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Writer's pictureJessica Fahy

Our overnight getaway in Gettysburg....WITHOUT KIDS!!!


This blog title post probably sounds terrible - as if I can't stand my kids. Of course that's not true, but sometimes mom and dad just need a little break for themselves from time to time!

For us, it's been about three years since the last time we went away anywhere overnight...

...so I guess we were a little overdue.

We decided to head out to Gettysburg and stay overnight to head to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

We left Friday afternoon just after lunch, hoping that by the time we arrived at my parents' house the two littlest could easily be scooped out of the car and placed with ease in their beds for naptime.

Wrong.

Of course, they woke up as we took them out of the car and even with our best attempts to put them down for naps (laying with them, singing, changing the diaper to give them a fresh one, and just outright leaving the room to cry for a little bit - think out-of-sight-of-mind), it was to no avail.

So we just hung out for a bit, hoping that the younger two would eventually get tired and be ready for naps sooner than later.

Then off we went on a country-ish drive out to Gettysburg! Bill and I left my parents' house honking the horn obnoxiously, waving and flailing our hands and heads out the windows a-hootin' and a-hollerin', and sipping beer as we made way for our first overnight getaway in three years...without kids. Woo-hooooooo! No kids to buckle up? You mean we can walk from the door of the house to the car, start the engine and buckle up in less than 30 seconds? This is incredible!

So the traffic was a little jammed on the single-laned Rt. 322 and it took us about four hours instead of three to get there, but the time flew by between us talking, listening to my favorite podcast - Divine Intimacy radio, and just enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.

I decided that we'd really treat ourselves by staying at the lavish and luxurious Red Carpet Inn. We were welcomed by a man screaming F-bombs in his phone at the top of his lungs when we pulled in the parking lot. I guess you picked up on the fact that we didn't care a whole lot about where we stayed because we knew we'd barely be there - just as long as the place was clean. We're not much of the high-class, high-demands type. However, after seeing some of the company this hotel kept, I got a little worried.

Bill, being the gentleman he is, had to say something to the man screaming profanities to the poor soul on the other side of the phone line. Ain't no place for that nasty language out loud in public.

"Is he with you?" Bill asked the man's buddy.

The guy nodded his head.

"Can you ask him to tone it down?"

Running through my head are thoughts of bricks being smashed through our hotel window in the middle of the night. I just took recourse in the Lord and said a prayer, while also finding comfort in my hubby who is a man not afraid to fight if he has to defend.

Our getaway officially begins!

Anyways, we went into the hotel to freshen up and when we came back out to head out for dinner, the man who was screaming profanities apologized.

Phew! I felt at ease now. I wish we had more men like my hubby (but I may be biased).

We enjoyed a lovely dinner outside in the cool evening air and it was an enjoyable view of the action in the town square. The restaurant's food was really delicious and we took our time eating (about three and a half hours...), enjoying a drink, and topping off the night with...a cup of coffeeeee!

We thought this would be a great awkward pic to take...

A view of the town square

We had a wonderful night and were looking forward to a night of FULL sleep. Well, I was...Bill just sleeps through everything anyways... ;)

The next morning we woke up....at 9:15am!!@#!%$ For parents of young children, this is A LUXURY.

What's this? No accidents in the bed to clean? No midnight potty trips? No one sticking their foot in your face while you sleep because they decided to sneak into bed with you? No children waking up at 6:30/7am, demanding cereal, snacks, water and a clean diaper? No one to change out of pajamas? You mean....we could wake up, get dressed and ready and be out the door in 15 minutes?

Yes! And so we were.

We found a local small-town restaurant to eat a delicious breakfast at (that was super cheap too!) and then headed to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The shrine itself is set on a mountain which offers a beautiful view of the rolling hills below.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton used to walk these grounds, so it has quite a history being around for almost two centuries.

We walked around for a bit and then headed to the glass chapel for daily Mass. It was a very peaceful and prayerful day - a perfect way to spend our time "off." Here are some pictures from the shrine. If you ever get a chance, it's definitely worth a trip out to visit.

I wish our Lady could be lifted up like this in all people's hearts!

They had all the mysteries of the Rosary done in these beautiful mosaics accompanied by a Scripture verse.

The size of this sculpture made you feel as though you were actually standing at the feet of Christ crucified. It was moving.

I really liked this unique statue of our Lady holding the Infant Jesus' hand with St. Joseph watching over them. It was something I've never pictured before but so heart-warming.

They had beautiful paths carved through the mountainside.

(All men seem to walk the same type of way, don't they? Look at the guy ahead of Bill...lol)

Candles lit for intentions

The grotto sanctuary

The people who were hootin'-and-a-hollerin' as they left my parents' house...

We had a very nice time at the shrine and couldn't have imagined spending our "getaway time" doing anything else. On the way home, we stopped in Lancaster for some dinner and enjoyed this wonderful view of farmland and rolling hills...

The closer it neared to the end of our trip, the more we itched to see our kids again! The excitement and joy was just welling up within to just wrap our arms around them, give them tons of kisses and see their smiling, happy faces!

...And that's how these little getaways for mom and dad should be, shouldn't it? A time for them to spend time just with each other, adding more strength to their marriage so that when they see the kids again, they are refreshed and renewed to pour out their love and themselves for their family!

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