The Saturday group
At first it was just going to be Saturday night, but as the time drew near I knew that in order for it to be a real weekend away for me, I needed to go on Friday. Thankfully Dalton agreed, after I snapped him out of his frozen deer in the headlights stare. So Friday about lunch I set off for a fun weekend.
I made baskets for the rooms with mints, mini bundt cakes and wine.
Not only was this a great girls' weekend but also a getaway for me and Mom.
She scouts out the table at Hondo's.
Amanda, Nana, Amy, Me and Momma
We listened to the music outside for a bit and Amanda and I both sighed and "aww" wishing our guys were there so we could dance…I think it's been a while since either of us couples has been dancing. Then we headed down the sidewalk to window shop. Shops and wineries all close early in Fredericksburg, a fact I learned the hard way the next day when we didn't get to go to Wildseed Farms….guess we'll have to go back now.
We got back to the rooms and split up for the night. And we laughed and talked for a while before we went to sleep, nothing deep or important, just things that were funny to share. It was a nice, relaxing way to fall asleep. Except that we couldn't fall asleep….we all laid there waiting but nothing happened, so after Mom confessed that she had taken some Benadryl to help her sleep (she is notorious for not sleeping well….a real night owl) Amanda said she had some ZzzQuil and so we both dosed up. The next thing I knew it was Sunday and I'd missed all the fun, but boy did I sleep well. Just kidding! Not sure if it helped much or not, the fact that we had hard pillows and thing comforters may have had something to do with it (I can complain because I chose the hotel….which really was nice besides those two issues.)
Ready to celebrate Saturday morning
Next morning I got out of bed at 8:30…did get some good sleep after all. We ate breakfast at the hotel, visited outside and then attacked main street. We visited a few shops and I looked leisurely and even tried on clothes just for fun. I kept saying "I'm not going to buy this, just try it on" because most of the clothes were way out of my price range….I mean who spends $40 for a baseball style Tshirt? Not this girl. It was nice to shop without a purpose or time limit though.
Having lunch at the Silver Creek grill. I had the steak salad.
Pretty soon it was lunch and we met up with more girls there. We ate outside where we could watch the people pass by, and listened to a one man band play various songs. He started with 5 Little Monkeys because there was a little boy there and so I jumped up to film it on my phone. It is now Ace's favorite video to watch, and he can sing the song just like the blues man did. The singer even sang a song dedicated to Amy. She was a little uncomfortable for a bit but then started smiling. It's always hard to get attention from strangers in public!
Post-lunch we shopped some more and after walking into about 6 stores where I didn't even feel that I could afford to try things on, we went into one with clothing in the $30s. Woo hoo! I tried on a couple items and had my style consultant weigh in (Amanda), then chose a top that was different from the other clothes I have, very comfortable and flattering, and under $40. So I bought it. That combined with a bottle of wine and two books for the boys satisfied my shopping needs, so I could relax. Until I went into the 5, 10, 25 cent store. And that store could have taken all my money…… if Mom wouldn't have pulled me away. I had mini tin cups for the boys, a mini grater, deodorant, tortilla press, and my eye on some other mini kitchen gadgets (I like mini things obviously), toys for the boys and various odd things that were interesting. I wound up putting everything but the deodorant back (that was a necessity since I'd left mine at home) and vowing to come back soon.
Mom modeling a fur hat, getting silly on the sidewalk
Time was ticking so we decided to head to Becker Farms Vineyard and winery next. We passed several on the way, ones that I'd been to before, but I'd never been to Becker. It was a beautiful location. There was a wedding set up for after the winery closed and it looked like a beautiful place to get married. Amy picked out a bottle of wine that we shared on the patio. It was a busy afternoon, with lots of others tasting, sipping and buying wine. We visited for a bit then went inside for a tour.
Amanda and I sampling the vino.
Brooke, Rebecca (Amy's mom) and Amy
We waited and waited, then finally the tour began….well not sure if you could call it a real tour. The guide was not knowledgeable and so it was short and uninformative. I was disappointed because I'd been to one before that was very neat and informative. So after learning nothing on the tour (because of our particular guide…I think other tours were a lot better) we loaded up and went back into town. We hadn't thought of needing reservations at 6pm for supper, so when we walked into the place we'd planned to eat, we were shocked to hear that 9pm was the next opening (especially since the place was totally empty). So we decided to go eat mexican food at a less 'unique' place. It was a good decision. We got right in, the food was delicious, and very affordable! While we were eating we decided that instead of going to listen to music, we'd attend a play that was being put on by the local theater company.
The play was a little different, the plot being that a man accidentally called up his dead wife and couldn't get her to leave him and his current bride alone. But the acting was really good and it was nice to do something out of the ordinary. The play didn't end until almost 11, so after that we all were ready to call it a night. We went back to the hotel and said goodnight to our non-roomies. Then we started talking about religion, the Bible, what's in it, how they determined what books to go in it, Mary Magdalene and her 7 demons that were driven out by Jesus, different churches, Adam and Eve, the Young Earth theory, and how crazy it is that they teach evolution and big bang theory in school when it's obvious that something more had to happen to get this intricate creation……I loved this time! It is so nice to talk about 'deep' stuff with other women and just spend time talking about the Word in big and little ways. We finally decided to leave the discussions and go to bed, but then laid there in the dark laughing about our husbands (the funny things they do, no bashing!), briefly arguing about the church and what that means biblically, and talking about our kids. Finally we went to sleep about 2 am.
Amy in front of the staged scene at the play.
The next morning it was time to pack up and say goodbye. I'd originally wanted to shop a little more with everyone but I talked to Dalton and he was sick with the stomach bug, and apparently the littles had been having lots of…ahem….not so great bowel movements. So I decided not to push my luck and head on home. We all met at breakfast before I left and talked about the upcoming wedding and Garrett. We had to laugh because Garrett has just as many girl friends as male ones. He's got a kind heart that wants to befriend everyone, but his charm and looks confuse the ladies and they all want to date him instead of just be friends. Yet somehow he doesn't pick up on that. ; ) He is charming…… Once we'd finished our Texas shaped waffle and good chat, I left Mom, Amy, Amanda and Nana there to finish shopping while I started home.
The ride home was very pretty; you can see more of the hills on the way back. I cruised along listening to whatever stations I could get and then switched to listening to Romans being read to me. It is so deep and big that it's hard to focus on sometimes but I like listening to the Bible; I think I'd like the OT more though because it's more story-like. We have the Jesus Storybook Bible on CD and love listening to it in the car with the boys. They love books on tape!
After I went through Comanche I was thinking that I only had about an hour to go, woo hooo, when I heard a whistling sound outside my window. I thought it was weird but, after checking my windows, kept driving. The whistling sound came again, louder and I stopped the car, afraid to look. I had a feeling it was something I did not want to deal with alone on the way home. And it was. My front left tire was flat and getting flatter by the moment. As I got out to look at it, I heard it continue to lose air rapidly. Pushing the panic aside I called Dalton. The good news was that I'd pulled over into a big driveway, so I was well off the road. The bad news was that the driveway that I'd pulled into had a big gate with BEWARE OF DOGS signs on it, and behind the gate were 4 BIG dogs. Off the road sat an older style house, half hidden by trees and I could see a person on the front porch…watching me. I felt very awkward and kinda scared. I wanted them to help me, but I didn't know if they were the kind of people I wanted to help me. And there was no way I was going in there with the dogs, so they'd have to come out to me.
I called Dalton and told him what happened. In his pitiful sick voice he started to tell me how to change the tire. I know what you are thinking…..I don't know how to change a tire? Well, I'm sure that I could if I had to, I know the basics. But I've never had to change one on my own. This may be anti-feminist but I like being a woman so I don't have to….one of the many things I like about being a woman instead of a man. So I got out the tools and went to the tire. I took the cap off and was about to start loosening the lugnuts when I car pulled up, hallelujah! And a man in the passenger seat asked if I needed help. YES I do! He and his wife got out and he changed my tire for me. In the meantime the lady who lived in the house came down and lent a hand as well, moral support and a cinder block to put under the car for safety reasons, since the jack wasn't in a good spot.
During the process, the two strangers realized they knew the same people, so they talked about people they'd went to school with, where they lived, etc. during the frequent breaks while changing the tire. I also found out that the man's wife, Joyce was his second wife. And that his first wife was also named Joyce, as well as his sister. They were on their way back from visiting his mom when they saw me, they bring her lunch after church on Sundays. It was nice to have other people there to chat with instead of it just being me and the helpful man, so I didn't complain about the conversation or extra time it took. Once the tire was changed and the flat tire loaded into my car I thanked them all and got back on the road.
Finally I made it to Mere Mere and Popsey's to pick up Cooper, who'd been squatting their for most of the weekend. Then it was home to my other guys. It was so good to be back! I really missed them and was ready to get back to my job, refreshed from the trip. Being greeted with big hugs and I love you's always helps! I sent Dalton straight to bed when I came in, and he didn't argue. He slept the rest of the afternoon while I played with the boys. Then I took the little ones with me and picked up a few necessities and chicken for supper.
The boys checking out their new tractor books.
And I think that Dalton and Tucker spent a lot of time in this position.
It was a great great weekend! Loved celebrating love with Amy and enjoyed the break from 'life' for myself. Now, back to the grind!
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5
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