I am currently on a family vacation with my soon-to-be ex-husband (like in one month!), and I have started this blog post three times. The first time I came off as a little bitchy, and the second time I came off as too philosophical. With this third start, I decided F-it. I’m just going to be real.
When my soon-to-be ex (who I will now just refer to as my ex) and I informed our grown children earlier this year that we were going to divorce, we assured them that our family wasn’t really going to change that much; we were still taking our annual beach vacation this year (but it obviously would be the last for the four of us), we would always be there for them, and he and I were going to remain friends. We had been together for thirty years and married for almost twenty-seven years, so spending a week together at the beach with our children that we love and have great vacations with should be easy.
Between the time we told our kids about the divorce and now a lot has happened; we filed for divorce, we negotiated our divorce settlement, my ex moved out, and I have lived alone in bliss for almost a month in the house I love. I have developed a new routine that involves just me and my cats (cue the crazy cat lady music- I’m guessing “meows”?). I’m assuming my ex has settled into his bachelor pad. Yes. This definitely seems the right time to take a ten-day vacation with my ex. We are on that vacation right now; the jury is still out on how this vacation with my ex is going.
I am having a great time with the kids. My son lives in Indianapolis where he goes to college year-round, so I don’t get to see him that often. Spending ten days with him is awesome. My daughter lives with her fiancé in the same city as I do, and we work together. We see and talk to each other every day, but it is great to relax on the beach in our favorite place together. The three of us have already begun making plans for next year’s vacation here.
Oh, wait. Did I mention we drove a day and half to get to our destination? Yes. My ex, our son, our daughter, and myself. In a truck. For sixteen hours the first day and four hours the second day. The drive wasn’t really that bad since I tend to fall asleep when I am on long trips. Plus, we all genuinely love visiting the Gulf every year, so we spend quite a bit of time on the drive talking about what we plan to do during our stay. So, when I wasn’t sleeping, reading, or talking with the kids, I was trying to sit next to the man that I once promised to spend the rest of my life with but hadn’t really spent any time with for the last month and communicated with only when necessary, mainly through text or awkward telephone conversations.
The answer to the question you are thinking is “Yes”- I did pack lots of alcohol for the trip.
Today is Day #4. To be honest, so far it is going pretty well. It is great vacationing with the kids since they are older; we all have the same crazy sense of humor. The weather is beautiful, and the sunsets don’t disappoint. Walking in the mornings is awesome when I am able to pass palm trees and feel the warm sunshine. I’m hoping the days slow down a bit; I’m not ready to go home any time soon.
Spending time with my ex has made me realize several things…
Stay tuned for Part 2
