Just the two of us!!!!!!!!!!!

James and I had not been away together, alone, without children, since Arran was born. That's almost six years. We love our kids dearly, we love to be with them, to be a family, but sometimes it is easy to forget that we are still a couple, independent of being parents, of being a family.

Would we have gone away sooner had the opportunity arisen? Maybe! Who knows? The opportunity has never arisen as we have never had anybody to leave three children with (that is a hard one to ask of anyone outside of family really). But with my sister here, ready and willing and able, it was finally time. Sunday was the day to head off. It was just one night, as everyone had to be broken in gently, but it was a much needed and welcome first.

Leaving ended up being a little traumatic, with Arran clutching at our clothes, begging us not to leave, resulting in James in tears as we drove away. Fortunately, we soon got a text to let us know that he had pulled himself together and was happy that we had gone.

We drove up the coast to Mendocino and stayed in town, at the Mendocino Hotel.

We weren't in the hotel itself, but back in the Garden Suites area.

We checked in and unloaded our gear. I was so excited, we had eaten at the hotel in the past, but never stayed there before and it looked like it would be perfect. We had made sure to get a room with a fireplace and a bath, as James loves to soak...but I have to say, I was actually pretty disappointed.

The room was OK, but really nothing special and the bathroom was barely even average, it could have been a bathroom in any apartment complex or, maybe hotel, in California. I tried to just deal with it, telling myself to not be a brat, that the main thing was that we had time alone, away, together. We decided to go for a walk around town, to figure out where we would eat dinner and get a bottle of wine for later.

Then it started to rain! We were not wearing waterproof gear, we did not have umbrellas and I just felt like everything was going wrong, as I traipsed along, feeling like a drowning rat. When we got back to our room, I told James how bummed I was. I had just wanted it to be special, this was our first time away in almost six years and we certainly were not staying in the cheapest place in town and I had just expected more.

He said he would call the front desk to see if there was anything else available. Sometimes I wonder if it is my own introverted nature, or British reserve, or if it is something to do with my upbringing, but why is it that I hate to be a nuisance so much? Why do I worry about what people might think if I complain? Well thank goodness that James does not suffer from any of those feelings or sentiments, he called and asked if there might be something with a nicer bathroom and the end result was that we got upgraded to a lovely suite.

Our separate living area, bedroom through the door.

Our much cosier bedroom with a seriously high bed that we had to climb into. A much improved bathroom - to my right was also a shower and behind me a toilet behind another door.

It was like night and day and the upgrade changed our whole outlook, we were finally able to relax and enjoy our time. We went out for a lovely dinner and came back to a cozy fire and bottle of wine. It ended up being perfect.

The next morning, after the luxury of not being woken up by little ones and not having to get up to take care of their needs, we headed to the hotel for a leisurely cooked breakfast, with a view of the ocean.

After checking out and a final wander around town, peeking in various little shops, we headed back home.

It felt so surreal, yet perfectly normal at the same time. I am so glad I am married to this man and as much as I would never wish away these precious years with our children being so young and sweet and wanting to be with us, I look forward to the time when James and I will have more time together again. It was good to be reminded of each other again, free from distractions.

Goal for the coming year is to figure out a way to do a weekend away together.