General News
30 August, 2024
On cloud nine after picturesque wedding in Queensland | A Mum's World
It was Yolande's third weekend away with the husband in 20 years.
I'm still up on cloud nine after a long weekend away with my husband in tropical far north Queensland.
Finishing in the heavenlies doesn't mean it started there though - it felt pretty rocky heading out the door.
We were guests at the most beautiful family wedding in Port Douglas.
With planning underway for almost a year, why did getting away nearly finish me off?
It's because, since becoming parents, my husband and I have only been away together alone for the weekend three times.
So, for the past 22 years, we have only attended three conferences together, and each time we nearly turned back.
This time we were leaving one stressed out Year 12 student at home alone - well, with shifts of big sisters helping her along.
I felt very bad about deserting her to deal with study and social stressors without being present to debrief.
Mobile telephones are a miracle at these moments though, right?
I left money for food, fuel and fun, with instructions for feeding the dogs and feeding the fire.
The fire went out early in our absence, but the dogs were well fed and very happy with the extra attention of walks - in appreciation of their service as guard dogs.
For the first day and half as we sped along the highway, paid for a hotel room we didn't get any sleep in and got up at 3am to make an early flight - we both wanted to call the whole thing off and go home to our babies.
On arrival in far north Queensland, as we revisited the scenes of our first adventure 30 years earlier, the responsibilities of home gradually slipped from my mind.
We had our third breakfast in Cairns, popped into Trinity Beach to see if we could remember anything then checked into our adults only resort in Port Douglas.
Suddenly, feeding the fire at home was far from my mind.
Within a couple of days, I realised that I was actually on holiday, and I was allowed to relax.
Somehow, I hadn't seen that coming.
We wined and dined with family, drank cocktails at a bar alone without any reason to rush home, and slept in every morning.
This empty nester thing might actually work next year.