We don’t travel without our kids. We just don’t. It’s one of those things that has just always been since the beginning of our parenthood journey together in 2004.

There’s a few reasons why we don’t travel without them:

1. Let’s face it, finding someone to watch 5 kids for multiple overnights is a tough task. It’s not easy for us, never mind someone who isn’t their actual parent.

2. We love being with the kids. When we travel, we’re experiencing new things and we’ve always just felt that the kids should be with us, too.

3. The kids genuinely want to be with us. They don’t want us going away without them, so we’ve always allowed this to be a factor in our travel plans, too.

But here’s the thing, sometimes the reasons holding us back from traveling without them just need to be thrown out the window. Sometimes we just NEED to get away, just the two of us without anyone or anything holding us back. Sometimes it’s just good for the heart and soul.

On June 28th we took the plunge. We traveled without the kids for 2 nights, 3 days. Actually… it was more like 2 nights, 2 days, but whose counting! 😉 It was beyond needed and we were celebrating 15 years of marriage! I big deal, right?? We booked a trip to Chatham, MA and stayed at the gorgeous and stunning Chatham Bars Inn. It was spectacular. In all honesty, we probably could have pitched a tent in the forest and we would’ve had just as good as time together… that’s how truly wonderful it was to just be the two of us… Audrey and Matt, not the parents of William, Alex, Ben, Henry and Victoria for a couple of days!

Why was it so good?

1. It was romantic! Romance should never die in a relationship and we do a good job at always keeping it alive and well, but it gets tough when you’re chasing around 5 kids. My husband surprised me with a gorgeous picnic on the beach… wine and a blanket, it was beautiful.

2. We talked and laughed and enjoyed each other. Without needing to be anywhere for the entire time, we were able to just enjoy each other. My husband is one of the funniest people I know and it was wonderful to just be us for some time away.

3. We had NO agenda. We purposely planned it that way for the time we were away. We didn’t sign up for anything or book reservations for anything. We just really flew by the seats of our pants. If we wanted to do something, we did it. If we wanted to be lazy, we were.

4. We got to be the old Audrey and Matt. I say that 1/2 joking because we’re always the “old” Audrey and Matt when we’re together, but we got to just be. We held hands. We slept late. We sat out under the stars and enjoyed a drink. We were the couple we were before kids.

5. There wasn’t any fighting or “Mom! Mom! Mom! Dad! Dad! Dad!” Believe me, as you know – our kids are our life. They are our reasons for living. I forgot what it was like to not have anyone really need me for a couple of days. It allowed me some time to recharge and re-energize. Which, isn’t a bad thing!

6. We got to go to bed early and sleep super duper late. Even though my internal click is set for 6AM… I just laid there enjoying the quiet and the beauty of the view from our window.

7. We ate a fancy meal. LOL… with kids, you don’t eat fancy. It was nice to relax and enjoy a meal without worrying about kids eating, the noise level and people around you possibly being disturbed.

8. It was nice to just be together. Just the two of is. Just us. Just staring at each other.

I can’t thank my parents enough for watching the 5 kids while we were away. I know it wasn’t easy and I know it was tiring for them, but they did it without one complaint. It takes a village and they allowed Matt and I the greatets gift on our anniversary… each other.

If you’re thinking about booking that trip alone, just for 2… do it. You don’t need to go away for a week, just 2 nights was all we could do, but it was so worth it. We came back ready to conquer the world!

Or at least 5 kids! 😉