Belly Laugh Your Way to a Younger You

Tony was gone for 6 days last week. It was a loooong time. I definitely could not have made it through this:

Or this: 

And certainly not this:

without a short trip the two of us took with some friends right after he got back last week. I really needed to go "off the clock" for a bit and he did too. And for some reason, while we were gone, both of my girls forgot that we only color on paper! Silly things. No worries, I doubt they will forget again. 

Tony and I left Wednesday amidst the nightmarish snow and ice debacle with 11 other friends for a long weekend of skiing in Steamboat, CO. It took over two hours and many sketchy, scary back roads and nearly t-boning another car to get to the airport, then a four hour delay for our flight, but we were all of the same mind: we would go on this trip or die trying! 

The thing is that sometimes moms and dads need to take off all those other hats they wear and just be themselves. Jenny and Tony. It's like shucking off layers to have only one hat to wear for a few days. You are lighter and freer and for a few days anyways, you can breathe. 

Parents, sneak away for a few days. It's good for the soul. It's good for you. Go somewhere with friends, eat out, belly laugh a lot, get fresh air and exercise, stay up late then sleep in. I promise, when you return and resume the wearing of so many hats, they will fit a little lighter and they will come off a little easier next time. You will leave two harried individuals and return best buds once again. 

Some of the best moments of the trip for me, were the moments when I saw the weary weight of the world that so many small business owners drag with them everywhere they go, melt into the snow as Tony took off that hat and left it in his suitcase. He left the frustration, the strain on the ski slopes and returned in the afternoons to make us all heave with laughter. He was years younger in those few days. So was I.

Trust me, take a trip. Belly laughs are so relaxing. 

Note: Many thanks to those who helped make our trip possible! We could not have enjoyed ourselves so far away from our kids unless we knew they were in the best of hands. Now, which set of grandparents taught the kids to color on the walls?