I had an interesting weekend. DH and I flew to Sydney on Friday morning (my birthday), and we had breakfast at my in-law's home. We left for Palm Beach a short while later, and it was a 20 minute seaplane ride from Rose Bay to the resort. We all checked in and got settled. My little duckies were clinging to their grandparents, so DH and I had some time to kind of relax and bond with our mutual friends, his siblings, and cousins. I was telling someone that this weekend was the most relaxed I have ever seen my in-laws. Everyone was just really easygoing and happy. They were surprisingly pleasant to be around, and all of them made my birthday weekend special.
We had lunch at a local restaurant. It was overlooking the sea and the beach. The waves were crashing, and it was serene and a welcome change from the rat race that has been our lives for the past six months. For the first time, everyone was happy. My husband's cousin-in-law who never socialises with the family came down and was drinking with us and acting like we were long lost relatives.
Our children were put down for a nap after lunch, and their grandmother and Nanny J watched them while DH and I got a little one-on-one time in. Sometimes you need to just lay out a blanket, turn on a little music, pour a couple of glasses of champagne, and enjoy the surroundings and beauty of nature. Big and Rich had it right when they said, "Lost in this moment with you. I am completely consumed."
We had one of the most in-depth heart to hearts, and it was how we came to the decision to simply be in a closed, married polyship. It is with the understanding that I will not act on anything. I am committed to just us. I am free to talk to him about that side of my life without him expressing discontentment or acting like it is a pain in his bum. We have a healthy relationship structure. Poly will not consume our lives like it has in the past. It is a happy medium. He is mono, and I guess I am poly-friendly. That is about as superficial of a label as I desire. I am just happy that he accepts me and acknowledges that my views may not be cookie cutter traditional. The best part of our new happy medium is that he has no desire to change me in to what he thinks I should be.
DH and I spent some time with our children after their naps, and everyone got ready for dinner. It was an intimate, candlelit birthday dinner for 30 with the sea as our backdrop. My MIL was actively involved in planning it, and it was wonderful. DH and my MIL gave me a gift that money could never buy. They worked with my parents and siblings to get them there for my special weekend. It was the best gift I could have ever asked for. When I saw my mum, I ran into her arms. I miss her being an hour away. I was beaming with joy because I am close to my parents and siblings. The best surprise was that my siblings are staying until this weekend, and my parents are going back next weekend. A full week with my three brothers and sister, and two weeks with my mum and dad. Plus, my best friend and her family are in the area until 17th August.
After dinner, we sat outside, ate cake, talked, and watched the nightly fireworks show. DH and I left the party to get our little ones ready for bed. By 9:30, they were sleeping peacefully. We headed back to the party and socialised with everyone. My mum and I had one of our heart to hearts. She massaged my scalp while I was laying on her lap. I love my mum's wisdom and insight. I respect her tremendously and love the relationship we have. By 11:30, everyone had retired.
My birthday night was perfect until a freak twist of fate after a romantic beach rendezvous. I ended up with an Achilles sprain. My super athletic brother and my daddy asked me the following morning, "How did you manage to injure your Achilles?" I preferred not to answer how or where it happened.
Outside of that, Saturday was the worst. We took a ferry back to Sydney. Matt's aunt is very strung and uppity. Her nose is turned so far up in the air that if it rains, her arse would drown. She suggested this place for dinner. Not being from the area, I was like, "Okay. We can try it." It was not all it was cracked up to be. I have dined at some of the world's best restaurants and happily paid thousands of pounds, dollars, yen, dirhams, etc. The prices were outlandishly high. The wait was insanely long. She had called hours prior, and they told her they could not accept a reservation. However, when we got there the first question was why she did not make a reservation? We waited probably 1.5 hours to be seated. It did not get better. The service was fucking awful. The gratuity was a joke, and I refused to pay it because the service did not match. We had two waiters, and the first waiter just disappeared and never took the first group's order. I was left with a watered down coke because the waitress never brought me a fresh drink. We were seated behind a very annoying group of 24 or so year olds. The birthday girl had every girl at the table sing happy birthday to her. They were singing that song by Rihanna. Cake? They were loud, and one of them never did shut up while we were there. The service was so slow that I fell asleep at the table. I was already nauseated and in pain, and I excused myself from the table probably six times. It was just a bad night. DH left during dinner to buy me some ginger ale and crackers. I was grateful for that. I had them box up my food, and I took two bites out of it. I never did get to eat it. When we got back to our suite, I kicked off my shoes, curled up in bed, and slept until the morning.
We had breakfast at the resort, checked out, and flew back to Sydney. My in-laws cooked a special meal for my birthday and my cousin-in-law's birthday. Sunday made up for the terrible Saturday. We left Sydney around 5 PM and headed back to Melbs. My mum helped me prepared Sunday dinner for 18 people. It was very relaxed. I was feeling better and not in nearly as much pain. The nausea had subsided, and I was able to enjoy the time with my friends and family. I was happy to be back at home, too.
DH and I are having a long lunch before I pick up our children. Tonight, we are going to a drive-in movie to see The Conjuring at 9:30. All in all, everything is going much better now. The soreness in my Achilles is less than it was. It is bearable. I am the worst patient ever. I am trying to stay off of it and rest.
I am about to get ready for lunch with my love. I hope everyone is doing well. I know a few of the people on here have lost a dear friend, and I am sorry for your loss. My condolences are with the family, friends, and loved ones in their times of need.