Retreat

A couple of weeks ago, after our bout with stomach flu and a few rough days at home with a willful know-it-all toddler, I became a flight risk.  I daydreamed of exotic beach vacations in Central America, even going so far as to browse travel sites.  Did it have something to do with my (self diagnosed) seasonal affective disorder?   I was antsy and restless, and literally at my breaking point.  Cue my Fairy Godmother (a.k.a Kerstin), who graciously offered to take the kids overnight for the weekend so that Mattias and I could do something just for us.

We felt kinda guilty.  I mean, the boys did sleep over at their place the weekend before.  I didn't feel like I even had the right to feel antsy, given my time away from home while at work, and all the additional support we get.  After some thought, we realized that (almost) everything we do is for the kids.  They are constantly at museums, playgrounds, cultural (and not-so-cultural) events, making crafts, and playing make believe.  When we are with them, we are really with them and being present in the moment.  And all that being "present" can drive you a bit crazy.  When you wage the war of parenthood, sometimes you win, but a lot of times you lose your sanity.  We didn't need to surrender, but we needed to retreat.

After some quick research we decided on a trip Gettysburg, PA.  We wanted to do something that the kids wouldn't appreciate, something that we wouldn't be able to enjoy fully if they were with us.  So we found a quaint little cottage right outside of town and travelled 2 hours north in the first serious snow this winter.

After resting a little bit we head out to the Gettysburg Visitor Center, which houses an impressive collection of artifacts, and a fantastic exhibit that covered the Civil War and exacting details of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Upstairs there is a cylindrical mural set above a diorama, aptly named the Cyclorama, depicting Pickett's Charge.

Before heading inside I payed my respects to President Lincoln.

My favorite part of the museum was the section on Civil War medicine.  For all you folks complaining about our current health care situation, just be happy we live in a time of antibiotics, sterile surgical instruments, and fast acting pain killers.  Just looking at the instruments they used for amputations made me gag.

After getting a nice overview of the importance and events of the famous battle, we went for a sunset drive around the battlefile.  Below are the Penssylvania Monument, and the areas near the "High Water Mark" (the northernmost position of the Confederate Army on Union soil). 

There were so many monuments, it's amazing to thing that each represented just a few of the 50,000 people that died in those 3 days of battle.  I was especially touched by the soldier below, with a single icesicle at the tip of his musket. 

We then went into the historic downtown area.  Mattias is standing in front of where President Lincoln put the finishing touches on his Gettysburg Address.

There were a couple of cute business that could only survive in a place where Civil War reenactments took place.

The following morning was spent watching a rom-com (romantic comedy) in bed, after being served breakfast by our wonderful innkeeper.  There were a few stops left on our battlefield tour, so we stopped at the spot where Pickett's Charge began, on the Confederate side of the battlefield.  We took a few moments to contemplate the bravery of all of those men marching across an open field in heavy fire.  It made me think of people everywhere, who believe in a cause so much they are willing to die for it.  It made me think, in the long run, who's to say who's "right"?  We feel like the country is divided now, think of how divided it was then.

In my everyday life, my internal dialogue revolves around feeding & wrangling the kids, maintaining my personal hygiene at minimally acceptable standards, and convincing myself to exercise more often.  It was nice to contemplate such a big moment in our country's history, and just goof off with my favorite partner in crime.