Weekend Getaway...What Every Mom Needs!

This past weekend I flew out to Cleveland to be 1/2 of a surprize for my friend's bridal shower. I had been tossing the idea around for too long as to whether or not I was going to splurge and go after buying the house and plane tickets/hotel room for the wedding. With a little nudge from a fellow friend and bridesmaid, I decided I had better go. I mean afterall if the tables were turned I would have been a little bummed if 2 of my 4 bridesmaids couldn't have made it. Carol, another bridesmaid, who lives in North Carolina also decided to finally come and she made up the other 1/2 of the surprize. So my adventure began really Thursday night with the dropping of the "goods" (i.e. Morgan) off to my parents. We usually always meet 1/2 way to make the exchange and normally 1/2 way would be an hour and half at most, but this trip took 2 hours! Needless to say we got exchanged and back home in time for Kyle not to have missed too much of the cubs game (in which they would finally blow all 3!).

After a hectic morning of getting laundry finished so I would have enough clothes to wear (and a couple options) and finally packing everything, I was off to the airport to catch my flight. I had two bags.....why two? One of the bags had my aerobed, sheets, and a pillow b/c I knew there would be 5 girls and two beds - I wanted to make sure I had a comfy one in my condition! The flight was uneventful and honestly, I forgot how fast it is to get there. Once I got there, I met up with one of my girlfriends who had also flown in from being gone all week and we headed home. It was a nice time of catching up, and laughter that was much overdue for me! And that night I went to bed (not really sleeping) thanking the Lord for his love and such a nice time.

Saturday we got up and hung out for a while before finally getting ready and making arrangements for how we were going to meet Gina for lunch and surprize her. It wasn't easy and without drama and a mild heartattack for Tanya, who had worked so hard to pull it off. So Tanya, Jen and I met Carol at a gas station close to the restaurant we were going to eat at. I hopped out of the car and got in with Carol in her car and waited for the okay to come to the restaurant. We were as giddy as could be. Once we got to the restaurant we scoped out where the girls were and planned our entrance. Then finally we stood up and casually walked down the aisle towards their table, eyes fixed on Gina! Her face and expression was worth a million words! She was in such shock and disbelief all the drama and planning had paid off.

We had a great time eatting and then we went to the spa for our little girls time before the wedding day and then to Gina's house to enjoy our most favorite thing to do....girls night in! We had a blast and were up until I believe nearly 1 am! We had so much fun. We all got great places to sleep and I thought I was going to be just great, until 3 am when I realized I was on the floor instead of a pillow of air! There must have been a small hole in my bed. I ended up pumping that darn thing up 2 more times that night and of course heard about it the next morning!

Gina's shower was great and I couldn't imagine being surrounded by a better group of friends and family than hers! She and Brent got so many wonderful things - they really made out well! It was such a good time and an even more relaxing evening.

The next morning Gina and her mom and I went out for breakfast before seeing me off to my plane. It was wonderful. God was so faithful to calm my nerves about leaving Morgan and being with the girls and being able to enjoy the time. My flight home though was a little rough, but thankfully God had found me a seat next to another believer. She and I got to talking about the last 20 mins or so about our bible studies and so on. During that time we experienced a whole lot of turbulance and the plane was all over for some reason. Before I knew it I was so hot and couldn't get cooled down, and then the spitty taste in my mouth came. Next thing I knew I was rummaging for the paper bag and throwing up like crazy! I was a little shocked as it takes a lot to make me sick, but I imagine it was b/c I was pregnant that it happened. The lady was so wonderful to me. She was fanning me one minute and rubbing my back the next as I was getting sick! She was truly an angel! She didn't even leave my side until we got down to baggage claim.

All in all I had such a great time and trip. And I felt so refreshed, despite my lack of sleep for the weekend, when I got home. I think that every mom needs a little girls time of r & r to re-energize after such a nice trip!