Feelin' the Love

By Amy

My birthday was in December. My dear husband gave me a wonderful gift: two days and a night away in the big city up north! Not only that, but he talked my two friends' husbands into watching their kids and sending their wives with me! So, right before Christmas, Rachel, Rachel and I hopped on a train and headed up north! (Thankfully, I had just gotten over my stomach sickness!)

It was quite delightful! We especially enjoyed getting to linger over our meals and have adult conversations! We ate at a really great Italian food restaurant, TGI Fridays and Schlotzskys. We also hit Cold Stone and Starbucks. And, we shopped and shopped and shopped some more! We hit a market I'd never been to, two import grocery stores and IKEA. I went with an empty suitcase and brought it back FULL and HEAVY!! (I paid some dude at the train station to lug it up the stairs for me!) What did I buy, you ask? Several cans of green beans, only 4 boxes of cereal, 2 bags of Cheetos, several really cute Christmas plates/serving platters, some fun candy to stuff in my kids' stockings, a mega roll of paper, some candles, a new pair of jeans for Savannah, and a fun glass serving plate that I've been eyeing for about 7 months, as well as a few other things.... It was really, really fun!

It was also really, really, cold! The coldest day so far this year! The wind was bitter! Even the Rachel from Iowa was FREEZING!! And, living here isn't like living in America where you drive your own car! You wait on the street for a taxi to come by! You shop at markets ~ some are inside buildings, many without heat, and some are in little tents! So, it was really cold! We actually all bought matching ear-warmer things. It's like a knit hat with a hole in the top. It helped a ton!

What a thoughtful husband I have! When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I would probably enjoy having a morning out. Last year I sat in a hotel lobby and ready a book for several hours. It was really relaxing. Going out of town with my two friends didn't even cross my mind as an option! It was fantastic! Can you guess what I'll ask for next year?!?