What's the Point?

As Todd and I get ready to embark on our vacation, I've been thinking back to the last time we took a little trip without the kids in tow. It was just in February, our quick trip to California for a wedding, and it was so nice to get away. How lucky are we to be able to take two vacations all by ourselves? Not to worry though, there are plenty of trips coming up where the kids get to tag along.

Regardless, my thoughts keep running to why those two days in California were so wonderful. Then I remembered, and I have Southwest Airlines to thank for that!

I know, who in their right mind would attribute a great weekend getaway to an airline? I would. And this is why...

The weekend started like any other. We went to the airport, got on the plane and took our short flight to LAX. We tried to complete the crossword and sudoku puzzles in the in-flight magazine, read and just relaxed.

When we got to LAX we got our rental car and had a nice leisurely drive to Hollywood so we could see Wicked. Beforehand, Todd let me pick the restuarant for lunch. Nice. It didn't work out well, but it was nice of him to let me choose. We saw the show then drove to our hotel. Once we got in our room, Todd asked which bed I wanted. (Sidenote: Whenever there are two beds in our hotel room, both beds get used. We are much happier, and sleep much better that way.) I chose the bed I'd like and again thought, nice. Todd opened car doors for me all weekend long and that's something that rarely happens now because we are each spending our time getting the kids in their respective carseats. He let me listen to the Wicked soundtrack all weekend, and even paid to have it downloaded to our computer in the room. Granted, after seeing the show he was more receptive to the music, but the thought was still there.

The entire weekend went on like this. I guess I didn't really pay too much attention to these things, but I did notice how well our weekend was going. We laughed a lot, held hands and just enjoyed being with each other. Don't get me wrong, the weekend wasn't without it's issues (like Todd getting sick and not even making it to the wedding) but all in all, it was a good one.

As we boarded the plane to return home, Todd asked me if I noticed anything different. I said not really, but told him how much I enjoyed spending this quality one on one time with him. As we took our seats, he handed me the in-flight magazine. He turned to an article and told me to read. As I did, I started to realize why the weekend went the way it did.

The article was titled, "There Must be 50 Ways to Woo Your Lover." It talked about a "romantically challenged" husband and his attempt to prove his love to his wife. (Remember, this was in February so it had a Valentine's Day theme.) As I continued to read the article it talked about how this man was talking to a female co-worker who felt he had to create some big, elaborate event for their 25th anniversary to romance her. She said he needed to think of as many things as he could to make her feel special. He decided that 50 was a nice round number.

The article details the couple's trip to Florida, and all the things the husband did for his wife to show his love, including letting her choose restaurants, music and the "territory" she wanted in the hotel room. The article went on and on and detailed all 50 things this man did for his wife. Some of the sweetest, endearing, simplest and thoughtful things.

This is what Todd did for me. He remembered all of the little things. Little things you don't always think about, but make for a more enjoyable experience. He read this article and put it to action. How sweet is that?

Now, here is where my point is...

As we get ready to leave for our next trip, I want to remember the little things. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't always recognize it when Todd does the little things, I only pay attention to whether or not the grand gestures were made. But it's the little things that made that weekend so special. It's remembering each other's happiness first, even if it's which bed do you want or do you want the window or the aisle seat. Those are the things I need to remember to do for Todd. Put his feelings first and try to do the little things that may not seem like much, but will make for better memories and happier experiences. That way, he'll know that I love him, and I'll feel better knowing I'm putting him before myself and constantly showing him how much I love and appreciate him.

That's the plan for the next 10 days. Wish me luck!