Girls ONLY: Road trip

Grace and I had many firsts this weekend. We had our first girls' road trip without Michael. Many great memories with great friends were made, but we sure missed Daddy. It definitely made me appreciate him that much more for being so helpful and involved with Grace.

Our first part of the weekend was spent in Zionsville, IN. We had dinner with the Vetor and Spitzer families. After the little ones went to sleep, Amanda, Anna and I stayed up for girl talk. Even though I just saw them, there is always so much to catch up on. Baby Grace (I can still hear Audrey saying that) and I slept in the Spitzer's new bedroom, but not until we heard Anna and Audrey tell us a bedtime story...adorable! When Audrey was asked if we can come back for another sleepover with Grace's Dad next time, she said, "no...just the girls again." I had many moments this weekend daydreaming about how nice it would be if we all lived in the same city. Of course the great people from New Harmony are always included in my daydreaming.  ahhhhhhhhhhh....we would be unstoppable!

I had to get a picture of them before we left in the morning, even though there was nothing easy about it. Audrey and Brock look like they are ready for their baby brother to join their family. I sure do wish we would have taken it the night before with Miss Samantha Vetor. :(

Our next stop on our girls' road trip was to BLOOMINGTON! We went to Mother Bears for pizza and beer - it felt like college all over again (except this time we had a baby!). After lunch we stopped by the track to watch the Little 500 qualifications... unfortunately it was freezing and we couldn't wait to get back in the car. One of my favorite moments was being there with Pat because he has never seen anything Little 5 related. It was fun hearing his questions and comments while we were at the track. Michelle and I were talking about how riding seems SO long ago- almost like another lifetime ago. After a rough car ride for Grace we arrived in Columbus for Lauren and Pat's bridal shower. It turns out the "shower" was really a cocktail party that didn't end until 2AM. The night included delicious food, lots of wine, loud music, a champagne toast (with a splash of Grand Marnier), and an after party at the Freeland's house. After meeting the Freeland's family friends, we've decided we have to bring our A-game to the wedding (because we were definitely the losers at the shower - those grown ups know how to party!). I'm picturing lots of drinks and dancing at that wedding! Sunday morning was all about breakfast and Grace... I got lots of breaks from taking car of her. I had a great time spending the weekend with wonderful friends. We are so blessed to have them in our lives.  The drive back home seemed extra long because at that point, we were really looking forward to being home and relaxing with Dad! Tonight was one of my favorite family moments to date.
 
Pictures to come...Lauren and Pat got a big kid camera since the last time I saw them!!!! Check out Lauren's Mom's facebook photo album in the mean time.