FREEDOM

Last weekend was my annual girl's weekend outwith my friends. THis year it was not one, but two nights of pure awesomeness. I know these highlights will mean nothing to the general public that reads my blog--but this was the easiest way I could journal it and get it to my friends.

My highlights from the weekend:

#1 Marlo surprising us with Lenor
#2 Hilarious drunk man in the pool
#3 T.P.ing as an adult
#4 Staying up until dawn and rolling into Bashas at 6:30 a.m. for donuts
#5 Only going on 20 minutes sleep Saturday
#6 Darcy's stories involving hookers and Care Bears
#7 The ice cream tower
#8 Lazy River
#9 Staying until the last minute of checkout
#10 Getting a text from my husband telling me to not go to church, that he'd handle it and i could take a recovery nap
#11 Strawberry Coladas
#12 Snacks, treats, snacks
#13 Finally falling asleep for a little afternoon nap on Saturday
#14 Staying up until 2:00 a.m. the second night
#15 laughing, and laughing, and laughing
#16 Lenor's Bib story that made me cry with laughter
#17 Sarah doing my hair
#18 Wearing a white t-shirt, because I didn't have any kids there to get it dirty.
#19 Getting cozy with Molly and Cicily
#20 Squeezing into the clown car to go get ice cream
#21 Kizzy stealing MY PURSE

Seriously--everyone needs a weekend with the coolest/chillest girls on the planet.

You guys are the best.

ANd shout out to my husband for not just being ok with me going, but happy for me--and creating a weekend of fun for the kids--and hooking me up with that nap on Sunday.

And just in case you didn't believe me, here is a shot of Darcy and I at 7 a.m. after our donut run.



Seriously. So much fun.

For those who went--what were your top three of this trip???

Date night

My husband and I make a great pair.

Why? Well--he has invented his own super power--so together, we can solve the world's problems.

Or at least the things that annoy us here in the Phoenix Metro area.

For our date on Friday we went and ate at Cafe Boa--holy delish. Go there. Get the bruschetta. And the Mushroom Ravioli in Tomato Cream sauce.

While there--Hyrum created his super power. He can get anyone's cell phone number--and call it without being traced.

How does that super power help? Well, it helps us greatly.

Like when we were at the restaurant and the couple at the table next to ours were both texting. That's when he realized his potential. He wanted to send them a text that said: "your date is lame"

Then later, when we were in the Ross parking lot (yes we have spicy dates). We witnessed a drug deal. When a cute little car with teenagers wheels speedily into the handicapped parking lot, and simultaneously a SUV wheels into the handicapped spot next to it, and a cute little blonde girl hops out and runs over and gives a slow/tight hug to the dreadlocked fella through his window, and then turns and bops back to her car and speeds off. Like then. He could have swiped the girl's cell phone number (and access her phone list) and text her parents saying "you're daughter just bought illegal substances in the Ross parking lot" and then also text that to her--with and ending tag line that says "you're busted".

See? Totally helpful.

And then when we were driving to the next shopping center--there was a dude on a bullet bike. You know--weaving in and out of traffic. We decided to combine our super powers when we saw him narrowly cut in front of the car that was in front of us. I would have zapped him with diarrhea and then Hyrum would have texted him and said, "we just saw you crap your pants. How do we know? Because it's coming out of the top of the boxers that are hanging too far out of your pants."

Then, when we were at Wal Mart--and there were three college girls checking out in front of us. And at first I was distracted by their short shorts. I was thinking--my girls better never wear those or I will flip. Then we saw what they came for--a pregnancy test. I think it was because she wears those shorts--or doesn't wear them :) She would get a text that read, "Hope it's negative. Good luck!"

And then, as we got in the car--we noticed the people in the car parked in front of us--feeding their parrots. Yes, not one, but two parrots--just hanging out on steering wheel of the car. The people were super nice--they were enjoying McDonalds hamburgers and fries--and sharing it with their parrots. One bite for the ladies, one bite for the parrots. They let us take a picture with them. Because that just doesn't happen. And they would get a "thanks for the pic with the parrot". See? We can use our powers for good.

I tell you--we make quite a pair. And I wish all of our date nights were that interesting.

Dennis

We used to call her Rotten, but then she started to own the title. I called someone else Rotten once and she said "NO! I'm rotten". So now we call her Dennis. As in Dennis the Menace.


Obviously Beck isn't the Menace, but Kizzy got yogurt and put it by the computer while I wasn't paying attention.



This is her with my mascara on, a Twix she stole off of a high counter and ate just the top off of, and a York Peppermint Patty with a few bites out of it, also stolen.



And sometimes she puts sippy cups on her feet and walks around. Not totally menacing, except that I have to wash them. It's actually pretty entertaining because her legs have to be bent in order to walk and she looks like Mr. Tumnus on Chronicles of Narnia.

Happiness

I was lying on the ground with the kids watching a show, when I got that feeling. That feeling that I get every once in a while where I realize that THIS is what it's about. Happiness, contentment, elation, almost giddiness inside that all I've ever wanted--I have. I'm not sure everyone can say that. I feel spoiled. It's all about the little things:

Watching "Anne of Green Gables" with Annabelle and seeing her GENUINELY giggle and smirk at the best parts

Playing GO FISH (Mickey Mouse version) with Josie and having her ask "Do you have the Mickey who is vacuuming (it's actually a flashlight he's holding), or "Do you have Goopy?" or "Do you have the Daisy Duck that looks like this" (and she mimicks her stance)

Noticing that Kizzy is not around and KNOWING that she is being stealth in the pantry with some sort of sweet she need not be eating.

Watching Beck in the first stage of walking with Frankenstein arms and Charlie Chaplin legs

Seeing Hyrum get his books and looking genuinely eager to start school. He's so good at it.


I think what makes it so great, is that other things aren't so great at the same time. Kizzy doesn't have a bed and sleeps on the floor--because we can't afford buying her one, we have to borrow money to live on just to get Hyrum through school--so we're broke as anything, and my tooth is jacked and needs fixing.

These things just make the other things even greater.

This is my life. And I love it.

I puffy heart gas stations

As I was filling up our Suburban today at the gas station with all the kids loaded in the car I got a giddy feeling. It was nostalgic, it was excitement, it was adventure. That's when I realize that I love gas stations. I was looking at my kids with their Sonic drinks in hand, just happy to be out anywhere other than the house. And I remember that feeling. Gas stations meant we were going Somewhere--Anywhere. Mostly it brought back memories of trips to the Lake as a kid. Everyone would pull up and gas up before we left. And if we were lucky we could get a soda or a candy bar. It also brought back memories of college days when we'd Road Trip--again to somewhere--anywhere. Or just stopping for a soda before our day of thrift shopping. It wasn't ever a bad memory, it wasn't drab, it wasn't the getting gas, it was the symbol of what the adventure was.

It was fun to lean in the car with my elbows on the seat and talk to Annabelle as she was sipping her grape slush. She was having fun. We were getting gas, and making a memory, a little--life is good--memory. She'll remember times like these, or times when Hyrum takes her on dates just to get a drink at QT. Who knew that gas stations were more than gas?

Cheers to Gas Station memories. *clink* (of our gas station drinks)