26.5 Hours

Not to be mistaken with 26.2 miles. We did not run a marathon this past weekend.

Instead we enjoyed every minute of the 26.5 hours we were away from our baby girl. When life gets heavy and there’s a break in the work load, we’ve always enjoyed leaving behind the everyday for a break.  Just so happens that this was my first time away from Elizabeth and to be honest, I wasn’t that apprehensive at all. She was in great hands with her Nana and Papa and I was more worried about their sanity than I was Elizabeth’s.

Bye-Bye Elizabeth!

Getting away was a long time coming, I mean I’ve watched this little one sleep every.single.night. of her life. Yes. That was a true statement. Maybe I have a complex but I love checking on her right before we go to bed. She’s so cute! So being gone for a long time made me a little apprehensive. But overnight, in the same vicinity, easy.

We planned this completely last minute a week or two ago and decided to leave our house around 9am Saturday. On our agenda: massages, Pride and Prejudice at the Guthrie, dinner at a local gem, Butcher and the Boar, and a luxurious nights sleep at the Grand Hotel. It.was.AMAZING.

We headed downtown Saturday morning and headed right in to get our massages. It was the perfect way to relieve any stress I felt leaving Elizabeth and uh, can we all agree that massages might just be one of the best things on earth.  After all the stress was kneaded out, we looked outside and surprise…it was raining. We had planned to walk everywhere but thankfully taxis are abundant and we made our way to the Guthrie for an afternoon performance of Pride and Prejudice.

The play was spectacular. I noticed later the reviews weren’t so hot but we really enjoyed it. We seem to always gravitate towards doing things that neither of us are passionate about on our dates. I have no idea how this started but the last day-filled date led us to a Cities 97 music outing at a vineyard near where we got married. Really fun but neither of us are music aficionados. But plays are something we both enjoy and this one did not disappoint.

Following the play we checked into our hotel and got ready for dinner at Butcher and the Boar. Can I just say that if I could live at that restaurant I would? We are not hipsters. At all. We’re more preppy, popped collar, boat shoe-esque. And we felt really at home there. In fact over dinner there was a moment when we both agreed that we want the vibe of our house to emulate the vibe in the restaurant. Comfortable, inviting, cozy, and made you feel like you were part of the family. And the food, well it may have been one of our top 5 meals EVER. That good.

We basically ordered something from almost every part of the menu and we were happily pleased that everything was spread out well and we enjoyed dinner and great conversation for over two hours. Never once did we feel rushed which was a treat considering the restaurant is in high demand. If you go get the Brussels sprouts. Best thing I put in my mouth in fact I’m currently trying to figure out how to emulate them.

Our conversation varied throughout the day and we filled our time enjoying each other’s company. While we don’t do it often this was a really fun splurge and I’m so glad we took the time to getaway. Although we both really do enjoy the company of our daughter and our dinner conversation revealed that as we dreamed of taking her on vacations all over the world. We figure if we can find someone to come with us, taking her along just might be the perfect way to enjoy our longer vacations. Time out and away and time with her. Win win.

Needless to say, after a disappointing breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen, we were ready, well I was ready, to head home and scoop her up. Didn’t seem like she missed us a bit but the smile that awaited us, that just melted my heart.

This was our first time staying Downtown even though both of us have lived here what seems like forever. We realized we don’t take advantage of the city nearly as often as we should and we are already dreaming of a winter getaway as a family. How fun would it be to rent a room somewhere downtown near Christmas and go ice skating, take in the Holidazzle and the Macy’s display, and eat out. Sounds like a super fun tradition to me!

Excellent mini-vacay away from our baby…and hopes for more in the future.

Do you ever visit the city?