I am sitting at a gate in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) waiting for my flight back to Seattle. You may be wondering…”How does she have time to sit and write with two girls while she is at the airport?”
If my girls were with me, I definitely would NOT be writing.
I would be mulling this post over in my head while I watched them burn off steam running over and under seats before getting on the six hour flight back home. The beauty of this story is that I got the weekend off from mommy duty to travel east 3,000 miles to go to a wedding in New York City! I know, I mean, I really do know – LUCKY ME!!
Friday afternoon I left work early to catch my 3:05 PM flight from Seattle to EWR. I arrived at Sea-Tac airport (SEA) an hour before my flight, only to find out the flight was delayed two hours! I was so annoyed. My first reaction: “That means I won’t arrive until 1 AM! Man, am I going to be tired!”
My second reaction: “I should have checked flight status before I left the office or signed up for those flight alerts by email or text message. I could have gotten a little more work done.”
My third reaction:
“Wait, I’m by myself without kids. This might not be so bad. But, what AM I going to do for two hours?”
I decided to find a place to sit down, have a beer and start reading the book I picked up at the library (El sueño de América by Esmeralda Santiago). It was not until I sat down, took a sip of my beer and opened up my book that I realized….”Whoa, this is nice! I actually have some down time with no kids around! No one needs my undivided attention…or a diaper change.”
THAT is when I started to relax. By the time I got on the plane, I had had two Hefeweizens. Two beers + lack of sleep night before + no kids = UNINTERRUPTED NAP TIME! The flight was uneventful. By the time I landed, took the shuttle to my hotel, checked in, got ready for bed and leaned over the nightstand to turn off the light, the clock read 2:30 AM.
My alarm went off at 8:30 AM. I couldn’t believe it, an alarm woke me up – not a child! I took a private uninterrupted shower and peacefully did my hair and makeup while listening to some jazz music – music that I chose. (Not a children’s music CD selected by my oldest daughter.) I left the hotel around 9:45 AM to catch the train into mid-town Manhattan.
As I got off the subway in Herald Square, the skyscrapers and people hustling, the horns honking, and the smell of the city made memories of my time in New York City flood back.
I fondly remembered my trips into NYC with my brothers and my mom as children, but also the time spent there working after college. I was walking around with a smile on my face. It wasn’t until I walked past the Empire State Building that I realized I had not been in NYC since I left in 2002!
The wedding was beautiful, I caught up with some old friends at the reception. Before heading back to the hotel, I felt the need to go down and visit the World Trade Center. Especially since the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up, and it had been nine years since I was last down there.
It was dusk by the time I got there, so sadly I didn’t get to see things in daylight. I stood at the waterfront and just enjoyed the view of the Statue of Liberty with a purplish, orangey sky setting behind her.
By the time I got back to my hotel it was around 9 PM. This morning I got to sleep in, take another long shower without anyone banging on the door wanting to go potty or saying, “Momma, I need to tell you something.” I even had the chance to meet up with my dad and baby brother for brunch, which was a lovely way to spend the day before the long flight back home.
The funny thing about this whole trip is that at the wedding reception I sat with two other couples my age who are also parents. We were eating cheese, drinking wine, and all of our conversations revolved around…our children! We shared pictures on our smart phones, shared stories about things that make us laugh about our kids, as well as how proud we were about their most recent milestones.
At one point all of the moms got up to call home and ‘check in’ on the kids. One of the dads got up and said,
“Wait, STOP! Thirty plus years ago there were no cell phones. Our parents would go out for the night, they would leave us with relatives, not call to ‘check in’ and we all turned out all right, didn’t we? Sit down and relax!”
I laughed out loud because he was so right!
In closing, cheers to my darling husband for playing Mr. Mom, taking care of our girls, and giving me the weekend off. Even though I spent more time in airports and on planes flying back and forth from coast to coast than I actually spent in NYC, the ‘me’ time was wonderful.
And by the time my family meets me at the airport back in Seattle tonight, I know I will feel re-energized and ready to step back into my mommy shoes. This trip reinforced that as exhausting as it can be to be a mom sometimes, it’s by far the best job I’ve ever had. I just have to remember to take some time for myself every once in a while.
What about you…have you ever had the chance to take “time off” from being a mom by going away? If so, where did you go and what did you do?
This is an original post for World Moms Blog by Eva Fannon. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.
Photo credits to Wally Gobetz (Empire State Building) and James Russo (Statue of Liberty). These photos have a creative commons attribution license.
Eva Fannon (USA)
Eva Fannon is a working mom who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her hubby and two girls. She was born and raised on the east coast and followed her husband out west when he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Eva has always been a planner, so it took her a while to accept that no matter how much you plan and prepare, being a mom means a new and different state of "normal". Despite the craziness on most weekday mornings (getting a family of four out the door in time for work and school is no easy task!), she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. She and her husband are working on introducing the girls to the things they love - travel, the great outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.
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Eva – how wonderful for you (I am jealous – in a good way) :)! I have not been able to do it yet, but already have it planned for as soon as I can get the baby weaned. My friend and I are planning to go away to a spa in Arizona for a long weekend. I am really looking forward to some me time to recharge.
I do find it funny, how anytime a group of parents get together, they talk about their children. It even happens to me at work!
Welcome home!
Maman Aya – a spa in Arizona will be wonderful!! I recently went to Scottsdale with my husband and kids…we spent our days lounging by the pool and that was great…so I imagine that spending that kind of time with a girl friend and adding a spa to the mix would be heaven!! ENJOY 🙂
Love this post! I’m so glad you got a chance to re-energize and rest by yourself! I believe that quiet alone time is a necessity, not a luxury, but unfortunately real life + kids makes it challenging to take the time we need, by ourselves, on a regular basis. I also relate to talking about our kids when they’re not around! Thank you for sharing your story~
skpadilla – you are right, it really is a necessity, it just becomes a luxury because as you say, real life + kids makes it so challenging. I’m glad I’m not the only one in that boat! Thanks for stopping by 😉
Sounds fabulous Eva! I haven’t had a lot of time away, but I did enjoy a week in Italy for my brother’s wedding (with my Mom). I missed my family, but I also found it interesting how quickly I reverted back to my pre-kids traveling self…happily exploring cobbled streets and enjoying a gelato (or three;) My first work trip took me to Beijing and remember laughing when the person next to me complained about how long the flight was. “Are you kidding me? 15 hours and all I have to do is read magazines, watch movies and sleep…this is heaven!” Hopefully I’ll find my way back to New York one of these days…lucky you!
Hi Shaula – I LOVE Italy. I’ve only been there pre-kids, but always said I could see myself retiring there. I love getting lost in exploring cobbled streets and having a gelato with every meal – a minimum of three a day 🙂
And yes, I would start laughing too if someone complained to me about 15 hours of alone time – ha – that was obviously not a parent of young kids!
Now that Mr Butterfly is two I am enjoying a bit of time to myself some days too. How lovely to be able to do what you want when you wanted to for a whole weekend. Just knowing that you didn’t have to think about anyone else’s needs but your own must have been restful! I really do think that it’s only mothers who can appreciate the wonder in that. Pleased you had a great time.
Thanks Karyn! The funny thing was that I am so used to packing for me and my girls when I travel, that since I was traveling so light, I kept thinking I was forgetting something. Other than that, it WAS restful to just take care of myself 🙂
Eva,
I had about 20 minutes (10 minutes each way) in my car today as I dropped off a meal I made to a new mother in my local mom’s club. My mother-in-law stayed with my kids while I did the drop-off. I enjoyed every second of those 20 minutes of me-time! I listened to my favorite radio stations. Sometimes I just need a little break to make me a more energized mom!! When I stop breastfeeding, I hope to be able to make more time for myself to rejuvenate. I think this is important.
I enjoyed reading about your break. And, I love my kids, but I knew how refreshed this trip must have made you feel, and I was envious! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story!
Jen 🙂
Jen,
Amazing how even 20 minutes can do wonders as a break 🙂 I totally agree, I ADORE my kids, but I needed the break 🙂
Once when my son was around five I went on a weekend reiki retreat and it was heaven! 🙂
ecoziva ~ that sounds wonderful!! I think my next step is to plan a weekend type of retreat with a mom friend or two. Thanks for sharing the idea!
I relate to every second of this post! I remember the 1st wedding I went to back in PA once I had kids. The pre-flight beer, the reading of magazines, the sleeping in, the shower…it all seemed so amazingly decadent. I love my kids, and I love taking them places, but there is nothing like having that time for a little “me” adventure.
DECADENT – that is the perfect way to describe it 🙂