKE THE DAMN TRIP. I promise you won’t regret it.

Until Next Time,

Jamie