12-hour date.

Thank you to those who have been praying for me! God really has given me a sense of joy this week. On Thursday David’s parents gave us a 12-hour date: they babysit the kids from 7 am to 7 pm. David took the day off work, I took the day off school, and the kids had a field trip to Edventure with Grandpa and Mum-Mum.

We hadn’t left the boys — or any of our kids for that matter — for this length of time since the adoption, and boy, did we need a break. Most of all I think we just needed to feel like a couple again. To spend a day focusing all of our attention on each other, instead of dividing it a dozen ways between kids and work and school.

My friend Hannah recommended a breakfast spot a couple hours up the road in Traveler’s Rest, SC, Tandem Creperie and Coffeehouse. Oh my goodness, this place is amazing. If you’re in the Greenville area, it’s worth a trip to Traveler’s Rest just to eat there. Try the Lumberjack, a savory crepe made with cornmeal and drizzled with maple syrup. And of course, what’s a visit to a creperie without some sort of concoction made with bananas and Nutella?

After getting all carbed up, we drove to Jones Gap for some hiking. I am now very intimidated to hike with my husband, because, I mean, the GRT. But he went easy on me and found a great compromise for us, a six-mile round trip hike to Rainbow Falls. Jones Gap is beautiful and the trails were almost empty on a Thursday morning. David is already planning a camping trip with Judah and Gabe.

It felt so liberating to be a regular person again, not attached at the hip to one (or all) of my children, hiking, laughing, talking, and just being companionably silent with David. He brought fun snacks from Whole Foods for a light picnic lunch at the waterfall, and of course it was so romantic up there that we did a little smooching.

We planned to drive to Greenville afterward for an early dinner, but then realized we were 20 minutes away from Flat Rock, NC, one of our very favorite places. So we headed to the Flat Rock Village Bakery for a pre-dinner cup of decaf on the patio. For those wanting to know, David’s reading material was Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, and I brought Jeanette Walls’ Half-Broke Horses.

We headed next door for dinner on the patio at Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, and were greeted by the resident free range rooster. David got the beef brisket plate and I ordered the pork. It was delicious!

Thursday was a rainy day here in Columbia, but we didn’t hit any rain until the drive back. When we arrived home at 7:00, Mum-Mum had the kids fed and bathed and in pj’s. It was incredible.

I’m so thankful for my husband and for our 12-hour date!