Tim had planned to see his buddies and go on his annual Man Cup Golf Tournament trip.  Zoe said all she wanted for her birthday was to go home to AZ.  Well, that left me and Zane behind.  : (  So, what is a woman to do?  Yes, add 2 more to that reservation!  We all caught the first flight out at 5:15am which meant a 2:00am wake time.  It was scary but exciting.  I sat first class on the way to AZ (thank you Tim) and slept-it seemed like the shortest 3 hour flight ever.  Zoe said it was her bestest weekend in her entire life.  She went to see The Little Mermaid, shopped, saw grandmas and grandpas and opened presents.  Who could argue with her?  I’m surprised she agreed to come back to WA with us. 

The kids had a blast (OK, Zoe had a blast the whole time, Zane lasted about 45 minutes).  They made noise, danced to the music and laughed at all the hats that the captain was wearing.  Zoe is ready to go again when we have visitors-Zane said he will pass.  : )

So, we hit the roads to come back to Kirkland.  We put on movies, left the kids and took a walk downtown to the marina area and ate at Hunaman Thai Cafe (our favorite Thai place in Kirkland)) and then walked to CeFiore for a treat.  You know me, always about the treats.  It was a great day full of adventure and fun with our friends.  They left and hit the road, on to another family member’s house on Tuesday mid-morning.

Thanks to my amazing mother who wants to take us (and put up with us) on Girls’ Trips.  This year, we ended up in Florida, Amelia Island to be exact.  We tried our first Segway ride, played Qwirkle until all hours of the night, went on a kayaking trip and hopped from sand bar to sand bar, and tried to perfect our sunset jump. It was the first trip in a long time that I disconnected.  I didn’t blog, I didn’t take many photos, I didn’t answer emails, etc.  It was one day at a time for me and it was lovely.  Thank you mom for making these trips happen!  What awesome memories we have!

Just for the record, Lauren has a new nickname… Grandma Lauren.  She led the slow pack on those Segways!

The kids had a great vacation with so many friends around.  There was always somebody to play with and something to do.  It is always sad when it is time to pack up and go back to real life.  We are going to try and sell the trailer before we leave for WA.  It will be one less thing to worry about but I can’t say that I am happy about it.  I have loved having it and really enjoyed taking it to the mountains and to the beach. 

Here’s our (ok, my version) story:

Thursday we headed out at 3:15.  I use that time because it really was 3:15pm.  My goal was to leave by then because I was somewhat worried about getting up there and setting up and establishing our “camp” before it got dark. I may have seemed a little anxious and nervous about leaving on time but driving the ladies, pulling the trailer and dealing with the dark DID just that-made me nervous.

When we arrived at the Payson RV Campground we were disappointed to see snow that couldn’t decide if it wanted to be snow or hail.  It was like white fluffy hail-that STUCK to the ground.  It was FREEZING (to put it lightly) and we would have been hooked up and on our way to dinner where it was nice and warm but the water would not come out of the sinks.  I have hooked up the trailer many times but I started to doubt all that I knew about it.  We called in the campground host, Jim, for further assistance.  He was kind and patient and just as stumped as I was.  We checked everything and it turned out to be calcium build up at the screen so the water would not come through.  By the way, my dear friend and NON-camper, Gabrielle, was the one with sink and tool knowledge who knew just how to take the facet apart and clear our problem.  Man, she doesn’t camp (or doesn’t love to) but she knows her way around a facet and some tools!  We cleared that and we were finally set (and gave some cookies to Jim for all his help and suggestions).

For our first dinner, we enjoyed some food at the Buffalo Bar & Grill where we ate delicious meals and laughed at karaoke night.  Some of us ended up singing a Bob Marley song just so we could say we sang! When we went back to camp, the trailer was very cold.  I plugged in the heated mattresses, cranked up the heater and buried myself in my sleeping bag and slept sounding for the night.  I am sure those in the campground wondered what a bunch of ladies were doing camping by themselves. 

Friday morning we grilled and made some breakfast burritos and fruit salad.  Then, we had 3 of the 7 ladies do their prepared lesson/devotional/class.  I loved the open conversation and the thought provoking comments and discussion.  I was motivated to make some changes and inspired to evaluate my life.  The remainder of the day was relaxing as we stayed bundled, ate great food, and enjoyed each other’s company.

Saturday morning we made some whole wheat pancakes with coconut syrup and kiwi, more fruit salad and eggs.  OK, yes, the weekend was also about food but is it ever NOT about food when I go somewhere?  After breakfast the 4 remaining devotionals were given and again I was inspired and thought about ways to change.

Sunday we packed up, visited the Cafe 260 for a hearty breakfast and headed home in the downpour.  It was a perfect time to go.  : )

I am so grateful for such incredible friends.  I am grateful for a warm cozy trailer.  I am grateful for campfires, camp grills, and running water.  I am grateful for blankets, socks and thermal underwear!  I am grateful for AZ and its beauty with mountains and snow just 1.5 hours away.  I am grateful for reclining camp chairs and delicious sugar cookies.  I am grateful for the opportunity to rejuvenate, rethink, reprioritize and repent.  I am grateful for duffle bags, Red Vines, and a Snuggie. 

Thank you ladies for joining in and making it a memorable TTWC.  Hopefully it will be the first of many!