Every once in a while, if you're very lucky and work as fiercely as you can, all that time and hard work pays off in a big way. I feel like Trenton and I have been burning our candles at both ends lately. For the past 8 years, actually. I've been busy gestating (practically non-stop), going to school, raising kids, working, and trying desperately to make our money stretch and create a happy life for all of us. Trenton has been the anchor of our party of 5, working his full-time job faithfully- making the mind-numbing commute to Denver, day in and day out, with little to no complaining. He has even worked in landscaping during the nights and weekends to supplement our income during those brief periods when there was too much month left at the end of our money. The past couple years, he has been working a massive amount of overtime, often being among the first to arrive in the morning, and the last to leave at night. And for about 4 months now, he has been waking up at 4:45 each morning to head to the gym before he makes the drive up to Denver for a full day of work, just to avoid cutting into our time together as a family by going to the gym in the evenings. There have been too many nights to count that he has walked through our front door, weary-eyed and bone-deep exhausted, but still capable of expressing his love and gratitude for each of us and his many other blessings. I am so thankful to be married to a man that is worthy of my admiration. He is a good, massive-hearted, hard working, and fun-loving human being. And he's all mine.
All of last year, Trenton kept his head down and worked so effectively, that he became a member of Arrow's "President's Club." An honor given to those that bring in the most revenue in their division for the year. As a reward for being the year's top salesman, we both got to go on an all-expense paid vacation...to paradise.
After a couple of pretty uneventful flights (thankfully) we landed in Palm Beach, Florida. The weather held steady at around 85 degrees the entire week, and the ocean was mild and refreshingly cool.
We stayed at The Breakers, which is often described as The Broadmoor by the sea. But having stayed at The Broadmoor a couple times when Trenton worked at Hewlett Packard, The Breakers was infinitely better.
After all the preparations that went into the trip (shopping, packing, tying up loose ends at work, making arrangements for our kids, two cats, dog, and 13 chickens, finding SPF 100 sunscreen) and the nearly eight hours of travel from start to finish, all we wanted to do when we got there was eat and collapse in the sand. And that's exactly what we did. Trenton's company did an amazing job being sure that we were comfortable throughout the trip- providing a day at the spa and a spending account that could be used at the resort for any incidentals. Considering the expensive nature of this hotel, our stay could have been more of a nightmare if we had been financially responsible for meals and activities. How wonderful it was to not worry about money for five consecutive days. Actually, thanks to both of our loving Moms who were watching our babies, and Cathy and Christy who were taking care of our animals, we really didn't have to worry about much of anything for five consecutive days.
Our first afternoon was spent exploring the hotel, swimming, and laying on the beach. They had an amazing welcome dinner for us with a wide variety of yumminess. My favorites were the lamb chops with mint jelly and martini glasses filled with creamy, cheesy polenta and topped with smoky pulled pork and coleslaw. It was pretty naughty.
Each night, when we returned back to our room, Arrow had arranged for gifts to be left on our bed. We got some really fun things. On top of that, the hotel provided a turndown service including truffles and cookies being left on our pillows. The room was beautiful, and we had a view of the ocean from both the bedroom and bathroom windows.
The second morning, Arrow had a beautifully catered breakfast on this lawn. It was amazing. Or so I heard. I chose to skip breakfast that morning and stay in bed, wrapped in the hotel's cozy robe. Trenton got up early that morning to work out and then had a couple work things that were mandatory. So I had the room all to myself. Nobody was begging for chocolate milk, or granola bars, or pancakes. Nobody was asking me to wipe their bottoms or jumping on me insisting that I turn cartoons on. I did get up around 8 to open the blinds and windows, which filled the room with a balmy, morning glow and salty, beach air. I collapsed on the bed, engulfed by a sea of crisp, down-filled linens, and drifted off to sleep again to the sound of the ocean. I didn't wake up until around 11. Heaven.
When it was Trenton's turn to walk across the stage to receive his award, I couldn't help but get a little emotional. I know first hand how hard he's been working to get there and I kind of felt like a proud Mama Bear. It's refreshing for Trenton to be recognized for his hard work. Way to go, Trenton!
Once the dinner was over, we were free to do whatever we wanted for the remainder of the trip. Trenton and I decided to rent a beach cruiser and go on a bike ride alongside the ocean. We also wanted to venture outside the resort to find some local food and goodies that were a little more our speed. So we found a "Publix" which is a southern version of King Soopers, and got subs, a fresh fruit salad, and pastries to take back to the hotel. Once we got on the bike trail, I was speechless. The beauty of this place is indescribable. And it was so fun to see it all from the bike, because you could take the time to notice all the details of the landscaping and houses we passed. I also enjoyed breathing in the perfume of the flowers along the path, and the salt from the ocean, and the hunger-inducing scents of steak and burgers that restaurants had sizzling on their grills. We went along a stretch of road on our way back to the hotel that had us under a canopy of trees that were so plentiful, with leaves so dense that you couldn't see the sky. I actually turned to Trenton and told him that I felt closer to God than I had in a long time.
It truly was the most perfect vacation. We were healthy, happy, and free from cares.
Until it was time to fly home. Planes make me nervous anyway, but there were storms brewing all over the country. I tried to remind myself that with as many flights as I've been on (at least 100) I'm still alive. But while we were about to board our plane from Palm Beach to Atlanta, the pilot came into the terminal and over the speaker he said, "I don't know if you have been watching the news concerning the weather, but we are in for a very bumpy flight. If any of you are prone to airsickness or have concerns with turbulence, I suggest you take another flight. Please use the restroom before getting on the plane because it is unlikely you will be able to get up for the duration of the flight."
To say that I panicked would be an understatement. I wholeheartedly begged Trenton to just let us rent a car instead. It took me a few minutes to come to terms with how sucky driving home from the most southern tip of Florida would be, and how necessary it would be for me to just bite the bullet and get on the plane. I felt like every fear signal in my body was firing. I was terrified. I couldn't breathe and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack or throw up, or both. So Trenton and I went into one of the family restrooms and prayed that somehow I would find the courage to get on the plane, and that we both would be safe.
And miracles really do happen. Within minutes, my heart settled down and even though I was still nervous, I got on the plane. And boy was that pilot right. It was terrifying.
But our flight home from Atlanta was worse! It was so bad that people actually did get sick. I saw the flight attendant walk by 3 times with full airsickness bags, and at one point, the flight attendant screamed in fear. If there were any atheists on that plane before the flight, I don't think there were any after.
But prayers work. Even though the turbulence was rough, I was safe. And I knew it. "Sometimes God calms the storm. But Sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms His child." - Leslie Gould.
Even with all that flight drama, I would still do the trip again. It was exactly what this very tired mom and dad needed.
And shortly after I said that, we came upon this sign. How appropriate!
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