Bethany is a good friend of mine from jr. high/highschool that led into college and post college life. She's the kind of friend that is exactly the same as she used to be and just a fun person to be around! She is someone I can totally be myself around, speak honestly with, and never go a day without laughing when I'm around her. During our time living together in college I was able to get to know Bob. He too is just a wonderful person. He and Bethany are a perfect fit, he's kind and generous and such a genuine person. Some may say I followed Bethany and Bob throughout my post college life but I'm just thankful it worked out that way because I always seemed to have a friend nearby - after Bethany graduated college she and Bob got married and she joined him to live in Kansas City, where he was working. I graduated college a year later and also moved to Kansas City after receiving a job with John Deere. A year or so later Bob and Bethany got moved to Charlotte, NC for Bob's job, and six months or so after that I got moved to Raleigh, NC for my job with John Deere. We are now living in seperate places :) but still do our best to eachother whenever we can make it work. Fortunate for us both their families live in Iowa so they come through Des Moines quite often. Anyways, it was our turn to go see them in Bentonville, AR!
I must say I didn't really think things through when I told Bethany the kids and I would come down for a long weekend sometime in July. We found some dates that worked for us both and that was that. It wasn't until a few days before we left that I wondered what I had committed to! A 6 1/2 hour roadtrip by myself with a 2 year old and 11 month old - yikes! However, I had said I was going to do it and my gosh I was going to prove to myself that I could.
So, we made plans to leave around afternoon nap time, stop for a visit and dinner with Jimmy's aunt and uncle in Kansas City, and then make the final few hours of the trek to AR around kiddos bedtime. And I must say, it worked out well except for the poor planning on my end to pull into KC right at 5 oclock rush hour, when of course was the exact same time Lily had to go potty! So yes we did have an accident because what other choice do I have in bumper to bumper traffic downtown KC?! Poor thing. But except for that episode and me getting a little sleepy the final hour or so we did great - nothing a Red Bull and some candy couldn't take of while the kiddos slept away! We rolled into their place just before midnight.
The next day was spent bumming around their house. We did venture out to their neighborhood playground but it was super HOT and even Lily wasn't too interested in playing! We made dinner at their place and then after tucking the kids in Bethany and I snuck out for some fro-yo and she showed me the town. The next day we enjoyed lunch at a local crepe spot (so yummy!) before hitting up the splash pad - kids loved it! Then after afternoon naps we joined Bob for pizza at a Southern favorite, Mellow Mushroom. The 3 of us watched a movie that night and the next morning we hit the road again!
This time we left during morning nap, stopped in Kansas City for lunch and a visit with my dear friend Erica, and then hit the road during afternoon naps to get home early evening. Catching up with Erica on the way back through was such a treat too. She is such a kind person whom I truly adore. She has such a gift for hospitality and made us such a perfect lunch at her trendy modern downtown loft. The kids loved crawling around their concrete floors and made me a little too nervous around all their breakables!
We had such a fun trip! I love doing little things like that with my kids. Although yes it is hard without Jimmy by my side to help with nap times, discipline, etc. I love proving to myself that I can do things on my own. I'm blessed with kids that travel well because Lord knows we love to travel, so we are able to go on little adventures and show them the world!
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| me and my early riser |
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| lily talking to baby shae |
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| shae |
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| shae and i in the water |
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| babies lovin it |
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