A much needed break

So, as I posted earlier, Spring break was last week for my kids. We had a great week, busy as it was, and on Friday my mother in law and I headed off to Charleston. Yes, you read it right, my mother in law. We have never done something like this, just the two of us and it was wonderful! No husbands, no kids; just her and I, our suitcases, debit cards and some funny movies to watch. We got down to Charleston Friday late afternoon and stayed until Sunday night. We shopped 'til we dropped and ate until we popped! We shopped in downtown Charleston and had much better luck at the outlet shops (which I love). We ate fantastic food and had the best pizza in Mt. Pleasant the night before we left. It was fun to stay up late and laugh and crash from exhaustion. It was a great time and gave us some much needed time away. I am so thankful to have a mother in law like her. She raised a terrific son and she's one of the easiest people to be around. God gave me a mother by birth and a mother by marriage and I am so thankful to have spent the weekend with her. Upon my return, my husband and our boys had gone to the mountains to play in the last snowfall of the season. They went sledding and snowboarding and had a great time together and my son got another day off from school. They didn't come back until Monday afternoon, so I had yet another day to myself to sleep in, unpack and go for a run. Being away from my family and out of our routine always makes me thankful to come back home to them. I hated sending them off to school today, but summer will be here before I know it.........and by then I'll need another break!

The Wedding

This weekend we had the priviledge to attend a beautiful wedding of our cousin in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is such a beautiful place to visit in February. The weather was gorgeous and it was so wonderful to see family we haven't seen in a long time. The first part of the reception was held outside with a beautiful view of the water and then we moved inside for a great dinner and dancing. The best part of the whole weekend was I got to dance with my husband. This is something he hates, but did it for me and I loved it! This was the first wedding we have attended with both children so I came prepared. Our oldest did great; our youngest got bored really quick during the ceremony. We started with coloring and then moved on to playing cars. I had a lollipop already opened and ready in my purse in case I needed it. I didn't, but my cousin Karen did. Thankfully it bought her a few more minutes before she had to take out her son J.P. who kept calling for his daddy who was the best man. Big brother Bri-Bri was the ring bearer so you can see why he wanted to be up there. It was very cute to hear him call out for his dad, but frustrating for Karen. I later got to dance with J.P. at the reception. Their boys are so well behaved and caring. We were so thankful to finally be able to meet them and have all our boys hang out together. Watching all four of them running around on the deck and in the yard will be something I remember forever, and worth all the grass stains in their new outfits. There truly is nothing like the love of a family. No matter how long it has been since you have seen each other, there is an acceptance and love that never goes away. We are spread out all over the place, from upstate New York to Hawaii, but once we all get back together it's so much fun and comfortable. Kudos to Bobby and Sarah for having us over for brunch the day after their wedding at their home. That was just as much fun and such a nice thing to do for a newlywed couple! (I think it was weeks before I saw our family again after our wedding!) We are looking forward to going back to Charleston soon - hopefully for a girls weekend!