Sleeping in Seattle

Once upon a time in the dark, cold days of winter, Robby asked Lauren if she would be alright with his company sending him to Seattle for a week.  She replied, "Absolutely, as long as I can tag along." He laughed & wondered if she was serious but, deep inside he knew that she was. Within minutes, she scrambled to find her phone to request the nanny service of two wonderful grandparents. They boarded a plane one Friday morning in April & lived happily ever after. 

I struggle with watching movies or rather, new movies. It seems like two hours, or heaven forbid more than two hours, is a long time to commit to something I won't like. My solution is to re-watch the same movies over and over that way, I am never disappointed & I don't have to pay full attention. This is just about the exact opposite of my husband & has brought a lot of teasing & laughs over the years. Due to my preference of watching movies made only before the start of the 21st century AND being trapped in a specific genre, I have apparently missed out on almost all the good ones. A few nights ago, I found a couple seasons of Supermarket Sweep on Amazon. Perfect example of entrapment. Just a taste of my movie tastes...including but not limited to- Father of the Bride, Yours, Mine & Ours, Sound of Music, The Music Man, Three Men & a Baby, BIG, The Parent Trap, What About Bob & a smattering of Romantic Comedies of the 90s. We were flipping through Netflix the other night & he started laughing & said "look, that's your favorite category! It says watch it again!" He is SO right! Recently, I discovered that he had never seen Sleepless in Seattle. I know, it's hard to fathom for some but, it's true.  I had seen a movie that he had not!  It was easier to rent this time around thanks to Amazon. I am pretty sure that the last time I rented this movie would have been at Blockbuster on VHS! All that to say, we enjoyed it! 

The title of that movie is that exact opposite of our experience. There was no sleepLESSness, only sleeping...for EIGHT nights! We have been parents for a mere nine years & have had spurts of excellent sleep here & there but there is always the chance of being woken up. Multiply that chance by five children and observe that deep sleep is often hard to come by here at the Nest! 

My parents jumped at the opportunity to care for our crew & even provided shuttle service to & from the airport! We hopped on the plane on April 13th which was the 15 year mark from when I said yes to the "Be Mine" note he handed me in 2003. I asked Rob if it was okay if I rode in complete silence. He did not object....I think we both value solitude more than we used to ; ) Once we grabbed our bags upon arrival, we accessed that handy Uber app for the first time & were on our way in no time at all. Who knew it could be so easy or that "Uber/Ubered" would be used as a verb someday? And boy were those Uber drivers interesting!

Hotel check-in followed by an early dinner, leisurely stroll around the mall (sans stroller) & semi-early bedtime with the time change. We were settling into our new lifestyle well ; ) 

We spent Saturday and Sunday in the city exploring a place neither of us had ever been. It was SO wonderful! The hot apple cider in my freezing cold hand kept me moving at a brisk pace through the markets. 

My friend Amanda grew up in Washington state, went to college in Seattle & had recommendations for our visit. One was to swing by this delicious stop... there should be a picture of powdered sugar all over our faces!

While standing in line, we watched people walk quickly past, abruptly stop to look around then, step into line with the rest of us smart, hungry folk. It made us laugh. FOMO at its finest. 

Merriam-Webster's definition of FOMO

informal : fear of missing out : fear of not being included in something (such as an interesting or enjoyable activity) that others are experiencing

• Probably nursing a massive case of FOMO. That's what they're calling it these days: FOMO—Fear of Missing Out. Kids use the term to express concern about missing parties featuring phosphorescent pacifiers and music that can be heard all the way from Neptune.
• —Martha Beck,  O: The Oprah Magazine,  June 2013 

Hmmmm, maybe not the phosphorescent pacifiers &  music heard from Neptune example....what the heck? Truth be told, those who wandered past unaware were truly missing out. While wishing we bought a double daily dozen, we scarfed down our daily dozen rather quickly then moved along. 

We saw the Fishmongers, crafts galore & beautiful flower after beautiful flower. 

We entered the daily drizzles & wandered through the streets near the harbor. We stopped by the gum wall & all we could think of was Elf eating gum of the handrails in NYC. Gross! I am glad our 2 & 5 year olds weren't there or they might have done the same thing.  We enjoyed warm bowls of clam chowder & lobster bisque soup for lunch before a bit more shopping then a quick Uber ride back "home."

On Sunday, we went to a suburb north of the city for a breakfast at a hole in the wall place then dawdled around some markets & a walking trail.  After some delicious macaroons, we went into Seattle to The Museum of Pop Culture. It was nearly empty...we love exploring museums like that! The guitar tower was pretty cool & the Space Needle just around the corner was too!

I may not appear sickly looking but, I had a cold the ENTIRE time we were there. I thought it was allergies so I tried a couple allergy medicines that didn't work then, I moved along to all sorts of other cold medications, like 50+ dollars worth  & really didn't get much relief. What a waste! While it was a bummer to not feel well, I was able to rest SO much more than I do at home! 

Ignoring the sickness, I did venture out a bit while Robby was working. He was gone from 7-5:30 everyday. I woke up around 8, read, showered then headed to breakfast alone. I never thought I would like to eat alone but my, my, my, it was delightful. I ate about four times as much as I normally would (or should,)  eggs over easy, buttermilk waffles, omelets, hash browns, French toast, yogurt parfaits & on the list goes.  On an overly full tummy, I wandered around the mall that our hotel was connected to, grabbed an afternoon coffee & a snack then, relaxed with a book or snoozed until Robby got back. 

Having lots of hours alone was fantastic support for a new endeavor I have yet to mention on social media.  Backtracking to 2006 until we moved to Orlando, I volunteered as an RN at Dallas Pregnancy Resource Center performing limited ultrasound & met with lots of clients. Once I "retired" from being a Labor & Delivery RN in 2015, I volunteered again until Arlo was born. Many who know me well, know that I truly loved my job & while I was overjoyed to be home full time with our quickly growing family, I missed the role I played in walking alongside women & families during such a life changing time.

Last December, I ran into one of the staff nurses I knew from way back when. She is seriously one of my favorite people : ) She was surprised to see me & said "I can't believe you are here! Your name has come to mind so many times in the past month!" Over the course of our catching up she asked if I would consider coming back as part of the education team. The timing was (as always) a reminder of God's faithfulness in knowing my heart better than I do. Just the week prior in the middle of dinner, Eloise looked up mid-bite & said "Mom, do you ever miss being a nurse? I mean, I know you like to take care of us but, will you ever go back to work?" It was a dagger to the heart as I was still reconciling my early retirement (RN) with my dream job (Momma to five).  I reassured them that I was overjoyed to spend my days & nights doing what I know God has called our family to do at this time but deep inside, I think I was still a little sad. All that to say, just days later there was an opportunity to be the most part time RN ever : )

Dallas Pregnancy Resource Center is now called Thrive Women's Clinic & its mission statement is to extend Christ-like love in a compassionate and responsive manner that values the family and empowers women and their partners to choose life.  I love everything about this ministry & am excited about a growing role Thrive is playing in the surrounding communities. Since 2014, Thrive RNs have been invited into area schools, public & private to teach in Jr. High & Highschool classrooms about Fetal Development & STDs. From January-May of this year alone, over 1,300 students have heard our presentations. We are ringing in the new school year with a new name-  OhKnow - Know health. Know sex. Know you. We offer these classes at no cost to districts/schools & the content meets Texas requirements for Sexual Health & Fetal Development.  I said yes to the offer & got on board in February, committing to teach Fetal Development 2-3 times a month. 

The first step was to experience the presentation as if I were a student. I was in tears, overwhelmed with the details of God's design of a baby in the womb. I've been pregnant (multiple times) & seen somewhere in the vicinity of 1,500 babies enter the world & STILL, overwhelmed. These kids see fascinating pictures of early development, life size fetal models from 7wks + & even clips of ultrasounds, 2D, 3D & 4D. I didn't see some of those things until I was pregnant with my own child! While in the public school setting, we cannot mention that God fashions each & every human in their mother's womb. In this presentation, I believe it is undeniable. I am elated to be a part of this team & pray that God does mighty things in the hearts of the students & teachers that hear our presentations. 

Goodness, this is turning into such a long post. I'm just glad my brain is working & recalling information so, I will continue, ha! I was able to spend time while in that lonely old hotel room to work on my presentation. There was a lot of reading & scribbling notes & talking to the wall for hours ; ) Due to the fact that I was frequently talking to a wall AND that I happened to be in the room everyday at the time housekeeping came, we were fearful that they might send law enforcement to see if I was being held hostage.  We made it out of the city without any encounters. I am sure the women who were tasked with making the room tidy thought I was a weirdo for keeping my bed made & things all in order anyway. I cannot sit in a messy room!

I left the room on an important mission to buy some new makeup, something I haven't done in 3 years, yikes! I plopped down in a seat at Bare Essentials & a beautiful, young lady with more energy than I have had in years welcomed me.  She asked how she could help & I felt like I was suddenly the person I never thought I would be. Our conversation was somewhere along the lines of me having no idea what I even wanted, her having all sorts of suggestions, me saying "please just choose for me," her laughing when I said I had five young children then, me laughing harder (inside) when she went along to say the following as she tucked all my new goodies into a bag. "This will be the perfect combination for your everyday look! At most it will only take 30 minutes to apply, 20 if you want to be super speedy." I just kept my mouth closed as I thought about my minute & a half application of make up for my "everyday mama of five" look. No wonder my make up lasts three years, haha!  I have been happy with my purchase of her choosing & shall return for another "help me, I'm lost" session in 2021.

Earlier, I mentioned my friend Amanda & her excellent recommendation for a morning sugar blast at the Daily Dozen Donut shop. She is my Seattle connection : ) We were brand new RNs together at Parkland then worked together again at Winnie Palmer. Here we are in 2010 where I got to be her Matron of Honor.

Amanda's dad, Joe Fugere, opened a restaurant in 2004 called Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria. Iwas was Seattle's first certified Neapolitan Pizzeria. I had only heard about its deliciousness until we found out that we were just a few miles away from one of their now five locations. In no time at all, Amanda had arranged for us to meet Joe for dinner, and a grand tour of the restaurant. Amanda's mom even surprised us with a visit...I just love her. The tour blew us away! From the tiny details of the restaurant's ties to Italy, to the way he cares for his employees, to the stories he shared, we were just floored. Fun tid bit, they served President Obama, his staff & flight crew by transporting a 4,000 pound wood fired pizza oven to the tarmac near Air Force One. Pretty cool if you ask me! Here we are before feasting....

We did a lot of eating. So much eating that we were tired of eating out by the end. I was not missing cooking but would have enjoyed a home cooked meal by someone else! Our last lunch alone was at the airport in Denver. We happened upon the same restaurant we ate at on December 19, 2004 when we were on our honeymoon! We enjoyed delicious cups of French Onion Soup which is what we had nearly 14 years ago.

That's Mt. Rainier over there. This picture was taken from the plane but after a cloudy week in our hotel room, on the last day, we opened up the curtain & were shocked to see that beautiful mountain from our window!  It stands at 14,411 feet tall. Since our trip to Seattle, our family spent a week in Lake City, Colorado where Robby, my brothers & I climbed a peak just 100 feet less than this one....that is insane. I think this peak might have been colder & as a volcano, potentially more dangerous even though it hasn't erupted since 1894 ; )

It was horribly sad to get updates each evening about how little fun our children were having ; ) Gaga & Paw Paw certainly had their work cut out for them but they never for a second led me to believe that it was too much when we talked each day. The kids were loved on hour after hour & enjoyed NOT having boring old mom there. Lots of reading, a trip to the zoo where they met Grammy, bike & scooter riding at request, visits to GGran's house, a pretzel stand in the backyard, movies & treats...all those things that they love. 

We missed them SO much & could hardly wait to get home. They stayed up way too late to greet us but we enjoyed the signs, squeals & snuggles we received upon arrival. We could not be more grateful for my parents jumping in to let us get away for a week! We had never left them for more than four nights in a row so eight, that was a huge jump. I began this post with saying "they boarded a plane & lived happily ever after." The happily ever after is not being away, it's being home, and it's not always happy but, it's where we are & we love it. 

Celebrating the Valentine Girls

All the birthday bashes were a success from May to July leaving us with a 7, 9 & 35 year old (that's me.) Sadly, I was the only one who didn't get rollerblades ; ) Both girls were filled with the greatest amount of excitement you can feel on your birthday when they opened packages to find new sets of wheels! We figured that these desired sets of wheels were much less expensive than those they will desire in approximately 8 years yet, I am not sure if they are safer, ha! They are professionals now & we may sign them up for a roller derby team.

Since this post is a three birthdays in a row post, there are all kids of pictures!  

I am always such an emotional mess on birthday eve & this year was no different. I replay all the events of labor & those first moments of laying eyes on a precious newborn. That precious newborn has grown into a delightful 7 year old!

GGran stopped by with cookies & Eloise showed off her new skills. Our floors are just like a rink (or bowling alley) so she did about 200 loops throughout the birth-day before she was allowed to go outside! GGran was impressed & so were the little brothers!

In April, we went out to Forney to visit my Aunt Sandy & Uncle Darrell. He had just smoked a brisket & we enjoyed some tasty nibbles. On the way home Eloise told me that all she wanted for her birthday was for Uncle Darrell to smoke a brisket just for her. She shared that idea with her dad, who has smoked many a delicious piece of meat, and he responded with, "Honey, I can cook you a brisket!" She sweetly stated, "Daddy, how about Uncle Darrell makes the brisket & you can make dessert." Oh my, I had tears rolling down my face I was laughing SO hard! What do you know, a month later, Aunt Sandy was asking when they could deliver Eloise's birthday gift. It was massive & it's deliciousness is unable to describe in words. I think we may let him know that Arlo would like that for his birthday in October. 

Uncle Darrell is not the only stand out guy during birthday week....

Instead of cake, we finished off the night with s'mores. Our plan was to have a fire in the firepit in the backyard but due to the 100+ temperature outside, Rob got creative & used a blow torch, hahaha.

We headed out to the backyard to pretend like we were around a fire. It felt like we were in one even though we could not see any flames ; ) They were just as tasty & WAY less work! No complaints from the celebrators!

My birthday was just before Lolo's & I was spoiled with my favorite rainbow chip icing, generously covering a cake. I also received another container of icing as a gift. Grammy knows me so well.

I mentioned that I was the only birthday girl that did not receive rollerblades. The girls want me to have a pair, goodness gracious that would be a horrible decision, haha! The last time I was on skates, I was around 13 & decided to disobey my parents when they told me to stay inside. I put those skates on, rolled quickly down the driveway into the cul-de-sac, immediately crashed, splitting my chin open & busting some teeth on the concrete. I skated straight back up & took a trip to the ER with my dad. It was one of those very simple examples of the common phrase used around here at the Nest. Disobedience brings pain & hurt. My parents would never say this but I imagine they were thinking "seriously Lauren, you are an idiot to do this right before vacation" and/or "what a great thing to spend our money on!" I'm just thinking as a parent now ; ) 

Rabbit trail- instead of going on vacation, I got stitches, some dental work & checked into recovery at my grandparents house while the rest of my family left for the planned trip. You would imagine that it was a sad outcome of a bad decision for me but, we have laughed about a family vacation home video shot while I reclined with two loving grandparents waiting on me hand & foot. The four vacationers were sweating as they dug for diamonds that they never found. I am sure they had some fun too but, it has always made me laugh. 

The conclusion of birthday week, at my request, was a family hike. They gifted me with a minimal amount of whining. That's hard to come by in this family. We enjoyed some Bahama Bucks shaved ice, Strawberry Cheesecake & Blue Bubblegum for me.  Here's my buddy riding "up-top" as he says. 

July 13th was there before we knew it & we had a little lady turning 9!  There were smiles all around before breakfast & gift opening. They always smile when sausage balls are in the oven!

The bubbies gave Char 3 new colorful skeins of yarn. Due to Anson's inability to keep a secret, Eloise & I shopped the night before & told him what the gift was that he was giving the birthday girl, just seconds before she opened the bag. It is RIDICULOUS! She was so excited & gave a huge bear hug to all three at the same time. Eloise was rejoicing that Charlotte was the proud new owner of rollerblades so she would have a skating buddy.

Owen & Anson have really taken off in the drawing & writing department. Anson wrote this for the birthday girl. There is a layer cake on the left & a picture of Charlotte with beautiful hair on the right.

Daddy surprised her with flowers after she spent the day skating around our indoor rink. 

Even greater than rollerblades, her number one birthday request was a fancy dinner cooked by none other than Daddy the Chef.  Osso Bucco & beef ribs hit the spot for all of us. I got the boys tucked in for the night & we had a "grown-up" dinner with the girls. It was pretty special. Robby cooked the same meal for me on Mother's Day & we joked about how we would go broke if he cooked that for every special occasion! 

As far as gifts go, it was a crafty birthday indeed. She was stocked up things to organize all her supplies, a couple gift cards to fabric/craft stores & various other things to accompany her new sewing machine! Bow Wow Meow Meow Bandanas is still in business & now a bit more self sustaining with her own bandana maker! For a couple weeks, we would barely see her. It was like a mad scientist had taken over the guest room with stuff everywhere! She has multiple projects going as I write this: a quilt, a bag, Christmas plaid doggie bandanas, crayon holders, baby blankets & knitted caps.  My mom & I are loving seeing her grow in this area & she is actually pretty good!

The day after her birthday, family came over for lunch & ice cream sandwiches.  

Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle chose a perfect uncle card. It is a chimp picking his nose to music. It made everyone laugh!

Arlo was quite entertained as were the rest of us!

There were shoulder rides on the tallest of the tall...

The conclusion of birthday week was celebrating with some of her & Eloise's friends. They came over for pizza & to watch Dolphin Tale 2. Robby had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant & saw this massive pizza. He thought it would be perfect for the girlie party & boy was he right! 

It did not disappoint!

We are not sure how that little darlin' pictured above is just around the corner from turning three but it true.  Hope he will settle for a pizza instead of Osso Bucco! The other option is to call Uncle Darrell. Phew! Birthdays are a blast & while we enjoy them to the fullest, we are always okay for birthday week to come to an end : ) 

Mutton Bustin', Llamas & Ice Cream- Rodeo 2018

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo brings a stench of livestock to my nose, aching to my feet but a smile to my face. My parents treated the kids & I to a day enjoying all things Texan. The favorite moment by a LONG shot was Eloise riding a sheep. Mutton Bustin' is a favorite event to watch for many. It is quite simple, you place a child (ages 5-6)  in protective gear, put them on a sheep, tell them to hold on to that wooly coat for dear life, then let the sheep out of the gate. Eloise was begging to sign up & I was reluctant while being out of town away from Robby. He gave the go ahead yet I still felt nervous that if she fell & broke her arm it would be my fault. I had to just get over it. Here we are just before getting in line.

Apparently you have to show up way early. I thought we were early but we didn't make it into the first slot so we waited around for this girl to have the ride of her life. Eloise is a thrill seeker so this was right up her alley! In no time at all, she was waiting to be suited up. No butterflies in her tummy yet my heart was racing! I just kept smiling for her sake.

#8 was pretty darn adorable. 

Her number one supporters had a great view & were ready to cheer her on when she was announced. We were already in stitches as they announced each sheep coming out of the gate. The names were hilarious. All were pronounced with the appropriately placed "baa" sound whether in the actual "baa" or in the word "lamb." Our favorites were- Lamb-orghini, Lamb-a-saurus rex, Lamb-chop, the serious sheep- Bob (baaaaab) from accounting, Mutton-but Trouble...many others made us chuckle. Eloise rode the best named sheep, none other than "Lady Baa Baa!" I almost lost it.

The announcer said the name of the sheep & asked "Who's my rider?" The rest that followed, in a cheerleader type voice, "This is Eloise, from Dallas! She likes corn dogs, Mutton Bustin' of course & wants to be a nurse when she grows up, Go Eloise!" WAY cheerleader. For months, Charlotte quoted this perfectly, words, inflection, everything. One day I heard the announcement coming from my room. I walked in to find her under my bed, announcing her sister in the shoot. Oh my, that was GREAT & I will save the video forever.

 Enough about the announcing & onto the rider!

Lolo tied for 3rd place out of over 20 kids with a score of 96 out of 100. She rocked it & we were screaming so loud! I couldn't help it! She had much to be proud of & that little dimpled grin, oh my. Like I said, HIGHLIGHT of the day. From that point forward, Arlo told anyone that asked about the rodeo, "Lolo ride sheep....real fast!" We watched the video at least once per hour for days, maybe not but it sure felt like that! He also called any sheep in a book or in person "Lady Baa Baa." 

While Arlo really liked "Lady Baa Baa," he was so excited about the llama at the Petting Zoo. We have read every Llama Llama book published SO many times. Seeing one in real life was a treat! He was enjoying that strange looking creature until he stood up. I will say that the one in the book is a bit cuter!

One of the goats really like Charlotte!

Our boys sure do enjoy ice cream, I am not sure which one of us they inherited it from. Maybe both? ; ) They rode a few carnival rides but were really just interested when it was going to be treat time. Totally get it. The pure delight was all over their faces, especially Anson's.

We had some tickets to blow due to some miscalculation in how much they were worth. Better to have more than enough! They all had their first experience with carnival games. I think many of us only need one of those to know they are rigged & not worth it. They, of course, were lured in with those giant stuffed animals displayed only to get a 8 inch long stuffed pill that said "chill pill." Really, who wants that? The younger siblings did better & some siblings were very frustrated & shared their feelings about how stupid the games are. I gave the child pictured below a big hug & let her know I shared her sentiment. She was cute though throwing those hacky sacks. Not sure when they got rid of the darts but talk about rigged! Throw a ball at something that looks like a ball?? Everyone's legs were tired so Eloise tried to hitch a ride on Arlo's lap.

Owen got the best seat since he is as light as a feather! Gaga & Paw Paw were the best sports through our 8 hour adventure. It was wonderful & most all of them were zonked asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot!

Just a couple days later, Paw Paw & Gaga took over full time car of my crew & sent us back to the Rodeo! An adult only trip included a leisurely walk, snacks without sharing (with children) & a few hours of watching the main Rodeo events. We were there for the closing weekend & watched the semi-finals for bull riding, bareback, barrel racing, steer wrestling & calf roping. It was lengthy & enjoyable then they immediately announced that the final competition was starting immediately after the semi-finals. Talk about long, ha! We loved catching up though & as usual, I enjoyed their comedic commentary. The only missing thing was Robby! Next year is the year!

Once the finals were over, Brad Paisley took the stage. I had flashbacks of Reba McIntire, Wynona Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson & Faith Hill. I love the Rodeo & I love these guys. There is a series of awkward group selfies & this was the winner of least awkward.

We, who are not really into the country music scene at the current time, vowed to stay for three songs then headed out to dinner. What a lovely evening!

The Valentine brood will definitely return for next year! Robby & I were laughing when looking at the qualifications to ride Lady Baa Baa or one of her friends. You have to be 5 or 6 & the low weight requirement makes us think that Owen would age out before he could ride. He's always been a skinny guy! There were some skinny cowboys though!