Things just didn’t go as planned.

Every spring my amazing sister-in-law takes all five of my children for a long weekend so my husband Jan and I can get away.

One week-end.

I look forward to it all year.

I check hotels, research restaurants, and make plans for it all year.To say it is the highlight of my spring is an understatement.

But this year – I got sick.

The kids left on Wednesday and I went to the couch – down for the count, exhausted with no voice, a deep racking cough, and achy all over.

I was still there on Thursday.

And Friday.

And Saturday.

Instead of a gorgeous hotel room with my wonderful husband – I got my couch surrounded by empty tea cups and dirty Kleenex.

Instead of wandering around old antique stores and specialty shops – I watched hours of Little House on the Prairie and cooking shows.

Instead of eating out at different restaurants every meal – I limped to the kitchen and heated more chicken noodle soup.

Disappointment is too mild of a word.

And as if that wasn’t enough – on Friday night it started to snow. Not just light flurries – but heavy snow. Seven inches of heavy snow.

Even if I felt good – we still couldn’t get out until somebody went out to shovel.

Talk about salt in an open wound.

I cried – but that just made my nose run more.

Heavy sigh.

Can I have a “do-over”?

The sun did come out today and I  got off the couch long enough today to ride with Jan to pick up the kids. He even took me out to me eat. 🙂

And he promised me another weekend away – when I felt better – maybe in August for our 20th anniversary (surely it wouldn’t snow then – would it?!)

So as we come to the end of this rather disappointing weekend, I’m exhausted from my foray into the real world. I’m back on the couch with a cup of hot tea.

But this time the tears are gone and I’m busy planning my big anniversary weekend- sometime in August.

Life is looking up again.

Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life…”