Time Together

Sometimes life gets so busy that we forget to take the time to enjoy the people around us that we love. I know that this has been the case for me...and I am determined to MAKE time for the important people in my life. I spend a lot of time with the kids, obviously, but when things get so hectic, Chad and I rarely have time to spend together. When I say "time", I don't mean sitting on the couch after the kids go to bed and watching Amazing Race together. I mean real TIME together. Yesterday, the kids went home from church with friends, so Chad and I took full advantage of our afternoon alone. We ate lunch together...alone...it was a great lunch, albeit a quiet one, then we went hiking together...alone. This NEVER happens. We hike as a family with the kids, but we have yet to go hiking just the two of us, that is, until yesterday. We hiked up the front side of the Sandias on the La Luz Trail. We only had time to do about a quarter of it, but the 5-6 mile hike was one that I will never forget. There was nothing special about it, other than the fact that we did it together and we talked...the whole time. It was probably the best afternoon we have enjoyed together in a REALLY long time. It was a much needed escape, and we have decided that we need to "escape" more often. I felt like we actually spent time getting to know each other as husband and wife again...when you are parents, it seems to become such a huge part of your identity, that you forget how it all started. We also enjoyed getting to know nature again. It takes things like yesterday to really put things in perspective...life is slower on the mountain, and the quiet in nature is so refreshing. I can't think of any other person that I would rather relish in the beauty of God's creations than with my husband. Yesterday was a cheap date--only $3 for parking, but the outcome was priceless.