Anyone?
Bueller?
I know it may seem like a weird thing to think, but there are definitely moments in my days where I sort of take a look at myself (and at my husband, too) from outside of my body and congratulate myself (us) on an adult job well done. Sometimes it's about something big like deciding to move or buying a house or choosing a refrigerator. And other times it's about something small like scheduling a yearly physical or having a favorite brand of pens* or searching the house at 4:45am to figure out where that incessant beeping is coming from (true story from early yesterday morning - it took us 30 minutes to figure out it was coming from Tommy's dying chrome book, sheesh).
But regardless of whether the thing is big or small, there are definitely things that seem very "adult" to me. As fate would have it, Will and I did another one of those adult things just a few weeks ago when we went to Asheville.
Before I tell you what it was, let's quickly talk about one of the most notable adult things that I do these days since becoming a parent:
all the things on "vacation"
If you are a parent, you're probably nodding your head right now. As a kid, you get to relax and enjoy wherever you are and play and swim and read a book and really do whatever you want. When you're a parent on vacation, and I would even wager a step further and say, when you are a mom on vacation (not all moms, I see you dads out there who do it all, too), you feel responsible for ev-e-ry-thing. For example, when Will and I have taken the kids on vacation to New England, I feel responsible for the packing of the bags (warm clothes, cool clothes, rain gear, hats, sunscreen, extra underwear, toothbrushes, bandaids, tylenol, chargers, books, crayons, coloring books, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, iPods, DS games, DS chargers, etc.) and the loading of the bikes and the packing of the food and the taking of the bathroom breaks and the planning of the meals and the cooking of the meals and the going to the store and the planning of the fun and the keeping of the schedule and the keeping of the budget (totally my husband's job but that doesn't stop me) and the mediating of the arguing (and consequently the separating of the children) and the orchestrating of the showers and the safety patrol of the hiking and the filling of the water bottles and GEEZ MAKE IT STOP ALREADY! Basically what I want to say right now is, THANK YOU to my mother and father for making all the vacation sparkles happen because truly, I had no idea.
So when we went on vacation without the kids a few weeks ago, one of the biggest things I was looking forward to was NOT doing all the things. Not worrying about packing anyone but myself. Not worrying about what we would eat. Not worrying about getting beds ready. Not worried about breaking up arguments. Not worried about being on safety patrol. And let me tell you, if you want to go somewhere and really not worry about a thing, drive down to beautiful Asheville, NC and stay at the Asheville Cottages. I wrote a little bit about them when we got home a few weeks ago, but here are a few more lovely details:
When you arrive, the lights are always on out front to welcome you to your home away from home. Each cottage is surrounded by huge evergreens (arborvitae? cypress?) so that when you walk up on the front porch, you feel like you're leaving the whole world behind. When you unlock your cottage, there is a coat hanger inside the door to hang up your rain coats and jackets. Everything is clean and sparkling. There is a large basket waiting for you on the kitchen counter full of oatmeal and granola bars and coffee and poptarts and crackers. When you open the refrigerator you'll find bowls of vanilla creamer and ketchup and mustard packets. The salt and pepper shakers are full to the brim. There are sugar packets on the counter and coffee filters in the cabinet. There's a whole box of assorted teas and one of those magic canisters that heats water in what feels like one minute flat. There are plenty of mugs and plates and bowls and silverware. There are non-stick skillets and small and large pots and a colander and cutting board. There are sharp knives. There's laundry soap and dish soap and extra trash bags and paper towels. There's even (and this is my favorite) an extra sponge still wrapped in the plastic! (I'm honestly not sure what's worse than using someone else's previously used sponge. I always throw it away and buy a new one. But I don't have to at Asheville Cottages! Win!) And that's just in the kitchen!
In the bathroom there are heated floors (best thing ever.) and thick (freshly washed!) robes and towels and extra toilet paper (the thick stuff, none of that one-ply disaster) and a heated toilet seat (not kidding and also best thing ever. Nothing like warm feet and a warm seat to make being in the bathroom not feel like a waste of time. I didn't want to leave!) and shampoo, conditioner and soap dispensers in the shower.
The living room has a beautiful gas fireplace, comfortable furniture, a TV and three big windows to enjoy the woodsy view out the back. There's also a binder with all sorts of great recommendations for restaurants, hiking, and sight-seeing.
And then there's the bedroom. King-sized bed that has a bluetooth and is also adjustable to your soft/firm liking. A TV on the wall for lazy mornings and before bed movie-watching. Three more big windows to enjoy the view from your cozy bed. And right off the back of the bedroom is a covered porch with a hot tub and a grill.
I'm telling you, they've thought of everything. It's the most relaxing vacation I've ever had as an adult. But do you know what the best thing about the cottages is?
The sheets**.
They're called "spa sheets." The name alone probably gives you a pretty good idea of how amazing the are. So so soft. When I try to imagine what I can compare them to, what comes to mind is a silky soft tulip petal. Yes, I'm taking this thing that far. Getting into bed with these sheets is like laying down and covering yourself with flower petals. And the great thing is, you can buy a set through the owners of the cottages and they will pay the shipping costs and have them sent directly to your doorstep. When we stayed in Asheville two years ago, we so wanted to buy a set of our own, but they were just too expensive for us at the time.
Which brings me to the adult thing we did on vacation...
We bought some sheets.
But not just any sheets...
Spa sheets.
You may be shaking your head thinking I'm crazy, but seriously, when was the last time you bought a set of sheets from somewhere other than Target or Walmart? In our case, the answer to that question is NEVER. We have never bought sheets from anywhere but Target or Walmart. And they're totally fine and when we have to wash our spa sheets we will happily sleep on the Target sheets. But saying no when we couldn't afford it and then saving up and buying something that we absolutely didn't need but that makes our lives a little bit better? Definitely an adult thing. And those sheets? They make me, a person who always wants to stay up late and generally hates going to bed, want to go to bed. Early! Which is so helping the whole "wake up at 5am to get ready and have some quiet before the kids wake up" adult thing that I'm doing now. Win! 
So the next time you do an "adult thing," whether it's deciding to have a baby or buying a couch or using fabric softener or flossing your teeth for heaven's sake (confession: I hate flossing and therefore do not do it, adult responsibility be darned!), give yourself a pat on the back. Being an adult is hard (so many decisions! so many responsibilities!) and also great (so many decisions! so many responsibilities!) so make sure that every once in awhile, you do a FUN adult thing or two.
Buying a nice set of sheets might be a good place to start. Is it time to go to bed yet?
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| Why knit and read on the couch when you can knit and read on spa sheets?! |
*I love Pilot G-2 0.38. Perfection in a writing utensil if I do say so myself. (And I do, because I am an adult! Ha!)
**I bet you didn't think I would wax poetic about a set of sheets today (or ever), did you? Seriously, they are amazing. Sometimes it's the little things.
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