Beach Time (March 18th - April 1st, 2019)
Miami = Sunshine, Fun, Beaches, Walks, Naps, Family Time...
That basically sums up the positive parts of the last two weeks in a nut shell. We did a little adulting, like taking Azlan to the eye doctor (and we don't need to patch his eye anymore #poundwinning). We also got out taxes done, which was a nightmare in itself. We spent six hours at an H&R Block, mostly due to a language barrier. But, it got done and its over and we wont be doing taxes there again. Azlan started school in Miami for the month of April. Its important for him to have kids his own age to play with and that's a bit difficult to offer him when we move every week. So at least with the month of April, he gets his 'break' from our chaotic lifestyle.
I jumped on the opportunity to take Beto's Zumba class in Miami. It was pretty cool to see the guy who invented it all shake it like a salt shaker. Ted and I spent hours planning the next leg of our trip. During spring break we noticed that the RV parks were packed and that meant summer would probably be the same. Luckily we were able to reserve a FH (full hookup) site in most locations we wanted and a few out of the way spots. It takes way more planning to make this trip run smoothly than we had originally anticipated. We spent a day at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park walking around and checking out the Key Biscayne natural views. There is a lovely lighthouse with precisely 109 steps to the top for a beautiful view and also the restored lighthouse keeper's home. We visited Ted's sister in North Palm Beach and got some glorious pool time with our niece and nephew. Azlan was so happy to play with his big cousins! We spent some time in Palm City with Ted's Dad and had a nice boat ride to Manatee Island Bar and Grill with great friends from Hawaii. Its so much more fun to pull up to a restaurant from the water than from the road. On our last day in Miami we actually traveled by SKY, by LAND, and by SEA...just like our business card states.
In San Antonio, we stayed with our friends in Cibolo and visited the Alamo and the RiverWalk. Soaking in their new hot tub was phenomenal...we crawled...I mean walked out of there and into bed. When we move into a forever home, we are getting a hot tub! I also finally found my red sparkly cowgirl boots!!! If you ever go to San Antonio and you want a pair of sparkly cowgirl boots, check out Silver Spur Boutique. Oh, and we got the Jeep back too, complete with a new hardtop! It makes a huge difference in the noise level on the highway. On Saturday, April 13th, we moved to Austin and stayed in a fabulous AirBnB hosted by Domio! Domio's place was on point. The interior design was sexy modern and they had everything you would need...and plenty of it. My girls from Korea joined us and we went on a Speak Easy tour in East Austin to celebrate one of their birthdays. We partied like rockstars! While in Austin, we hiked Twin Sculpture and Falls Trail along the Austin Greenbelt and also stopped at Mount Bonnell to check out the view and the Zilker Botanical Garden which were all lovely. And yesterday I met Rachel Hollis at her book signing for Girl, Stop Apologizing. Great book by the way!
Sounds like two perfect weeks, right? There are a lot of spaces in between those great times that are not so great. I know many people think Ted and I have the perfect marriage...but that is not the truth. I honestly believe that there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. I would say we have an evolving marriage. Strong, patient, forgiving, open, caring, kind...those things yes. But, we fight, we disagree, we agree to disagree and sometimes we disagree to disagree. We are two totally different people trying very hard to share a life and not give up on each other. Our marriage has been tested many many times over the last 13 years. We have gone to countless counseling and therapy sessions together (and individually). How did we survive together so long? We both keep trying. Is it hard? Hell Yes! Do we want to give up? Sometimes...But we don't. Its just like with fitness and what I read daily in the accountability group I am part of: You can fall, you can bleed, you can cry...but you cannot give up! There are bad days and there are worse days, however we talk about them. When either of us are unhappy, we talk about it with each other and we seek help when we feel stuck. The military offers MFLCs (Military Family Life Consultants), free of charge. These trained counselors are there to help and we use them, often. As a matter of fact, we are going to see one today. Taking 2 very boisterous people and putting them in a 200 Sq Ft house on wheels with a five year old can get pretty nasty at times. Take away all consistency and routine, put that house into a shop for a month...and voila! Now you have two pissy boisterous people! If you are wondering why I am sharing these personal details, its because I want to encourage my friends and whoever reads this to seek help before going on 'break' from our significant others. And, once again, before I 'break' Ted, we are going to get some help. It may be as simple as seeing a different perspective that we are blinded to in our anger and frustration. Either way, I know we will get through this so we can have an ecstatic tomorrow!