I am a teacher. I literally am required to work 183 days out of the year. All of those 183 days are roughly seven and a half hours long. Three nights out of the year I have to attend a “late night” and return to school for a few hours in the evening for one event or another. I am not about to get into whether or not I work extra hours grading papers or writing lesson plans, because to me, that is irrelevant. I am officially only required by my contract to work the above stated times.

My husband is a captain with the fire department. He works 48 hour shifts and then has 4 days off in between. He works overtime on a fairly regular basis, but the older we get we seem to value time together more than money (kind of).

We have four children, three of which are living at home.

Sometimes, we just want to run away! 

I am not sure what it is about the beginning of the year. Maybe it is because that those three said children that are still living at home, plus me, all of a sudden have A LOT to do as compared to the summer. There is the same old complaints of every mother … homework, schedules, lunches, after-school activities, getting laundry done (which reminds me … CRAP, I was supposed to do laundry tonight, not type on my computer while I sip on some wine!) et cetera, et cetera. But let’s just say, it is H A R D – hard!

I am also not sure how the beginning of the year affects my husband. Like the typical male, he isn’t completely in-tune with his feelings, but I have to almost guarantee that he feels the stress of all of the above as well. You know, his house isn’t always clean when he comes home now and there isn’t always dinner on the table. I mean, my husband is amazing and does a ton around the house, but I think every person (male or female) in a committed relationship with a teacher gets a little lazy over the summer. (And a little stressed in the fall!)

Which brings me to the fact that I had to runaway.  

I, like, HAD TO.

Confession time (hopefully my mom or kids don’t read this). In high school, my best friend Crystal and I would frequently get to school, walk up to class, and say, “Nope. Let’s go to Jitters and get coffee.” On a side note, I feel pretty confident that Jitters coffee was mostly sugar, and I am not too convinced I would like it now with my more sophisticated palate (haha) but it was a great escape from high school.

ANYHOW …

Sometimes, as an adult, you just need to runaway from life. And that is exactly what my husband and I dd this past weekend. We ran away on a one-way track … I mean, we did come back and I don’t think it was the wrong way, but you get the picture.

I have been to a few beaches in my lifetime, not a ton, but a few, and I have to say Huntington Beach is one of my absolute favorites. I love the fact that the beach is large, filled with soft sand, isn’t bombarded by restaurants and vendors, and is not laced with personal residences that just make me feel jealous.

My husband and I, while running away from the commitments of life, including our children, like to stay at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.

I highly recommend this hotel. Not only is it literally right on the beach (and most of the rooms have some sort of view of the beach), the grounds are beautiful, the smell of the lobby is amazing, and every staff member we have ever encountered is completely friendly and hospitable.

And let’s just be real, they have a bridge that is connected to the beach so you don’t even have to cross Pacific Coast Highway on street level to enjoy the sounds of the waves! (Also, it is really easy to cross over and use your restroom rather than the less-than-pleasant beach accommodations.)

The hotel offers beach chair, towel, and umbrella rentals for free and their gift shop rents out bikes if you choose to be a beach cruiser.

It truly is an all-inclusive resort. (No … my husband isn’t burnt, he is just naturally pink!) (And no, we did not utilize the umbrella because I grew up in the nineties and still like the look of having a tan. And yes, I know I might regret this in the future.)

With “all-inclusive” in mind, it is actually a fantastic place to take your kids. They have many planned events to occupy children, they have great restaurants (see future blog-post about growing up in Vegas), and a beautiful spa and salon to rejuvenate yourself in.

However … with all of that being said, if you are trying to run away from your children (I really, truly, do love my children, but sometimes I just need a break) you can do so here, but you will see and hear a lot of other people’s children. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are one of those people who can completely adopt the principle of, “What do I care, that isn’t my kid?” But it is worth noting for those of you who are planning on a romantic getaway.

Downtown Huntington Beach is only a short 15-20 minute stroll away where there is plenty of shopping, restaurants, and most importantly people watching, for you to enjoy. The Hyatt even offers a shuttle if you would rather choose to get a ride than stumble your way home after too many drinks at Duke’s or Killarney’s! And, ending the night on the beach with a bonfire and s’mores is by far a must!

My husband and I highly recommend the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach and Huntington Beach in general as your more sophisticated “Jitters” when you want to ditch out on responsibilities and just runaway for a weekend!

Where are your favorite places to runaway to?