A much needed respite.

The Pack House Inn
Edenton, NC

Sometimes lovely things happen when you least expect it. Like when my husband recognized I was going bananas and realized that he needed to whisk me away THAT day instead of waiting til the week-end. We left in the evening last night and stayed at our favorite bed and breakfast, The Packhouse Inn in Edenton, NC. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, homestyle potatoes and toast with cups of coffee and fresh squeezed OJ.

The first thing I did when we arrived was take a long soothing bath. I read a mystery and enjoyed a brand new sugar scrub.

We fell asleep just after midnight and I awoke naturally in the morning to the sun streaming through the skylight and the warm glow from the yellow walls. I felt so much better. An uninterrupted night of sleep. No children coming in at one or two or three in the morning. No demands at 5 or 6 a.m. Yawn. Pure bliss.

After breakfast we sauntered over to our favorite coffee shop that used to be a book store too! Oh no, where did it go?! don't be alarmed... just down the corner. Oh phew. It's a book store/tea house. So after we enjoyed our coffee and unwound for a couple hours we made our way to the book store, Garden of Readin', and searched for treasures. The prices are so reasonable $2-$3 for fun paperback mysteries. Mmm. A pot of china black tips. She even offered milk or cream and lemon. And delivered some biscuits with the tea. I could get used to that. We drank our tea and read our books only breaking the silence to comment on this or that passage from a book.

Later we ate a completely carbalicious lunch of McDonald's and passed out for afternoon naps.

The sweetest part? Mike is letting me take an extra night to myself. Sigh. I'm sprawled out in a room by myself. Took another luxurious bath. Ate icecream before I had dinner (salad).

I fell asleep at 7:30. Yes, that tired. And then was awoken an hour later by a phone call. My sweet children were chirping in my ears. Telling me how much they missed me and the books they've been reading and their bad dreams and how we should make books when someone is gone for more than a day so that they know how much they were missed... And so I'm awake again... after finishing a bar of chocolate and strawberries and having a soothing cup of tea.

I'm that delicious tired, when my eyes are heavy and droopy and my belly is full... and my muscles are relaxed and soothed. I still have a sore throat from a lingering cold/sinus thing I've had going for a week or two. But it's manageable and tea with honey is a balm.

It truly is a luxury to get a moment to hear oneself think. And tomorrow a delicious breakfast awaits. And I get to walk in town again and read books and drink tea again. Sweet blessings come in such unexpected ways. In our desperate moments God is so kind to give us respite. Moment to renew our strength and energy. Moments to breathe. Moments to give praise. Thank you Jesus!