Sometimes, when we stumble across a really cool town or cottage on our journeys, Dave and I will look at each other and say, "How cool would it be if we could come back here with friends one day?!"

Over the weekend we had the amazing opportunity to fulfill that kind of wish, having been invited to Tathra for Tom and Bree's wedding. These guys are like the golden couple, both so genuine, engaging and just fun to be around. In the lead up to the wedding they had come over to hang out a number of times, to do the wedding paperwork with Dave and to discuss their hopes for the ceremony. The first time Hudson met Bree, he ran straight to her with arms wide open and returned for a cuddle every few minutes after that. Eli is completely in awe of Tom, who always takes the time to watch him jump on the trampoline or perform tricks on his bike and is completely unfazed by the usual chaos that tends to reign around dinnertime.

We decided to head up early on the Friday as we anticipated the six and a half hour journey may take a lot longer than that, when adding in all the playground and toilet stops. Sleepy children were carefully transferred to their waiting seats and we set off.

Secretly, Dave and I find road trips quite relaxing now! I'm not sure whether it is the mentality that it will be a hard day so you are prepared for whatever might come, or whether the chance to catch up on reading and podcasts during the daylight hours feels like an incredible bonus. Sure there is the constant contortion poses required to hand back snacks and catch flying missiles of rubbish and the fielding of the inevitable question 'how long until we get there?', but overall, with the kids in their own separate zones mostly entertaining themselves, what's not to like?

The weather was perfect as we pulled up to our accommodation on the hill, Rushy Glen. The nautical style four bedroom home echoed with happy memories and the kids were delighted at the size of the backyard. We decided to seize the balmy weather and share fish & chips on the beach for dinner.

We have never been a 'beach family'. Excursions have been sporadic and random in the past, but something about those Sapphire Coast beaches kept drawing us in. I could sense our family DNA shifting as the kids shrieked with delight, stripping down to undies and rushing at the waves. Ivy's tiny fingers kept busy searching for sticks and shells and we had to repeatedly convince her that they weren't for tasting. Time seemed to pause while we sat, hands sifting through tiny grains, pondering our relative insignificance.

Tathra is a fascinating place. Stunning views of the ocean and rugged coastline, friendly locals and an air of relaxed adventure. I made a beeline for the local op shop and the kids returned to the playground and skate park any chance we got. Didn't manage to find any good coffee though, I guess you can't expect everything! There was also zero reception or wifi connectivity, except if you propped outside the local Friendly Grocer so we quickly got used to our phones being useful only for their camera functions.

It was such a random feeling to make your way down the street and bump into friends and acquaintances from Melbourne (or even Beijing and Hong Kong, such was the dedication of a number of close friends to make it to the event). If you just looked around you, you were almost guaranteed to see someone you knew! It seemed as if the whole town was celebrating when driving past Fat Tony's we spied Yapper and Fiona 'updating' the chalkboard menu sign to read 'Tom & Bree'.

My Mum and Dad selflessly and sacrificially drove up to Tathra on the Saturday and stayed with us for two nights, so that they could look after the kids during the wedding. After our last experience with kids and weddings, it felt reassuring to have an alternative plan.  Actually, having Mum and Dad there was really fun, despite the days being filled with parenting battles and managing moods and emotions, the first evening was filled with games and laughter bringing back memories of our trip to Poland for Loren's wedding. Having the emotional support and acceptance of my parents in the tough moments also meant a lot. I imagine it is pretty rare to have parents who can be so vulnerable and real about their own fears of failure and attempts to try every strategy when things didn't work out. Dad often herded the boys outdoors to run off some energy, and Mum would have the kitchen spotlessly clean before I had even finished whatever kid-related task was most pressing. We also got to fit in a beach/playground trip and some mini golf which had Eli wishing out loud that Nanny and Pa could be HIS parents!

As for the wedding- the whole experience had that air of magic, like you knew in the moment you would remember every detail forever. The ceremony was in the Memorial Gardens, the sparkling ocean encompassing the clifftop from three sides. The (unintentionally) late entrance from the bride simply increased the anticipation as we all nervously eyed the black clouds gathering ominously and pictured ourselves shivering in a wild downpour. Dave spoke meaningfully (despite microphone malfunctions) about unconditional love and the power of this force in our lives and Tom and Bree's nephews and nieces were all thoughtfully included in some way whether by a reading or walking down the aisle before the bride.

The reception/after party was hosted at Fat Tony's Bar and Grill, a quaint converted historic house that had lashings of character and nostalgia. Guests congregated in the front garden behind the white picket fence, listening to live music and sipping on champagne while the flower girls and page boys gleefully wrestled on the grass and played chasing games. We had the privilege of being seated in the specially constructed adjoining marquee which Tom had built to maximize the seating capacity of the venue. The menu was delicious, ranging from fresh seafood and lamb to pork belly with crackling, finished off with chocolate mousse cake and a lemon/lime tart.

The speeches had all of us in fits of laughter (and tears), reflecting on the importance of family in both Tom and Bree's lives and the longstanding friends who had been a part of the journey. These days speeches like these make me look forward to our own kids' weddings and I wonder what stories they will be telling and highlighting as part of their formation of identity.

For us, a night out is a rare event these days, so despite both of us battling headaches and slight nausea we were determined to make the most of it, Dave with his meaningful conversations (particularly with James and Pither) and me with Blake and Kerri... on the dance floor! Having provided the music for just about every event in this circle of friends in the past five years, Tom made himself right at home as the DJ, a wide grin on his face as he looked out over the crazy revellers tearing it up to Hanson, Beyonce, Nelly, Taylor Swift and Ice Cube. Midnight came far too quickly and it was time to head home.

Our kids must have felt bad for us and wanted to keep the party going, so they did... at 1am and 3am Eli woke up which also roused Ivy who was sleeping in the same room. The next morning we somehow managed to stumble around packing up, leaving around 8:30am, and finally arriving home at 5pm.

I have a hunch that weekends like this don't happen very often in one's life. Particularly getting to have a memorable extended family holiday in the middle of term on top of all the festivities! I'm pretty sure we will be remembering this one forever.

After taking a leisurely six nights to make our way up to Sydney, we completely reversed the strategy and had a one night stopover on the way home. Surprisingly, the element of the trip that I had feared the most (three restless kids cooped up in the car) panned out to be the most relaxing segments, and the part I had assumed would be smooth (the day break in between each drive) proved our most difficult.

The five and a half hour drive flew by, attributed predominantly to the thoughtful and timely surprises packed by Grandma Pat to break up the trip. Dave and I kept sneaking glances in the rearview mirror to find Hudson quietly revving his new monster trucks over the arm rest of his car seat, and Eli creating worlds for his cars and dinosaurs, complete with different voices and storylines.

It also helped that our GPS completely over-estimated the time it would take to arrive at our out of the way destination near Corowa. Before we knew it, we had pulled up to the Oakleigh Hideaway Rural Retreat and had parked in the cool shadow of the enormous Bay tree.

The rustic homestead had oodles of character. With the original structure built in the late 1800's, the Piggin family had expanded the house a number of times, leading to a slightly 'rabbit warren' feel to the layout, which I found completely magical. The place was divided into two self-contained retreats, each with four bedrooms and a kitchen. Our side was the Western half and the other managed to accommodate a rather large extended family, numbering at least eight children who traipsed around in little huddles exploring, swimming, creating makeshift slides and worlds together to remember for years to come.

Dave made his way with some urgency to the narrow TV room and flicked the channel to the Grand Final game. The boys explored the house, trying on hats and dancing with canes, making Ivy laugh hysterically with their antics.

In honour of our last night of the trip we had decided to try a special dinner in Corowa, and piled back into the car again. The town was absolutely lovely in the shadowed heat of late afternoon, towering trees and whitewashed heritage buildings. The only downside was that our dinner schedule was an hour out of sync with the bistros so we had to settle on some take-home Chicken Korma and Beef Madras instead.

We squeezed into the booth seats in the creaky dining hall and shared our last meal of the adventure together, savouring Murray River Salted Caramel Connoisseur ice creams for dessert. The boys settled remarkably well, Eli in the sunroom along the window, and Hudson tucked into an enormous bed with a silken canopy encasing his tiny body. Dave and I were spent, with countless broken sleeps and the magnitude of the wedding now behind us, as well as a flu that had found me half way through the trip. We crashed early that night, knowing we would also have to deal with the loss of another hour to the time change.

Morning came and brought with it a heavy heat and swarms of blowflies. The cool and peace of the homestead shifting sharply as the screen doors creakily swung shut behind us. Pack up was now a well-practiced affair as we each took turns exploring the property with the kids while the other packed or stacked bags into the car. On the road again, we managed to almost drive straight through, stopping only for drive-thru and a quick toilet break.

I had an epiphany on the way home about the magic of 'not quite seeing everything' a place has to offer. The incredible pull of nostalgia that comes with suspecting you only got to uncover a glimpse of a town or location and if you were to return there would be hours of excitement just waiting to be unpacked. A one night stay really does contain a magnitude of hours to feel as if you have tasted the atmosphere without burning through the whimsical illusion.

As we entered our estate, it was as if the seasons had shifted while we were away. Trees hanging heavy with leaves barely visible when we left, an enormous expanse of land cleared ready for the next swathe of houses, and blossoms opening eagerly to the sunlight. Even stepping through the front door felt foreign, the black countertops and white cupboards momentarily disorienting us, as for a moment it felt as if we were arriving at our next stay, bringing chaos and life back into the structure as we entered. Even Eli remarked "We have black doors, Mum, I didn't know that!"

While the pull of adventure will never fully be stifled, it feels absolutely amazing to be home. Back to rhythms and routines that are familiar, drawers that hold exactly what I need, a toy room that holds hours of quiet play and entertainment and a garden that is bursting with promise. It's the little things, like being able to wash up with gloves again, cook with proper vegetables, and the magic of feeling overwhelmed with the incredible wealth we have- a house to inhabit, food to eat, and a family to share it all with.