True Rejuvenation

Travis had to travel to Indianapolis for work this week, and then went to a weekend bachelor party in Minneapolis.  That meant that the girls and I were on our own from Wednesday to Sunday, so we made all kinds of great plans and had a fabulous time!

Trav's mom came to visit us on Wednesday, and I don't think she got both feet in the door before both girls were clamoring all over her.  It was pretty great.  Not only did we have a really nice visit, but I got a lot done while she played with the girls.  I don't think I would've been able to get on the road the next day without that. And, she had recently had a heyday with a clearance rack full of cute little girl clothing, so they immediately redressed themselves in the cute stuff she brought.  It was a great way to just relax and enjoy a beautiful summer day.  That, in and of itself, would've been a sufficient grandparent fix for the girls, but I had more planned. :)

Thursday morning, I picked up Megan in Ames, and brought her with us to Rockford.  It's funny, you might think adding another kid to the mix would make it more complicated, but she actually made my life easier by entertaining Audrey in the car and singing with Emily, and just being a delight in who she is.  Jenny and Julie and Sarah came up on Friday afternoon after school, but they all had to get back to Ames early Saturday morning to get to Julie's soccer game.  We had a great time with them, but it was nice to have some time just me and my girls and my parents.  Their place is SO pretty this time of year.  Their garden is producing like crazy, so every meal is just a creative use of whatever my dad has brought in - green beans, zucchini, grapes, onions, and TOMATOES.  Mmmm!!  The weather was perfect, except for the sweat bees that Emily detested. 

Saturday morning, after Jenny left, I went for a bike ride up through Nora Springs - 28 miles total.  About a mile down the road, I saw a friend of mine who was out for a run, and stopped to chat with her.  That was kinda fun, chatting it up on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere! She lives in the same house she did as a kid, just up the hill from my parents' place, and yet I hadn't really kept up with her.  She'd been working as a nurse, but now she just started teaching in Charles City, with a class of kids who are considered behaviorally difficult, and she's really fired up and excited about that.  Recently she's lost a ton of weight and considers anything less than a 5 mile run to be "short."  It was so nice to catch up with her.  And I am always glad to find out that people I knew from my hometown are doing great things. 

So, I got a bike ride, I got to shoot baskets with my dad on a perfect evening, I got to play my mom's piano for probably hours (which is especially fun when Megan is around because she dances! It's so fun to see her snap into character!).  I told Travis again that I need a piano like my mom's -- someday, I WILL have one.  I mean, my piano is really nice and all, but hers is... well, it's like the one time in my life when I played a $40,000 violin, just to see what it was like.  It plays itself!! Ahh!  My dad gave my girls breakfast each morning and let me sleep late, and I got to stay up late Friday night laughing my head off with my mom and my sister.  I got to see Audrey scooting around outside on her tricycle, feeling very independent as she did laps around the circle.  Emily bonded with her grandparents, who are thoroughly charmed by her abilities and adorable personality. They got to swim, bike, swing, catch kittens, help in the garden, wander through a real watermelon patch, eat popsicles and push-ups and cookies and have tea parties, and play with a gazillion toys (or just spread them in a thin layer throughout the house.  Why do they do that??)  It was perfect weather, with no agenda, and no stress.  It was a FANTASTIC vacation!  I know that Travis got to go out late three nights in a row, schmoozing with Deere people and getting wasted with his best friends, but I think I got the way better deal.  I'm refreshed, happy to get back to my regular routine, and ready to look towards what fall will bring.

The girls and I drove home on Sunday, picked up Travis and went to the airport to get his car.  On the way home, we stopped for supper at "Old McDonald's Restaurant."  Could it get any better than this?