Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Weekend Update: Hard & Fun

" It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

At one point this past weekend, there we were: 

Ryan half-dressed, covered in sand, gap-mouthed and wondering what to do next. 

Me just out of the shower, dripping wet but not actually in any way clean, exhausted from the logistics of a day that started MANY hours earlier, trying to hand off Fiona  - also wet, slippery, and naked - who had just gone to the bathroom (NOT in her diaper). 

Surrounded by the detritus of travel in the cramped bathroom of our dear friend's beach house that was being shared by more than 6 other people.

And I thought, "Are we having fun yet?"

The truth is, it was a really fun weekend.  And it was a really hard weekend.  Hard and fun.  Just like all of parenthood has been up until now.

We saw old friends.  We enjoyed the beach.  We ate yummy food.  We took Fi on new adventures. And we learned our limits when it comes to travel and kids.

Some highlights:

Taking Fiona to the North Carolina Aquarium and watching her enjoy the other kids just as much as the amazing sea life.

Touring Fort Macon and learning about this beautiful first state park



Enjoying a quiet sunset on the patio of our small, family-run motel.

Early morning walks alone with Fiona on the beach.

Breakfast with the locals at On A Roll in Morehead City - so good we visited twice!

Catching up with college friends over amazing, delicious, local seafood-filled meals

Returning home early enough on Sunday for a parents-only, recovery date night with dinner at Dos Perros and great seats at the Norah Jones show.


At one point during the weekend, a friend who is also a fellow mom and I were discussing parenthood.  She noted that people talk about how hard it is more than the fun parts because it's easier.  We have a language for the hard stuff.  We also have a language for the fun stuff.  But finding the words for where those two worlds meet is much more difficult.  This weekend was that reality in action.

1 comment:

Kirsten said...

Thanks for sharing! Exciting that you got to go to a Norah Jones show! What a fun night out for the Fehrminators!