My husband, Mark, is a good man; he's a strong man. When I needed him to step up with our kids as I finished dental school, he became our little family's rock without ever complaining or being bitter. He owned late-night feedings and diaper changes...
Honestly, I'm surprised by how perfect the weather has been since we arrived here in Santorini, Greece. According to all the travel sites we looked into, March can be a fickle time of year to travel here. You either get the best of weather or the worst of weather. Luckily for Lia and me, it seems we're getting the best of weather. If the news is anything to go by, we might just luck out the entire trip.
I release a relaxed sigh as I settle deeper into my beach lounge. This trip is perfect, I think to myself as I look over to my wife, chuckling when I find her sprawled out on her beach lounge sound asleep with her entire head buried under a ridiculously giant, floppy straw sun hat.
She's slept more this trip than I think she's ever slept her whole life. Our first day here, she spent it asleep in the hotel room, and I can't say I minded one bit. I needed to catch up on some rest myself.
Although we're in one of the most beautiful countries in the world with so much to explore, Lia and I needed a break--a break from life, a break from plans, a break from expectations--and that's exactly what we've done on this trip; we've taken a break.
As soon as we landed, we pretty much threw our itinerary out the door, except for the few excursions and restaurants we'd booked ahead of time and allowed ourselves to just play everything by ear.
So far, I have no complaints.
With a peaceful smile, I look out to the Mediterranean Sea, watching as families jump in and out of the waves. This place is beautiful; it's peaceful. I hope to return with the kids someday when they're a little older. Millie is still too young to enjoy a place like this now, but I think in a few more years, she'll be old enough to hold onto some incredible memories of this place.
It's been just over a week since we arrived here, and we have zero complaints. Unfortunately, it took us a bit longer to get here than we'd originally planned. With the holidays, Lia needing to adjust her work calendar, getting her parents on board for three weeks of babysitting duty, and me starting a new job, our plans kept getting pushed further and further back. But once everything was settled, we booked our flights and hotel, and now we're here, sleeping entirely too much and eating entirely too much food all while spending entirely too much money.
But it's worth it. These memories with my wife are worth it . . .
. . . memories we should have made a long time ago and almost lost the possibility of ever having with how stupid I'd been last year. My jaw clenches as the memories of my idiocy rise like an itch, but I force the thoughts out of my head. It's over. With a whole lot of changes resulting from that time.
Although we're good for money and make plenty to provide for our family, we're not making nearly as much as we used to since I left the firm. I've had to take a giant pay cut with my new job and I have zero prospect of ever making close to what I used to make at my old firm at this company.
