Great Escape take 6: St. George

The fact that the 6th annual Kristen-Lindsey-Maren escape even happened at all is a miracle in and of itself. That it did happen just proves to me that it is meant to be...and will continue to be forever and always. 

With one third of the group in Iowa, one third in Utah and one third in California, there was no convenient meeting spot (again). Beginning in March, we tried to figure out when and where. There was talk of Chicago, until plane tickets and hotel prices decided to be out of this world. Then there was talk of New York City and staying at Kristen's parent's house, but schedules didn't work out for when Kristen would already be back east and plane tickets were still really pricey. Then there was talk of Southern California after Miss Kristen delivered baby #4, but there were too many unknowns and it was too far out to plan. Then I decided that I would be coming to Utah after all. And, miraculously, we all had one weekend - the SAME weekend - that just might, maybe, possibly work. And it did. 

The night after I arrived in Utah, I headed to Lindsey's house to spend the night. A BIG thanks to my mom and Richard for watching my littles!! I know that was no vacation on your end. 

Little did I know, it was National Running Day. So of course two old running partners had to take advantage. So nice to be out in the DRY Utah air on a run with one of my favorites. 

The next morning, we packed up Ed's car (thanks, Ed!) and dropped of Lindsey's kids and headed south. We performed a variety of songs at the top of our lungs, as usual. Our best vocals were probably Dixie Chicks. Apologies to anyone driving by as well as those at the gas station in Beaver. 

When we got to St. George, we started with food, followed by the pool, shopping and a DIY gel manicure at the hotel. 

The next day was more of the same. And it was perfect. Hot, but perfect. Food, pool, primping (love that I have a make up artist and a hair stylist at my disposal!), food, shopping, pedicure (the worst in the history of pedicures), food, and then a photo op at the temple. 

Kristen cleaned out her closet and Lindsey and I were the lucky recipients. Seriously lucky. 

The next day was more of the same. Obviously! We just do what works. Food, pool, primping, food (Swig cookies anyone!?)...then the obligatory picture by the car and goodbyes as we dropped Kristen off at the shuttle to the airport. 

It was quick, yes. But perfect. I really love that these two try just as hard as me to get together annually. And I love that we can just pick up right where we left off. When we started this it was a quick 24-hour trip to San Francisco while our husbands watched our then four combined children. We've been to SF, LA, Monterey, SLC, Vegas and now St. George and we now have 8 almost 9 children between us (I bring that average way down). We don't get to chat daily or watch each others' kids or make our cookies together monthly, but I know I can call or email or text and they are there to chat, I love seeing their kids in pictures and I still think of them every time I frost a sugar cookie. Every time. And I love that we can still be a part of each others' lives even if we live 1,800 miles apart. 

that time I drove to Utah by myself...

Okay, not really by myself. I took my girls with me...but I did all of the driving by myself. All 20 hours of it. 

Day 1: head out around noon after church and lunch. I figured the girls would sleep like they always do Sunday afternoons. 

I was wrong. 

Weather app said it would be clear. 

It was wrong. 

Thought it did make for an incredible view as we drove past the edge of the storm. It was literally like a wall of darkness passing overhead. 

But we made it. To the middle of Nebraska (also known as the middle of nowhere). Ryan rented us a hotel room after I told him about how far I would get and the girls settled down after a ride on the bag cart and a few wiggles and giggles. 

Day 2: After breakfast at the hotel (Leah ate enough for 3 people. Big people, not little or medium sized people.), we headed out for our shortest day of driving. 

Destination? Colorado and Leah's favorite Blythe! We loved our pit stop in the mountains. It was a little out of the way, but so worth it. We arrived early afternoon and took the girls to a park to run, run, run. 

Kate fell in love with Watson the dog...aka "Stinky Watson." 

Leah fell in love with Blythe's beau, Ross. 

It was so great to catch up!

Day 3: Our longest day. We ate a yummy breakfast with Blythe and headed out. This is what we looked like when we headed out. 

We stopped for lunch and two snacks and that is it. We could not have been happier to see THIS sign and then pull into my mom's driveway. 

Grandpa Richard welcomed the girls with open arms and I collapsed on the driveway. I have to laugh when I compare this pic with what we looked like 8 hours before. And all we did was sit in a car!?

Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I never got too tired, and if I thought I was headed that direction, a quick pit stop and run around in the grass always did the trick. The girls watched one movie each day and other than that, we listened to audio books and music. I listened to my own audio books when they were sleeping/watching movies. I looked back once and Kate had found Leah's hat in her backpack and was doing some sort of pretend play with pink bear. 

They were great. The drive was great once we got past Nebraska and had something to look at. The car worked great. And we made it alive. 

No complaints here! 

I might even try it again someday!

tekas

It's a sad, sad day when one of your closest friends moves hours and hours away. It's even sadder when her kids are some of your kids very best friends (and, sometimes, best frienemies). 

The Friday before we left for Utah, some of our very best Iowa friends were planning to move to Texas. They were on the way to the airport when plans changed and my friend had to head to the ER and ultimately had some unplanned surgery. 

We had already said our teary goodbyes and I hadn't planned on getting to see them again at all. And though the circumstances weren't ideal, I was lucky enough to be free and got to spend the entire day with her three darling kids. I adore them and so do my girls, so it was a pleasant surprise indeed. 

We miss them every day! Kate still thinks every time the doorbell rings, it's miss Layla. Then she usually pauses and says,  "No. Layla in Tekas." 

I'm already planning a mid-winter roadtrip to "Tekas" when Iowa seems unbearable. Get ready for us F family!

may in an instant

May started out with all four of us at HOME...and it's ending the very same way. 

It was nice to just kind of "be" after a few months of go go go. Don't get me wrong, we were still busy, but it was a great kind of busy. Busy celebrating anniversaries and little birthdays. Busy working and playing in the yard. Busy attending end-of-year celebrations. Busy barbequing. Busy running (but not for four hours at a time). And busy enjoying the (finally) incredible weather. 

That's my kind of busy. 

on giving myself some credit...and a break

I have a list a mile long of things-I-must-get-done. Some of these things are, actually, things I must get done. Some are...not. 

Catching up on my blog (um, Boston? Turkey!?) has been high on my list every single day and things always get in the way (the actual things-I-must-get-done). For a few weeks it was our internet connection. That is finally fixed (Mediacom is a bad word in our house). Now it is the gathering of pictures. I've half-written most of the posts, they just aren't ready to be published...and I feel like I need to give myself permission to cross it off my list for a bit. 

So...self, take a break. 

There. I did it. I gave myself permission. 

It feels really good. 

School's out for the year (yay and eeeeek!) and I've got some things on my plate for the next few weeks, so you won't see a lot of action over here for a bit (as if that's unusual as of late?). But I'll get it all recorded. I want to do it for myself, so it will get done. I just needed to not feel guilty about it.

So, with the publishing of this text, I no longer feel guilty. Ta-da!

I'll leave you hanging with a picture of Kate the Great posing (Seriously! She poses!) in front of Honest Abe's home in Springfield, IL. A picture we took on our 22-hour getaway for Memorial Day...which will also be posted when I return to the digital world.

Catch ya on the flip side. 

kindergarten (and its art) in the books

Well, it finally came. The much-anticipated final day of kindergarten EVER for this girl. We started quite the journey in August 2012 and then made a difficult decision last year to continue Leah's kindergarten journey for an additional year. I'm happy to say, at the end of that second year, it was the best decision for all involved. 

Leah has come such a long way and now I can say without hesitation that she is ready for 1st grade. 

We've been blessed with amazing teams in New Hampshire and Iowa. Sometimes when I think about how many people are on our side, pushing Leah to succeed and believing in her efforts and potential, I almost can't breathe. I often read about the fights that friends have to have to get extra services for their children and it makes me so sad because that hasn't been our path at all. 

We sent her off with an inadequate gift for each of the members of her personal team + our fabulous bus driver. And we also sent her off in her pajamas as they were having pajama day. I felt a tiny bit guilty as school doesn't officially end until next Tuesday (because of additional snow/cold days that were added on, blech), but we leave this weekend for Utah. 

As I was sifting through the drawer full of artwork that came home in her backpack this year, my eyes filled with tears. I am embarrassed to admit it, but there was a time not so long ago that I hated the artwork she brought home. I'd open up her backpack and sort through the piles of construction and printer paper each day and think, "None of this is yours. This is the work of someone else. I wish, just once, I could see an original work of art from LEAH."

I never said my thoughts out loud and I truly hope Leah never picked up on those feelings. Because eventually I grew some brains. 

I slowly started to realize that yes, these pieces of art were partially the work of an adult. Obviously. But how grateful am I for those adults! How grateful am I that she has someone to walk by her side each day. To ask her what color she'd like to use, what shape she'd like to add, what number comes next. To look into her beautiful blues and try to put on paper the thoughts that are in her head. 

We don't keep all the art at our house. For that to be possible, we'd have to build an addition onto our house. But, we keep our favorites and take pictures of every piece. And oh how grateful I am for each and every piece. 

Flashbacks to Leah's first days of Kindergarten take 1 and Kindergarten take 2. 

backyard

When we moved into our house last summer, we were thrilled to have a backyard all to ourselves. Ryan and I have never lived in a house before, let alone one with real estate that is meant for just us. The flower beds were renter-proofed (filled with rocks) and the lawn had seen better days. The first day we went outside to relax in it, we rested in weeds, bugs and rough, pokey grass. 

The yard was a lot of work throughout the fall and winter what with our three large maple trees (and their leaves and roots), but the big hill in back proved to be perfect for sledding (those four days that there was sufficient snow and the temperatures weren't frost-bite worthy).

As spring arrived and the sun showed its face, we decided we really wanted to enjoy the yard this summer. So, we invested in some lawn care for the bugs, weeds and overall roughness (and it's working!). Ryan enjoys his weekly workout pushing the lawnmower up the uphills and trying to keep up with it on the downs (still wearing those incredible shoes!). 

We purchased a box from Target and turned it from this:

to this:

Then another box and turned it from this:

to this:

Then we dusted off the special needs swing seat we purchased on Amazon a few years ago (knowing we couldn't pass up the price and that we would have a swing set one day!). You should have heard the giggles.

Swinging sisters are the best. 

We removed the infested grill that previously protruded from the middle of the deck (and had since probably 1970), added a rug so we wouldn't contract any diseases from the splinters that would have inevitably lodged themselves in the bottoms of our feet, and were gifted some chairs, where Kate happily tested her first Popsicle (a bold move by mom as Kate was wearing white pants...but she did surprisingly well!). 

I think project enjoy-your-backyard is off to a good start.