amor 💘 in portugal + spain
S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 4
sagrada familia :: sacred familiy, barcelona
money was tight, but we decided to spend it on a date trip anyway.
at the end of every year, we do a year-end review, where we ask ourselves many questions —- one of which is, “what is the single best decision you made this year?”
time and time again, each year that we decide to splurge on a date trip (whether long or short) it ends up being the best decision we make all year.
time together in exciting new places without the kids, adventuring and exploring, free to be ourselves, to remember each other… this is such special and necessary medicine. it’s so easy to write it off because we’re “too busy” “too broke” or “not in the mood.” but my goodness, it’s a special kind of magic when we take the leap.
these trips profoundly deepen our connection, they refine our life vision and goals for the future, they realign us with what truly matters most. what could possibly be more important than that?!
this year pat and i decided to take a week-long trip to portugal. we left our babes behind with loving grandparents (endless gratitude for our incredible support system) and embarked on our romantic european adventure… only to discover when we got there that the weather was absolutely tErRiBLe. cold, rainy, miserable. normally we would just roll up our sleeves and dig into the city anyway, but it was totally not the vibe we were hoping for for our precious few days together. so in perfect pat + jess fashion, we pivoted.
we bought two tickets to barcelona - just a hop away from lisbon —- where it was sunny, warm, dreamy.
we spent the next week eating pasta, pizza and gelato… wandering the narrow cobblestone streets… admiring the incredible architecture… shopping in exotic little boutiques… and cherishing each other, this magical time, and this enchanted place.
we came home refreshed and with so much more vitality and joy to bring to our babes and our lives.
hallelujah for travel! for dates! for taking leaps and not being afraid to pivot and try new things. <3 <3 <3
(below are the only photos we still have from this trip. somehow there were technical difficulties with our hard drive, and about half of them were lost -- destined for the sweet, sacredness of memory only.)
