Time Away = Time to Play!

Our only travel plans for the year were for the 16 day adventure from here to Michigan.  In June, Robby surprised me when he asked if I had any interest in spending a weekend away together in Minneapolis to attend the Desiring God National Conference. He was pretty sure he knew what my answer would be & he was right! It took about 15 minutes to confirm that my mom would be willing to come stay with the little ladies for 4 days & with that, we were off & running to make our travel arrangements! 

It turned out that my mom thought it would be fun to bring my Grandma along.  The girls refer to her as "G.Gran" for Great Gran : ) It's catchy, cute & she now has a shirt that says it right across the front!  We only get to visit with her a couple times a year & as much as we wish it were more often, we can be guaranteed that we will have a blast with her each time. She called me a week in advance & asked if I thought Charlotte might like to have an easel.  Once again, a question most know the answer to ; ) She had it shipped to my house & then they put it together during nap time the first afternoon. We did a little shopping to pick up paper, paints, paintbrushes, chalk & various other items we found at the craft store that we felt like we couldn't live without. That is a dangerous place for me....and those related to me. 

Charlotte was SO excited to see her very own easel (that she can share with her sissy) when she awoke from her nap. She & G.Gran got right to work writing her name & drawing a piggy on the chalkboard before we headed outside to break in the paints.

My mom had made a couple smocks that sure came in handy with all the paint! She got Char all ready to create her masterpiece.....

G.Gran & Char 

Elo watching & wishing

She couldn't resist! G.Gran got her all cleaned up

Quick snack break

After an afternoon of painting followed by some dinner & a quick trip to the store for Rob to get a couple pairs of jeans we got to packing. As I mentioned in the previous post, I was SO thankful for my mom & grandma arriving when they did just hours after my ultrasound.  I was a bit emotional those 48 hours & was glad to have those two women in my home to care for our family.  

We slept well that night & had a relaxing morning thanks to the busy evening the night before. I had said that I would be happy to eat a PB&J before going to the airport but once lunchtime rolled around all I could think about was a roast beef sandwich.  We loaded up our bags in the car & were planning for the girls to stay with G.Gran while my mom dropped us at the airport but Charlotte had a meltdown at the front door. I said, "do you want to go with us to the airport?" She excitedly said "Yes!" Once we were in the car I realized that she thought she was going with us....so sad : ( We had to explain that she was dropping us off...even sadder. We stopped by Publix to grab a couple sub sandwiches & then arrived at the airport. I tried to not make a big deal about leaving Char but I was sad & so was she. We hugged & kissed & hugged & kissed again before I closed the door & waved goodbye. It was like she was on mute as I could see her scream-crying as they drove away. A text message from Gaga said it only lasted for less than a minute : ) 

I couldn't believe how easy it was to go through security with another adult as my norm in the last few years has included strollers, baby holders, sippy cups & toddlers! It was quick & painless! We were sitting eating our sandwiches 15 minutes later. I think the only thing we said during lunch was "it is so nice to eat in peace & quiet." Oh wait, there were some comments by me on how delicious my roast beef was.  Little did we know that I was 2 days into my new craving of red meat. 

Our flight there was wonderful, we hopped on the Light Rail & got off in Downtown Minneapolis, one of our very favorite cities. We checked into the hotel & met up with Ben & Angela, our friends from Texas.  First stop was Brit's Pub just down the street from our hotel.  We enjoyed some Shepherd's Pie outside in the cooler (than FL) weather & got to catch up with each other.  

We counted back over the past 7 years & realized that between the two of us this was trip #6 to the Desiring God National Conference.  Rob went a couple times by himself & then we went twice prior to kids, once with Char in tow & this time, all by our lonesome selves.  The themes have changed year to year as have the people we spend the weekend with, the lodging & our energy levels. The things that haven't changed are as follows: Brit's Pub, spending money in the conference bookstore, hot drinks from Starbucks or Caribou, brisk fall weather, laughing, learning, being challenged & encouraged & talking about how we should never skip a year. 

Here we are downtown.... 

I have to include a couple of our favorite stories from our trips to Minneapolis since I didn't blog back then.

• One year we arrived before my brothers did. We had booked one hotel room for all 4 of us crash in. We were out exploring downtown & stopped by Walgreens for some snacks. Since it was nearing Halloween, they had lots of decor out including severed legs.  As Rob said to the lady at the checkout, he had never seen such a great deal on a severed leg.  She stared him straight in the face & never even smirked.  HAHA! Anyway, we carried back to our hotel & put it behind the pillow on one of the beds. Once Scott & Kyle arrived they were goofing off wrestling on the bed when the severed leg caught their eye. It was quite the surprise! We had some good laughs over the weekend like when we had closed the roll away bed with the leg sticking out the top before we ordered room service or when we made plans to travel home with the severed leg in our carry on luggage. It has surprised a lot of people in the past 4 years....and to think, it cost less than $5!
• The same year as the severed leg, we were all in bed for the night.  Rob & I were in one bed, Scott was in the other & Kyle was in a roll away that was blocking the exit from between the beds.  The boys were all awake & I was asleep. There was quite a bit of commotion in the hallway & according to my roommates I jumped out of my bed, ran towards Kyle's & then leaped completely over him. I ran straight for the door & burst out into the hallway.  I stopped & stared at the group of people for what seemed like an uncomfortably long time as Kyle was yelling at me "Lauren! Get back in here!! Lauren!!" I finally followed his orders running back into the room, leaping back over Kyle & then laying down in my bed.  I woke up to the three of them & their uncontrollable laughter. We could hear the people out in the hallway laughing & talking about me saying "I think her name was Lauren." I have never lived this one down (or any of the other stories from my college days/early marriage). At least I am a fun roommate right?
• On our trip in 2010, we got to tell our friends Eric & Gretchen & my brothers that Charlotte was going to be a big sister.  I had just had a positive pregnancy test a couple days before & was SO excited!
• There are so many more but I will focus on the present trip : ) 

Our time in the sessions was challenging & encouraging. We shared meals with various friends from Texas, Florida & Minnesota.  We walked, rested & walked some more. I even took a nap on Saturday afternoon. I was a bit nauseated in the evenings but survived with some small doses of Zofran.  I ate at least 2 servings of red meat every day including Shepherds Pie, Pot Roast (3 times) & roast beef sandwiches. I was wondering if I was iron deficient & just didn't know it ; ) I was sooooo looking forward to sleeping without interruption. The first night, I fell asleep quickly but swore I heard my kids crying all night long & to top it off, I had a dream that I was camping with Charlotte & I had to keep taking her to the potty.  I woke up thinking...seriously? I don't feel like I was in a hotel at all! Haha! The next two nights were not lacking in great hours of interrupted sleep!

We loved hanging out with Ben & Angela.  Rob & Ben worked together for a few years via computer since Ben didn't start with the company until after we moved to Florida.  This lovely couple has five children starting with twins that are 7 followed by a 5, 3 & 1 year old.  Angela worked as an RN in mother-baby & now works as a Nurse Manager at a pregnancy resource center outside of Dallas.  We have lots in common with them and are thankful to have a couple willing to advise us on caring for a brood of kiddos including twins.

Sunday after the final session our friends Eric & Gretchen along with their kids Titus & Mackenzie picked us up. We grabbed some sandwiches (roast beef of course) & headed over to a nearby lake for a couple hours of relaxing & catching up while the kids played.  The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been to have Charlotte & Eloise there to play with their Minnesotan buddies....maybe next time!

After our visit with the Ulferts family, we were dropped off downtown & met back up with Ben & Angela. We had a few hours to kill before we boarded the Light Rail to go back to the airport. It was all over so quickly but was such a wonderful time away. I am so thankful that Rob thought to plan this weekend! It was prior to me getting pregnant & looking ahead now knowing we will have 4 very young children, I am SO glad we got away while we could.

We returned to a quiet home with everyone asleep so we hurried up & got in bed ourselves knowing our little friends would be excited to see us bright & early! We were right! At 6am we had bright eyes & smiles as we pulled our snuggle bugs into our bed.  Charlotte had left us some beautiful welcome home signs on our pillows that she was very proud of. It was such a relief to know that the girls were well loved & cared for while we were away. They were in the hands of two very capable women!

We had one more day all together before Gaga & G.Gran headed back to Texas. We did some relaxing, walking, scooter riding & laundry : ) They even let me take a nap while they swept & mopped the kitchen floor. What wonderful guests! I will close with some pictures of these lovely ladies with Charlotte & Eloise.