My husband and I are about to be empty nesters. To reconnect, we took a trip together, but it was awkward at first.

The author (right) went on a trip with her husband ahead of becoming empty nesters.

Courtesy of Rebecca Hastings My husband and I will become empty nesters in the fall, and it will be a completely different life.

To prepare, we went on a five-day trip together — just the two of us.

There were some awkward moments, but we are now better prepared for our next phase.

It felt like the absolute worst time to take a trip.

Our son was home from college for the summer, our oldest daughter had just gotten married, and our youngest daughter had graduated from high school and was preparing to leave for college in late August.

Everything in me wanted to soak up every minute I could with my kids.

But a realization has been settling in: My kids are really leaving, and my husband and I will become empty nesters .

We need to make our lives a bit more about us again.

After more than 20 years of building our lives around our children, shifting our focus back to ourselves feels difficult.

The opportunity to travel came unexpectedly, and even after I made arrangements, I nearly talked myself out of it.

But I knew we had to take the trip.

For the first time in decades, I agreed to a trip that wasn't about our children We planned a trip to a wellness resort in the heart of the Berkshires .

We would be away for four nights/five days —longer than we'd ever been away without the kids.