Where are my short-trip getaway friends? My “let’s do something different this weekend” people? The “I’m up for anything because it’s Friday!” folks.

We are typically not these people. We are well planned summer vacation and maybe, just maybe, an overnight during the fall type family.

With an impromptu 4,200 mile road trip thrown in once just for fun.

We took a note from those of you who make two night trips your thing and we escaped in mid January. Left town. Got outta dodge. Why, you ask? Because sometimes you just want to pay good money to watch your kids fight in another location.

Historically, we just haven’t been the people to pull the trigger on a weekend getaway. But I think it’s safe to say many of us have changed our philosophies in the last 12 months.

After a rocky start to 2021, which included a broken arm and unexpected surgery for our oldest son, we were all a bit off balance. We were grateful the break was just an arm and thankful for health insurance but I felt myself existing in that edgy, not sleeping soundly head space. Adrenaline will do that to a mom.

A Covid close contact quarantine call came as we drove home from surgery (because if we didn’t have bad luck we’d have none at all) prompting me to be home with our three youngest for days. SO MANY DAYS.

Have you experienced a trumpet in your kitchen at 7:30 AM? I used to believe there were five school days in a week. However, after hearing trumpet blasts with my morning coffee, I assure you it’s closer to 825 days a week.

Dear friends, you know I am many things; verbose, perhaps dramatic, in need of chemicals to cover my gray hairs. But I am not, I repeat I AM NOT, a sixth grade math teacher. Nor language arts. Nor science. Same truths hold for third grade and kindergarten, as well.

I can handle lunch duties. Barely.

If there’s a class called Go Outside and Leave Me Alone for Thirty Minutes, I can crush that subject matter, as well. Otherwise, I’m no educator. That ball falls squarely in Matt’s court. Unfortunately, he was preoccupied teaching at the institution that employees him. And more importantly, the one that pays him. I thought he and I had a good thing going but apparently he’s money minded. So I was forced to parent-teach solo. Again. Praying I could fake it through the core subjects until my shining lunch hour.

I stumbled through worksheets with the littles, learned about world religions with the big kids, wiped up the byproduct of trumpet spit valves and learned the order of operations.

Again. As our children have enjoyed three quarantines each.

After 8 school days of staring at a screen for virtual school, and more than our fair share of snarly attitudes, Matt suggested a weekend getaway. I suggested it be an unplugged weekend.

Because I’m a glutton for punishment.

After tripping over where to go, looking through VRBOs that can only be described as murdery and having general indecisiveness about being “off tech” with our kids for three days (Is going tech free really the life God intended for our family or does He value our sanity?) Matt stumbled upon a new home in a different area than we’d originally considered.

Perched above Barren River Lake in Kentucky, this new home features a lake view and all the things our war torn well loved home does not. Fresh and clean and crisp and new and fabulous everything. It was off the beaten path which meant forced family fun, a fact that equally elated me and frustrated my kids. The farmhouse design would make Joanna Gaines incredibly proud. The immaculately white walls were a perfect canvas for my offspring and their jelly, meat grease, peanut butter covered fingers.

The bright red door greeted us upon arrival. Inside, there were wreaths galore, Buffalo plaid, and Christmas decor still in place. Decorations left on purpose to create joy for visitors who had yet to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Not because they couldn’t get their life together and just put the stuff away already, Emily! Incredible lake view and away, away, away from virtual homework, chrome books, adult home chores and to-do lists.

But only two hours away because any longer in a van with our party of six would require heavy medication.

So we promptly contacted the owner, secured lodging, and began making our packing list. Priorities centered around junk food and board games. My main goal on vacation is normally to see the points of local interest. I’m typically reading the travel book on the drive, wanting to squeeze every bit of ‘experience’ into the trip. This exercise may or may not have created marital tensions at certain points.

Definitely has. For certain. Always. Since day one of our honeymoon.

Not this trip! This time I knew we were heading to a relatively secluded area, in the dead of winter, during a pandemic. There would be no activities, events or local interest. There was one nearby shop/restaurant and it was closed all of January. We were on our own. Solitary family confinement.

Horrifying and exhilarating all at once.

We arrived at the lake house and entered the cutest home I have ever laid eyes on. Top to bottom, every detail had been thought of and every need met. Fully stocked kitchen, sumptuous sheets and a sheepskin rug. There were recent issues of magazines for me, a play nook for Thaddeus and oodles of new board games for the older kids.

We warned informed the kids this would be a tech free weekend. With exception of family movies, there would be no screen time. No Switch. No iPhone. No laptop, Kindle, school chrome book or other device to numb and rot their brains. Or ours. You can imagine the excited and joyful response.

We cooked, played Bimini ring toss one zillion times, baked cookies, played our first and possibly last game of family Pictionary (because fighting still occurs regardless of location) and read books. Actual books. Paper-made, ink on pages, no-digital-anything books. Like in the olden days. And no one died from it. Miraculous.

It was cold but we bundled up and walked at a nearby park. The kids played together because they had no one else. There were no arguments about who got more tech time, who used and lost the Kindle, or who needed to take a reprieve because their eyes looked like a junkie on a bender.

It. Was. Glorious.

Our time passed much too quickly. The solitary time I spent in a comfy chair sipping tea and looking over the lake was replaced with reality. Which primarily means laundry. The Covid free discussions were replaced with a return to school for my kiddos and reminders of masks and social distance. The good news was rumor of CDC loosened guidelines that would go into effect on Monday, February 8th.

The not so good news……

Ever the last minute winners we are, Thaddeus was sent home Friday afternoon, February 5th with yet another close contact quarantine. Hours before the new guidelines were in place. So began another stretch of home school. Not to worry, though. I had the lunch hour covered!

Where are your favorite nearby getaways? How often do you make it a priority to enjoy a change of scenery with your family?

***If you’re interested in a fantastic getaway in western Kentucky, check out TheRedDoorLakeside. ***