Freedom in the form of an Accord
Nate and I have been without a car since we moved back from France in September of 2008. In this day and age that’s a long time to be at the mercy of public transportation. But living in a downtown flat meant that almost everything we needed was within walking distance or a short trolley ride away. We used our scooter to get to church or other places that public transportation wasn’t convenient for but this past January we re-joined society and bought a car. It’s nothing special… just a Honda Accord but it signifies a freedom we had been living without (plus it will fit a newborn baby nicely).
Obviously, Nate and I love to travel so not having a car for almost a year and a half was really hard. Not because we don’t love to walk places (we always prefer walking over driving) or need to run errands or do a run to Costco. But because we constantly feel the need to escape. To feel freedom. To not be confined the the schedules of buses or trolleys or people. We love to take off on a whim and not having a means to do that has put a cramp in our proverbial style.
Shortly after we purchased the car we took an impromptu road trip to Idyllwild, CA. Idyllwild is a beautiful little town tucked away in the San Jacinto mountains. We left San Diego on Saturday morning and took the back roads through deserts, vineyards and national parks. It was amazing just to drive. To be free. Not to be tied down to schedules or certain routes. Freedom.
When we reached Idyllwild we were welcomed with a fresh sprinkling of snow on the ground! It was a welcome surprise and made our little getaway seem like we were a million miles away from San Diego. We stayed at the Strawberry Creek Inn, an adorable bed and breakfast just off the main road. The owners were wonderful and very accommodating (they even made me gluten-free muffins for breakfast!). We stayed in a cottage located behind the main house complete with fireplace, robes, snacks and anything else one might need while escaping the city.
We spent a few hours walking around the quaint town. We reminisced about our childhood at a local toy and candy shop, bought ostrich and buffalo jerky at a great little shop called “Grampa’s House of Jerky”, and sipped on local coffee before returning to the Inn. We spent the rest of the day sitting in the sunny dining room of the main house playing board games. We laughed and talked and relaxed. No cell phones. No computers. Just us.
It was a great weekend made even greater by the ability to flex our freedom after so many months. We’ve taken several day trips since then… along the coast and out to the dessert. And even though Nate and I prefer to live in a walkable area, our car is now a constant reminder that we can get away whenever we want.
When 1 pound is a big deal…
I guess it’s about time to make the “official” announcement here on our blog…
Nate and I are expecting our first baby! Baby Ritter is due to arrive in the middle of August which makes me 5 months pregnant (or 22 weeks for those of you who want specifics).
Baby Ritter has been wonderful to me so far and has caused no morning sickness, no crazy hormonal imbalances and I’m feeling wonderful. Baby has also been very cooperative at all my prenatal appointments:
- We heard the heartbeat at 9 weeks (about 2 weeks sooner than usual)
- We found out we’re having a BOY (!!) at 13 weeks (about 7 weeks sooner than usual)
- And I started feeling him move and kick at 16 weeks (about 3 weeks sooner than usual)
I guess he’s just very eager to let us know all about him and that he’s doing great. He has graduated from ounces and now weighs a whopping pound and is 8 inches long.
Obviously there are some major life changes coming up for us with the arrival of this little one but for now, Nate and I are just enjoying our last 4 months with just us two. We have no idea, nor do we pretend to know, how our lives will change but after 7 years of marriage we figured we needed a challenge (hahaha).
Tilly - 4 months pregnant (18 weeks)
If you want to hear our son’s first thoughts, check out @boyritter on Twitter… he’s tweeting before speaking. (What?! Are you surprised he has a Twitter account? Have you met his dad?)
If you want to know the specifics about Baby Ritter, check out this pregnancy site with pictures and details on his growth.
Recent travels
- A few pictures from our trip
- Our last baby-less trip
- New Travel Blog Service
- Lessons on dread
- Freedom in the form of an Accord
