Rick Rocks ~ Because He Works Hard So We Can Do This

I like the daily life of being married. I like the monotonous, the sameness, the uneventfulness. (Sometimes I'd like to enjoy it with a few less kids hanging on my every move, but I like it none-the-less.)

But what I really like is to go on vacation with Rick ... alone!

What we really like is to go on cruises!

We've been to the Caribbean and to Bermuda. We've had some other vacations too, like going to Las Vegas and to Long Beach, California. Those were actually conferences of Rick's where I got to tag along, but they were vacations without kids!

I know that vacations are expensive. But, in my opinion, as a married couple you can't afford not to go on them!

On our last vacation to Bermuda, Rick looked at me one day and said , "Now I understand you better. You are so relaxed here. No one is bothering you or expecting anything of you. I promise I will be better about not having expectations of you when we are at home in regular life." (I am paraphrasing, of course, but it was close to this.) What he saw was me being Nicole ~ Rick's wife, instead of Nicole ~ mother of 4, housekeeper, taxi driver .. you get the point. Of course those feelings of understanding faded after time. And my feelings of relaxation faded 6 seconds after walking back in the door at home.

This year we took our 4 kids on a 9 day, 60 hour in the car camping trip through 7 states. It was fun and a complete experience, one that I am so glad that we took! But ...

we're going on a cruise next summer with no kids!!!!!

Since we've been back from Yellowstone he's been saying, "Have you booked our cruise yet? Have you booked our cruise yet?"

Well, I've booked our cruise! We're going on a 7-night cruise through the Hawaiian Islands. Ahhhhhh......

He really wanted to go back to Bermuda. It was so amazing! But, I really wanted to do something different. And I've always wanted to go to Hawaii! 

This trip is going to be expensive .. much more than we usually spend on a vacation. (And since I'm a frugal girl, it kills me!) But Rick doesn't care. He'll do whatever it takes for us to go on this trip together. And it does take a lot for us to be able to do things like this. And I want him to know that I do not take that lightly! I appreciate Rick for his work ethic and for the fact that he does work hard so that we can have a comfortable life and do nice things. But more importantly I appreciate him for working so hard so that we can spend time together, alone, to rejuvenate our marriage, at least once a year. Thank you Rick! The next 10 months are going to go so slow!!!

Rick Rocks ~ Because he works so hard so we can do this ....

**Oh, and don't be dismayed. The two older kids are going to Washington D.C. with their grandmother next summer (so they'll have a nice vacation, too) and we are planning to take the kids to Oklahoma City for a long weekend to stay in a hotel and have some fun. Nobody's going to be left out!