simplify

I'm sorry that I haven't had the chance to post more anniversary-related details, but we certainly had a lovely one. We were able to escape to a cabin in the woods on Friday night, which was wonderful. It was actually the first time I'd ever been away from Jude for the night (trust me - this had nothing to do with not wanting or needing a night away), and it was awesome. Shawn and I spent about 24 hours away, and we spent every single hour relaxing. We took a nap, watched a movie, sat on a porch swing, went for a walk, and read - all without having to worry about when Jude would awake, or the laundry, or sewing, or work. We slept in until the whopping hour of 8:00 on Saturday morning, and I took a nice long bath in the cabin's jacuzzi tub while Shawn drank coffee and read on the front porch.

We knew this would be our final chance to get away for a night together before Baby Deuce is born, and we wanted to take full advantage of it and come home rested. Within moments of arriving at the cabin my shoulders literally felt lighter. As our time together continued, I found myself remembering what it was like to be Shawn's wife and friend before being Jude's Mom. I forgot for awhile that I was pregnant (not like 'I drank wine' forgot. more like 'I didn't feel the usual aches and pains of pregnancy' forgot), and I could feel myself becoming less and less stressed. Shawn and I spent most of our time just talking - with no agenda or plans - just sharing our thoughts on our past, our present, and our future. As we pulled out of the driveway to come home, my soul felt renewed and my heart felt full. Like most parents, we did our best to not talk about Jude and focus on one another while we were away, but we couldn't help our excitement to see him and hug him. I do believe we not only came back a better husband and wife - but better parents as well.

In other news, we've recently gotten rid of our second car. It was a very old powder blue Buick and since it wouldn't have been worth much, we just donated it to (nerd alert!) NPR. Me staying home will significantly reduce our need for a second car, though we're still unsure of how we're going to work out Sunday mornings. Shawn heads into work around 5:30 or 6:00 am. He can sometimes sneak out right before Sunday School to pick up Jude and I, but that can get complicated if he's teaching, if his teachers are late, or if there are last minute worship details to which he needs to attend. Having one car will certainly demand that we both be flexible and plan our days and our trips wisely, but it feels nice to simplify our lives. Beyond that, our budget line item for "gas" has been slashed in half without my income, so we're hoping moving to one car will help us spend less in gas as well. As my time in the work force dwindles, we're moving towards a more simple, less complicated lifestyle. In fact, I haven't been able to get the Shaker Hymn "Simple Gifts" out of my head for the past couple of weeks. I've been singing it around the house lately as Jude particularly loves to "turn, turn," along with the lyrics - perhaps showing his support for our family's simplicity (or perhaps just because he really likes to turn in circles when he hears music).

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free,

'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.