Baby Free Birthday in Eugene
Parenting involves many milestones, so many firsts: first steps, first words, first time sleeping through the night. But one first that I was definitely looking forward to was one that only peripherally involved Harrison - our first night away as a couple. I say I was excited, which was true, but of course the feelings were not entirely straightforward. I was sad the first time I left Harrison for a work trip the month before, but leaving Harrison with his father is completely different than leaving him with anyone else, even loving grandparents who adore him.
So, for our first trip away from our son, I decided to stay close and to go away for a single night. Brandon’s birthday provided the perfect excuse for a night away. I kept the details a surprise from Brandon, who is generally more than happy to let me do the planning anyway. I had fun slowly revealing the details of the weekend.
Our first stop was for lunch at Creswell Bakery.
This spot has long been on my list to try and this was the perfect time. We both enjoyed our sandwiches on freshly baked bread, but I especially loved the side salad. I’m on a salad with roasted beets and goat cheese kick at the moment and this was fantastic.
I was planning to hike Spencer Butte, but it was kind of rainy and we were feeling kind of lazy (we were exhausted new parents, after all), so we headed straight to one of my favorite Willamette Valley wineries - Sarver. You may recall that I had spent time here during my bachelorette weekend and absolutely loved it.
Things that are awesome about Sarver: views for days, great wine, and fully customizable cheese plates. Words will never do justice to just how lovely it was to spend the better part of an afternoon sipping wine and having a leisurely conversation with my love. It was wonderful to just be “us” for a while.
No child free weekend is complete without a fancy hotel. And in Eugene there is no better place than Inn at the 5th. We were greeted at check in with local wine and oriented to the many amenities, including complimentary snacks and the shuttle service to nearby locations.
The real highlight is the room. I especially love the butler’s pantry, which meant not having to get out of pjs to answer the door when we ordered room service breakfast the next day. The Inn also provided us with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate Brandon’s birthday and our first baby free weekend. It was perfect for mimosas the following morning.
As difficult as it was to leave our cozy room, we had reservations at Grit Saturday evening. It was exactly the kind of place we love, with a rotating menu created from local and seasonal ingredients.
We began our meal with cocktails paired with bunuelos (savory cheese donuts).
My entree choice was handmade oxtail ravioli and Brandon decided on the pan seared ribeye. It was a lovely and delicious meal. Most of all, it was wonderful to enjoy a quiet meal without interruptions, to do exactly what we liked to do before our sweet son was born.
Although we had the best of intentions to stay up late just because we could, we did not make it. A full night of sleep was maybe the best part of the entire weekend, well other than getting to sleep in and have breakfast in bed.
We returned home, happy to see our squishy baby and also thankful to have the opportunity to have a night away to reconnect and celebrate Brandon. It is amazing that a single night can leave you refreshed and feeling like yourself amid all of the challenges of keeping a tiny human alive.
Normally, this is where the story would end - I would share the weekend, telling a story about being new parents and the importance of continuing to prioritize your marriage. But today is not any normal day. Today we are staying home because of a global pandemic, as are so many others in the US and world. This is difficult for me, someone who loves to travel and explore, this need to stay home. It was heartbreaking to cancel my upcoming trip home to Arkansas to celebrate Easter and introduce much of my family to Harrison for the first time. So today, I’m not just writing, I’m taking a virtual vacation, imagining a weekend away with my love, exploring, relaxing, and eating delicious food. There are more things than time between this weekend in November and today. Maybe this can be your imaginary getaway, as well. If you could go anywhere right now, where would you want to go? What’s next for you when we are able to travel again?