Glenwood Springs

C. S. Lewis recommends living near your closest friends. When that isn't possible, the next best thing is to hop on a plane and just be near your closest friends for a spell. So, that's what I did - journeyed to Glenwood Springs, CO, to be near Joy and her family, to kiss on Selah Claire's sweet little cheeks, and to enjoy the company and familiarity of a life-long friend.

Oh, the simple sweet pleasures of a vacation without my little ones:

uninterrupted quiet time...
starting and finishing two books (unrelated to raising/disciplining/having children)...
savoring many delicious meals that I did not prepare...
homemade bread (anyone have a bread machine they are looking to rid themselves of?)...
long walks with Joy and by myself...
placing my cell phone/purse/glass of water/ipod/etc. on any available surface without worry that a little boy would destroy/spill/eat it...
sewing alongside a friend...
not being aware of the time...
giving my daily routine a much-needed rest...

and the sweetest pleasure of all - returning home to hugs, kisses, and cuddles from the little buddies that - by the end of the trip - I was aching to be with again.

We are back home in Bozeman with our doting husband/dad, refreshed and ready to dive back in to the beauty and bedlam that is our life.

The black maternity tank I am wearing was generously passed on to me by Joy. She never judged me for wearing it three...no, four days in a row. She must really love me ;).

Me and the little peanut.

Late night sewing of a baby dress. Joy has promised to post the finished product on her blog.

Mama and babe. We spent an afternoon in Aspen, rubbing shoulders with the ultra-rich, sharing a cheeseburger, and sipping iced lattes.

Thank you, Schneiters, for welcoming me into your life for a few days. Thank you, Schuylers and Myers, for caring for the two tornadoes that are my sons. Thank you, Matt, for encouraging and helping me take a vacation!