Monthly Getaway

One of the things we are working to establish as part of our Groundhog Month is a mini vacation. At least once a month we'll try to get out of town from Teri's "Beach Cabin" and my "Mountain Cabin" to a nice getaway. It doesn't even have to involve any days off work. For example, one month we escaped to one of our favorite nearby destinations, the Columbia River Gorge. We had a nice picnic at Stonehenge in the east end of the Gorge, enjoying our favorite healthy fruits and vegetables plus some cheese for protein and some orange juice to cap off the feast. Then after a interesting hilly drive through oak savannah and sights of Mount Adams and Mount Hood from The Dalles to Mosier, we made it to our ultimate destination, Hood River. Next we enjoyed favorite beverages, artichoke dip and pita bread at Full Sail and later dinner out at the Big Horse Pub. The following morning we stopped off for four hours touring the Columbia River Discovery Center and its treasure trove of wonders.

When I proposed, I suggested to Teri that being creative people we could continually evolve our Groundhog Day, Groundhog Weekend, Groundhog Week, Groundhog Month and Groundhog Year into something special. After all, a long-term relationship involves one day at a time. You get up each morning and do it all over again. The challenge is adding some diversity and variety into the mix. Teri is big into twists. I knew with both of our contrarian spirits we could keep things fresh and interesting. We could make a trip to the grocery store into a grand adventure. We could make watching an OPB special on penguins into a party. It's all a matter of perspective, of choosing each day, as Abraham Lincoln suggested, to be happy and have fun.

The same is true of our monthly adventures. Whether they are close to home, or many miles away, we can make the most of whatever environment we find ourselves in to keep the relationship fresh and lively.