Our bi-annual getaway

I made it official. Every 6 months Adam and I are going to go away for a few days alone. Last time we backpacked to North Dome in Yosemite and had an amazing adventure. This time we went to Big Sur.

We wanted to get away for two nights, but only had reservations for one night in big sur, so I had the genius idea to stay in Santa Cruz for Friday night. We saw our first movie in over 5 years, Avatar, and loved it. It was so creative and beautiful. There were so many parallels between what we did in Iraq, and how in general the human race thinks the world and its creatures are theirs for the taking. We also enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner. We go out to eat honestly, like once a year, so this was such a treat to have movie and dinner. But what was more of a treat was sleeping for 8 hours straight. I seriously woke up in the same position I fell asleep in. My first good nights sleep in forever.

We woke up rested and headed to Big Sur. Once we got there we put two and two together and realized that the huge fire that devastated Big Sur two years ago meant that all of the trails we were hoping to go on were closed. But in true Adam and Sarah fashion we managed to find a beautiful, and incredibly difficult trail that was open.

To give you an idea of just how challenging our hike was, think about this. It is a gorgeous spring day and people are everywhere in Big Sur. All of the trails are closed except a fire road trail that takes you to the top of a beautiful lookout. You would think the trail would be crowded, but we saw 3 couples the entire 3 hour adventure. The first climb was so intense it left both of us breathy. I said to Adam, "that was probably the steepest part, right?" Uh No. try 2.75 more miles of that. Every step was a full fledged Lunge. My legs and butt were burning. The women at FIT would have been so proud of me.

Being the wonderful woman that I am, I had a nice spread of cheese, crackers, fruit, and chocolate packed away in my backpack. The only thing was missing was the wine. Adam told me later that day that the idea of food was the biggest motivator to climb the mountain.

After our sweaty climb we got to return to this:

The coziest little cabin I have ever stepped foot in, complete with the cutest stove and fireplace. I could live in something so small and rustic feeling. I did the unthinkable, I read my new Kingsolver book and gasp...took a nap. Adam settled down for hours reading Open, Agassi's book. When the clock struck 5 we jumped up and had some beers at Nepenthe, the famous restaurant and bar overlooking the water. Then it was off to our favorite restaurant EVER:

Deetjens is where we spent our honeymoon. The most delicious food, wonderful ambiance, and great surroundings help contribute to the best meal of my life to date. A 2 hour dinner loaded with laughter, deep talks about family, life, politics...

Doing it up for a weekend is great for the soul. Two dinners out meant two dinners I didn't cook. Two nights without kids meant two solid nights of sleep. Hikes without children meant faster, harder, and more peaceful hikes. But all those things were just extras. What was really magical was spending time with Adam. Uninterrupted and raw. Moments of comfortable silence mixed in with real discussions about our past, our present and our future. Mannerisms that made us laugh. Conversations about the kids that brought us so much joy. Sharing a life together. Loving each other. Motivating each other to be better. Being best friends. Peeling away the things in life that "make" us stay together, and coming to the conclusion yet once again, that we choose each other. That we complete each other. That we are the best parents for our children. And that together and separately we are just where we want to be.