It was probably late February when Simon announced he was attending the Keller Williams luxury conference in Amelia Island, Florida, and would I like to go too? A weekend away to the beach, child-free? Where do I sign up? And so the day finally rolled around, and I’ll admit it – all I did was throw clothes into a bag. I was so consumed with getting through my talk at Alt for Everyone that I had zero brain space for anything else. No research, no idea what to expect.
And so we arrived and we were thrilled at what we discovered.
Lush foliage with twisty trees bowing over the roads, Spanish moss everywhere, the hazy light over the marshes, and then all of a sudden the Atlantic Ocean. At the hotel, we drank sweet iced teas with lots of lemon, swam in the pools, stared at the ocean, and grabbed handfuls of seashells washed ashore. Grits galore, and local honey that was grown on the property, dripping straight off of the honeycomb.
Unsolicited marriage advice: go away for a weekend with your spouse, without the kids, and without anything planned. It will revitalize your marriage like nothing else. (Also, do yourself a favor and pack some new underwear (sorry, Dad). Talk about your big crazy dreams, laugh about stupid things, and sleep in until ten in the morning. Drive around aimlessly and explore neighborhoods.
But most importantly, even though it’s been nine years of togetherness, remember why it was you wanted to adventure with him in the first place.