Thanks to the Army's support and encouragement for united couples and families, every few months it provides funds for a weekend away to focus on couples and their families (on their dime to boot!). It is specifically intended to be a marriage retreat, but the couples with children are invited and there is plenty of time for play with your kids. Not every couple in the squadron takes advantage (their loss in our opinion), but we Ruffs have been given the opportunity three times now.
This time we went to Myrtle Beach, SC- a new trip location for us. Thankfully, the weather warmed up the days prior to our trip and we woke up to this view Saturday morning:
Our morning was spent in session while Aidan played with tons of kids. He had a blast, and duly impressed the workers with his cheery attitude, his friendliness, and his ever energetic spirit to throw, catch and follow a ball. As if need a reminder of that! But it brings such joy to us to know others see just how wonderful our little man is. And when picking him up after a few hours of sitting in session, his huge smile, giggle and immediate dropping of whatever he was doing in order to run to us just does our hearts good :)
Following our session, we all had lunch, which was super exciting for Aidan. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the time to finally see Mama and Papa, maybe it was the view out the restaurant window, maybe it was the friend he was playing with (cough, cough, the GIRL playing with him)...
Naptime came for three very tired Ruffs after lunch, and it ended all too soon. But the beach was calling us! The day was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. There was a slight breeze, the humidity was low, the sun was high in the sky. We got in our swimsuits, gathered our towels and beachtoys, and looked for some friends to enjoy the opportunity to hit the sand. This was not Aidan's first time visiting the beach, but the first time, he was a bit young and ended up pretty scared. The second time was in the winter, meaning his time there was not long due to the cold temperature. This time, though, he was ready to go. The first few steps were an experience, bringing some confusion and dislike. Gradually, it became a fun time...especially once he had some friends (again, girls) and toys to play with...
After our family afternoon, Eric and I had a date night. In fact, a double date night with some good friends of ours. We traveled (quite speedily due to being late) to Medieval Times, where we cheered on the Yellow Knight for all we were worth. Correction: our husbands cheered and booed and caused enough noise for every other person in the arena while Ashley and I sat together and just laughed at them. And occasionally pretended that we were not with them. Thanks to our overgrown officers for a night full of laughter and fun. We traveled to the boardwalk following that entertainment and met up with a few other couples to people watch (ie- find the people partying St Patty's Day a bit much, the cheerleaders grouped together practicing their cheers for the competition the next day, the weird outfits that people tend to find attractive, etc), to laugh at the man eating fish, and to eat some bad custard. No joke- it was gross.
All in all, a fantastic weekend. It was full of so much fun and laughter and great memories. The Lord has blessed us with some great opportunities to learn and live with some awesome people here in Ft Bragg. This weekend gave Eric and I a renewed spirit of uniting our family with a purpose and goal while most importantly, making our marriage most important in life.
This past week and weekend showed us how fantastic the weather is right now. So while the calendar says happy spring, we Ruffs wish you a happy summer. We plan on taking advantage of it this time around: weekend trips here and there, outdoor games, walks with friends, and whatever we can do to enjoy our time together as a family here in Fayetteville.
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