overnight getaway

Andrew and I had our first full night away last weekend to celebrate our 16th anniversary! It was LONG overdue (thanks COVID), and relatively anticlimactic for both Maelle and us.

My mom and sister-in-law, Hannah (as well as her five-month-old baby, Jack) came to visit for almost a week. Maelle loves baby Jack, and is mesmerized by his diaper changes. He’s cute as a button and provided hours of entertainment for Maelle. I loved visiting with my mom and Hannah, and appreciated the chance to run errands kid-free or work out! Speaking of working out, after both of them rode my spin bike, they quickly added it to their Christmas lists as well!

And speaking of Christmas…

CHRISTMAS JAMMIES!

Anyway, because we waited to book a hotel until we were sure my mom was coming, I was having trouble finding anywhere to stay in Ellicottville. I’d decided EVL would make the perfect destination; it’s only an hour away, has a charming ‘main street’ with shops and restaurants, and has the potential for snowshoeing (depending on the weather).

Thankfully, friends to the rescue! (I just realized I use that phrase A LOT; it’s appeared in the previous two blog posts I’ve written…)

Some friends of ours are avid skiers, and they have a place in Ellicottville where they spend every weekend from mid-December through March. (I said they were avid skiers.) Anyway, they offered and I accepted. Honestly, it was the perfect place to spend a night away! We enjoyed the fireplace, view of the ski slopes, and simply relaxing on the couch without having to have eyes on a toddler.

That evening, we started with cocktails at The Banq and ate dinner at West Rose, which we realized is owned by the Nyes’ nephew, Brad, who we know. It was fun to say hi to him there, and the food was delicious. We ended our evening with a movie on the couch in front of a fire.

The following day, after sleeping in, we headed to the main drag for some shopping and a late lunch.

Andrew found some great stocking stuffers for me, as well as a gift I can put under the tree for him. We ended our visit with tacos at Ellicottville Taqueria.

Twenty-four hours away from Maelle felt like an eternity, while an hour feels like a blink. Mom said she did well during the day, but got kind of teary at nighttime. Apparently, she was pretty upset when she woke up from her nap the following day and we had not yet returned. (Total mom-fail; we should have been home by then; we were just a few minutes too late to get her up!)

After our overnight, we both realized we need to get away more, if only for the majority of a day or a couple nights, both for our good and for Maelle to get used to us being gone more than an hour or so. We never intended to be the parents who never leave–quite the opposite–but COVID shutting things down last year and a lack of childcare have left us realizing how little time we spend together without Maelle.

I’m very thankful to my mom, who loves Maelle dearly, and Hannah for coming to visit and giving us the chance to spend some quality time together.