All of a sudden, the nest is empty. The birds have gone and what once was a constant blur of activity is now nothing more than a few discarded feathers. Silence mutes all that was colorful and it is time to reestablish our significant place in an ever-changing world”

Marci Seither

For two months after Henry left in the fall of 2019, I sat in a funk. I remember going to work and doing what needed to be done, but I’m sure my coworkers all thought I was a complete bitch. I was short with them and my husband. *Sigh* My husband…

Dave has this sixth sense about me. After 22 years of marriage, he knows me better than I understand myself. He pushes me, he backs off, he makes me laugh–all when I need it the most. He is really my champion, especially in times I am being completely selfish. I’m not sure how he does it. I would have hated living with me this past fall. But instead of packing up and leaving, he planned. He planned trips–to Vegas, to Phoenix twice, and a cruise to the Caribbean. He figured that without paying for hockey anymore, we could use the money to escape the cold and the empty house. I’m sure his thought was ‘It may not be an every month occurrence, but let’s just try to just get Lauran through the first year.’ What a sweetheart, eh?

So we did. We went to Vegas and drank screwdrivers at 9am and martinis at 9pm. We went to Phoenix, Tucson, Lake Havasu, and back to Phoenix. We visited my mother, his father, my grandmother, and his father…again. I think I’m a bit done with Phoenix now. Next up–our first cruise. We’ll see how that goes for Dave.

Now look, I understand that not everyone has this opportunity to travel. You need to have available time off, and a budget of some kind. But this is where I will give you a totally UNsponsored tip: Use the app Hopper. It will find you great flights for cheap and will even tell you the best days/months to travel and whether or not you should book or wait. Our first trip to Phoenix was only $100 each round trip. And if you can stay with family for free–even better…well sometimes. 😉 The other trick is the Kayak app. It will tell you where you can go to on any budget in the world. If you are flexible, it could save you hundreds of dollars.

I have to admit, the short vacations throughout our Minnesota winter has made time fly. Also, I think I’m ready to just hunker down and be a homebody. But I’m sure by the time February and March roll around, I’ll change my mind and be looking for that quick 3 day weekend in Phoenix.