It’s been quite a long time since I took time off work to actually go somewhere and do something with my little family. With what essentially works out to working two jobs, along with everyday life and the chaos that is added with having a child in school, holidays rarely seem to work out for us.
But after spending a Family Day weekend at home in February, I had enough. After having a mini-tantrum about it, my husband recommended we head to Calgary during our son’s spring break. Although Calgary may not be as exciting as many other holiday locations, I do love that city and I was feeling desperate to simply get away.
After sort of planning out what we would want to do, and realizing the end of March might be a smart time to head to the mountains instead, we decided that taking a mini-holiday in Banff was a better option than Calgary. And as if scheduling a holiday isn’t hard enough already with work commitments, my husband also has a habit of second-guessing when we should go, how long we should go for and where we should go, which always makes things just a little crazier.
But, as we got closer to the beautiful Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, I knew we had chosen the right location for our little family getaway. Heading to the mountains was something we did quite a few times while I was growing up, and I have always counted myself lucky to live within driving distance of such a natural wonder.
Although heading to Banff might not be as exotic as many of the tropical locations that people have travelled to this winter, it was nice to see bare fields on the drive and walk down Banff Avenue in the sun and without a jacket.
After spending a couple days at our hotel, simply doing whatever we wanted, which pretty much included hanging out in the hotel swimming pools, walking around town, and eating out, we decided it was in fact a much-needed break for our family. We returned home a day early, making for a less stressful Easter weekend and an overall great spring break.
Of course I am slightly jealous of everyone who had the opportunity to head to a sunny location this winter, and it was certainly a little disheartening to return to northern Alberta and see mountains of snow everywhere. But, taking advantage of the beauty that’s so close to home is something I really enjoyed. I didn’t have to deal with the stress of packing for 10 days or flying with kids. Instead I only had to pack a few outfits and some snacks for the drive.
Thinking about leaving work for 10 days actually makes me a bit nervous anyways. Preparing to leave work always feels like added work, and returning to the stress of having to catch up on things is a bit overwhelming too. Hopefully our little holiday will give me a little burst of energy this week, because I’m sure it will be needed.
