I had a grand plan for M’s birthday that involved kidnapping him at the office on Friday and whisking him off to Austin, TX for an exciting weekend packed with live music and fun. It was going to rock. I took everything into account: M’s court schedule, his fear of flying, what I’d need to pack for us. I even arranged to have the children spend the weekend at their grandparent’s. I didn’t leave anything to chance, you know, except the darn economy.

In light of my limited income and the same tough times that everyone is facing, all of a sudden the thought of spending almost a grand on a fun weekend away seemed crazy, if not downright irresponsible. So I reluctantly canceled all the weekend plans that I had set in motion, all except one tiny detail, the kids’ plans. I mean really, who was I to deny C and Little L the joy of spending the night at Grandpa and Grandma’s house? I swear I was just thinking of their happiness, honest.

So instead of flying off for southern climes, yesterday M and I packed off our little monsters* and headed over the mountains to the beach. We took a long walk by the water and had a deep philosophical discussion about how little we’ve changed over the years. Then we went into downtown Santa Cruz for a delicious ravioli dinner with the best friends in the world. (Seriously, who else drives 45 minutes just for dinner?) We rounded out the evening with an energetic Wii tennis tournament, a sweet bottle of wine, and a little Sons of Anarchy.

And then? Well, then we slept for a million blissful uninterrupted hours, lulled by the pounding of the surf, cocooned in silken sheets. We woke up to the sound of seagulls, more surf pounding, and a marked absence of crying or children’s voices. One so so breakfast and another romantic beach walk later and we were headed back over the hill, homeward and kid bound.

There was no live music, no plane trip, and none of the surprise that I had hoped for, but the weekend was perfect as is. After weeks of stress and chaos the calm of a night by the sea was exactly what the doctor ordered. M and I sorely needed to reconnect and spend some quality time sans kids. And well, I’m pretty sure you’ll understand when I say that we also desperately needed that glorious night of sleep. That it all took place on his birthday was just the icing on the cake. (In fact, we might just pretend that he’s having another birthday in a month or so, just for the heck of it, and the night of sleep…)

*I would like to go on record to say that the chore chart and extra cuddle time is working a charm. C has been a joy to be around for the last three days. I use the term monster in the most endearing way possible.

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One last day to win some free apple sauce! I know, it’s not as exciting as it could be, but seriously, this stuff is worth checking out just for the innovative packaging alone!