On Friday, Nick came home and declared we needed a vacation.  He was right. It had been a rough week or two.

We’d been cooped up inside hiding from the ridiculously high temps and humidity and I was anxiously waiting to hear if Mariah had made it into PreK (another post coming on that situation). The combination of confinement and not knowing what our school year would look like were driving me insane.

We stayed home Saturday to take care of cleaning and errands before heading out early Sunday morning for Duluth. A relatively quick 2.5 hours later, we arrived and freed Lana who was furious we’d trapped her in a seat for so long.

We explored Canal Park, ate at Grandma’s (best steak and cheese sandwich ever!), walked to the lighthouse, watched a huge ship go under the lift bridge, ate chocolate, and explored the aquarium.

That afternoon was the waterpark hotel. Not one single picture from that part of the trip. I loved keeping my phone out of site and mind most of the trip.

Bedtime went surprisingly well in the hotel room and Nick and I turned in for the night before 9:30.  Breakfast and more waterpark before heading out to explore along the Lake Superior shoreline. A quick lunch and then on the road home.

We were only gone from the house for a total of 32 hours. It was perfect. Away from the mundane. A change of scenery. Adventure.

Just what we needed.

I was physically tired when we returned, but yet I was mentally awake and my mind was clear. I didn’t hate washing the dishes or doing some laundry.  And after two weeks of trying to plan meals and make a grocery list, I sat down and did it without any problems.

I’m telling you….my mind was so muddled before we left I couldn’t even function like a normal person. I pretty much wandered around aimlessly with absolutely no motivation. After spending so much time in a funky fog, it was refreshing to breathe ant think clearly again.

My girls are happier too. I think it did us all some good.

32 hours was all it took.

It made me realize how important adventure and fresh air is for me and our family. Soon we’ll be able to sneak away and camp for a few days to recharge…that day can’t come soon enough.

But even right here at home when we get into a rut, I need to remember to get out and have an adventure. To break up our routine and have fun. It makes a world of difference in our attitudes and outlooks.

What do you do to get out of the mundane and refresh?