Elena Bosch It was July 2018. Halfway through a pretty ordinary year after one heck of rollercoaster one. My husband and I had been married for four years but together for 10 and I had just hit a wall where I really felt like I was the only one putting in any effort to make things feel special. Between our first kid turning two, a new job and a new dog, there just never seemed to be any extra time to just be a family.
As I planned a family vacation all on my own, I broke into frustrated tears to my husband lamenting how I never felt like he cared at all about the hard work I put into making memories for our family. The trip to Catalina Island had a gloomy cloud over it the entire trip as I struggled to feel like this vacation was even wanted by the people I planned it for.
Fast forward to last weekend; my husband surprised me.
As anyone can relate, 2020 has so far involved a lot of cancelled plans including a much needed vacation to Hawaii. And before you ask, yes, it was needed.
One day, my husband turned and said to me, “Why don’t we take a trip to the Sequoias.” Cautious not to volunteer myself for planning a trip to a place I had never been, I replied, “Sure, ok. Like camp? Or what? We have two kids and one that doesn’t even walk.”
We had been going back and forth about buying a camping trailer for quite a while but once the pandemic hit and demand caused prices to skyrocket, we put those plans on hold too. I was confused by his proposal. “We’d book a house. Drive into the park. Don’t worry about it,” he said.
So I didn’t.
We drove up on a cold brisk Friday morning and arrived at a beautiful and secluded property nestled in sprawling hills of forest. The roads were lined with oak trees creating a canopy of branches and leaves. Hidden behind the house was a bubbling brook. I kid you not. It was a dream.
Too tired to hit the trails, I snuggled up with my little ones on the sectional with a glass of wine and to our surprise we were greeted by a family of deer outside our window grazing on the grass. The astonishment on my four year old’s face alone could have ended our trip on a high note.
The next morning, we got on the road early knowing an early winter storm was coming for a second night. The forty minute drive to the Sequoia National Forest was enough for me to debate whether or not these gigantic beauties would be worth the car sickness – they were – with fresh falling snow that just lightly dusted the majestic redwood forest.
My son gleefully exclaimed, “Yes! All I wanted was to build a snowman!” I watched him and Grandma make the smallest snowman I had ever seen along a winter wonderland trail you only see in movies. His six inch snowman might have frozen his little hands but his face made the sting a little less painful I think.
Once the temperatures started to drop, my husband pulled the car around and we headed back to the base where we were met with wild turkeys trotting along the front lawn. We ended the night toasting to new memories made and hearts full of love and gratitude.
So, I have to give credit where credit is due. My husband has come a long way since that tearful night two years ago. He planned a dream getaway all on his own and in the middle of a pandemic no less, with all the safety measures one can think of and a whole lot of care and thought put into it. He did it with love and he did it without stress or frustration.
He surprised me.
