Confession: I've been traveling quite a bit recently. I went to New York less than two weeks ago, knowing fully that I would come back and leave the next day for Richmond. But I love traveling, and this trip was very different than the first, so I made all the plans and just got excited!
Nathan and I are bad at making plans with just the two of us, especially if it involves travel. We travel so much for weddings and seeing family that it's rare we plan a trip that doesn't involve other people. I don't really know why I thought about this one day, but I realized we needed to fix that! So, unbeknownst to him, I found the cutest little hotel in Richmond and planned a day to walk around Carytown, eat the best gluten-free pizza at the Mellow Mushroom, and be together - just the two of us.
Sunday after we got home from church we ate lunch and then I told Nathan to start packing an overnight bag. We both love being surprised, so he ran around the house collecting his things before we hit the road. I kept everything a secret before we pulled up to the Linden Row Inn. We had the cutest little room with a fireplace - so much better than a normal hotel chain!
That night we walked to Carytown and spent time just browsing through shops before dinner. Of course I had to drop by Lamplighter for some coffee on the way back but mostly we just talked and reconnected with each other. The next morning I found another amazing local coffee join - Sefton Coffee Company - and grabbed a latte before heading over to Belle Isle to adventure. I hadn't been in a long, long time and it was all new to him.
Besides the fact that the walk over the footbridge was terrifying to me, it was all just fun. As we headed back Nathan turned the tables and surprised me by stopping in at Pierce's Pitt BBQ for lunch - barbeque is my favorite! Then we headed home and spent the afternoon relaxing together.
So it was nothing fancy, and it was just a quick trip, but the whole time I just kept thinking how grateful I was for it, and how necessary it is to get away. Sometimes the best talks and the most fun happen when you're not where you're used to being. Life is wonderful, but it can get mundane if you don't plan little breaks in the middle.
It's easy to just spend each day living and forgetting what it's like to be an adventurer. As a kid, I spent time playing and inventing things in my imagination. As an adult, my imagination is often dulled down or nonexistent. This bleeds into every area of my life, from photography to my marriage. So take it from someone who has trouble being spontaneous - plan an adventure, go on it with your friend or your spouse, and reap the rewards in every area of your life. Trust me, it's worth it.
Note: these are all iPhone pictures...just giving you a heads up! :)
That BRIDGE! Not a fan!
