I’m alive, I swear I’m out here…. working away! Catching up! 🙂

The past month has been so exciting, and yet so crazy! Isnt this the time of year when us in the wedding industry slow down?! Not for me, and I am thrilled about it!

October was filled with 5 amazing weddings (that I’ll be blogging about this week finally!) and the arrival of my best friends son, Mr. Emmett Christopher. November then followed with meeting after meetings with new, excited brides for next year, my sis in law’s bday, Thanksgiving, 2 weddings, and my favorite week of the year….. Vacation!

Every year since we met, Brian and I have taken a week off in November for vacation. A whole week with no email, iphone, laptop. Just us. Even the first year we met, 5 months into the relationship we booked a week-long cruise to Mexico together to get away (maybe that’s when I knew he was the one….when I could spend a week on a boat with him and share that tiny bathroom! haha!). It has become a very important time for us, and something we look forward to all year!

This year we decided on Maui. I’ve never been to Maui before, and so I was thrilled. Hawaii is just an amazing place. A place that seems to wash away any stress, sense of time, or concern. Life becomes about the beach, catching a photo of the rainbow, the great food, and stopping each day to watch this amazing sunset.

I saw a great article last week online about why couples need to take a vacation, and it got me thinking. This “getting away” thing isn’t just in my head, it is REALLY important. Time away together can do so many things to your relationship, and it needs to become a priority. Yes friends, even when you have children, leaving them to take a vacation with your spouse is a good idea from time to time, in addition to family vacations. You need time to reconnect and focus on the two of you alone.

According to the article, Here are some reasons why taking a vacation together as a couple is so important:

From JP Magazine Online, written by By MIKE GROPPER

“1. A vacation gives married couples a chance to rediscover one another. Getting away from all of the daily hassles and spending time together in a different place can strip down barriers and help you to rediscover the foundations of what made you a couple at the start of your marriage.
2. In this fast-paced world, many couples have busy lives, and a “couple vacation” offers much-needed quality time together to re-prioritize the relationship.
3. A vacation increases the fun and friendship in the relationship and is a time to get away from conflicts and focus on enjoying one another’s company. Trying a new activity together can increase the fun. Perhaps try a new sport or explore a new place.
4. Unfortunately, life’s duties and daily routines leave many married couples too tired to enjoy sex at the end of the evening. A vacation can rejuvenate your sex life.
5. A vacation can help promote emotional bonding and can deepen the marital connection, providing a break from the couple’s daily focus, which may be more superficial in order to get “the job done.” Hopefully, this bonding can follow the couple after the vacation and increase the support system in times of stress and add to the overall enjoyment of the marital relationship.
6. If you have children, a “couple vacation” can give your children an important message that your marriage matters and that you treat it with importance and respect in terms of time, money, commitment and focus. Kids often enjoy the time away from parents also, especially if they get to spend time with relatives they like. The couple vacation is an opportunity for building trust, intimacy and shared enjoyment.”

Maui was amazing! The road to Hana, Lahaina, waterfalls, sunsets on Kaanapali Beach, drinks at the Ritz-Carlton, a couples massage and a sunset dinner cruise…. it was hard to come home! I know that it isn’t cheep to get away, but it is worth it. Having my husband not take his iphone out of the safe in the hotel room for days makes me smile 🙂 Lots and lots of “us” time that we so deserve!

Plan a trip friends, with your spouse. Go somewhere, anywhere, together. Money tight this year? Have a few days of a “staycation” where you stay in town, but still away from your home. Wanna go big? Pack your bags and head somewhere exotic! The rest it gives your soul will be worth it. The smiles you’ll share with your spouse will cement a smile on your face for days. Make it a priority to share an “adventure” together every year!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from this years trip! I love you Brian…. thank you for another great week away ❤

 

~Candice