Our getaway weekend!

So, you all are going to be astounded - the couple who never goes out WENT OUT!!! And not only that but we did it without the kids! Amazing - I know. Let me just say that THE BIG GUY UPSTAIRS loves us and arranged the opportunity for us to go for a night away. We dropped off the kids with a lovely family and were given an envelope with the info: where we were staying and what we were to do. I felt like I was on Oprah and they just gave me a million dollars! I could not have been more surprised or excited!

Since we didn't know beforehand what to pack or get ready we had everything we could think of - swimsuits, suit, dress, casual stuff, etc. When we opened our envelope we found out that we had reservations in Colorado Springs! Woo-hoo! So off we went! We had some great conversation on the way down - it has just been ages since it was the two of us!

I think this is neat so I'm posting the instruction sheet we got with our directions:

GETAWAY

Here are some of the tips connected to your get-away

1) Check into the hotel (Not a 5-star hotel but you can't beat the price)

2) Use the enclosed $20 to go to a grocery store and purchase something fun and different to go back to the rooom and fix for dinner. (Don't go over $20)

3) Have dinner together in your hotel room

4) Take time to talk about ...

a. When you first realized you liked one another (Mine was nice and embarassing: "When I saw you half-naked on my living room floor while my roommate gave you a backrub." Man - the jealousy totally kicked in - and he wasn't even mine yet!)

b. What is it that you love about one another

c. What are some of the funniest experiences you have shared together (All of mine about Rick's are hilarious cooking stories. My fave is the Lemon Bars. His mom gave us something in an old ice cream bucket that she had written "Oatmeal" on. We had used up whatever it was and were now using it to store kitchen stuff. I had my powdered sugar in it. Rick saw on the recipe directions that he was supposed to sprinkle confectioner's sugar on the top of the Lemon Bars that he had made. He asked if we had any and I said yeah, in the container that says oatmeal. So, even though he KNOWS what lemon bars are supposed to look like he sprinkled uncooked, ACTUAL oatmeal all over the top of the bars. Oh man, I died when he brought them out. All of the stories about me tend to be farming ones. Like the
mice in the hay bales... Denise and I were out "helping" - I think Rick's dad made up this job so I would feel included! - while he baled hay. We were turning the bales on the end of the row so that they all faced the same direction - I think anyway. After a bit I noticed all of the bales had a hole through the middle. I asked Rick why and he said that the mice are really quick and love to eat holes in the hay. I totally bought it, and told Denise. She didn't know that either! After a while I thought it was a little weird that the holes were all in the center and that they were there so soon after the hay was baled. But I still believed him - Rick doesn't lie, right? Hah! Later he told me that there was a big spike in the baler that speared through the bales in the process of squishing them together. Thereby making a lovely hole through the middle of the bales! He also liked that I could never distinguish between a tractor and a combine. I came up with a great rule of thumb: Tractors are green. Combines are red. I swear this works about 80% of the time)

d. What life goals do you want to accomplish as a couple together

e. How can you rely on the Lord to help you accomplish those goals

5) Commit to getting away just as a couple at least once each year (We are absolutely doing this! So expect that at least one of you will be enlisted when you come to visit)

6)Leave the hotel and go out for dessert to have a special treat

7)Take a walk

8)Tomorrow go and see something fun and different

a. Garden of the Gods (that's what we did)

b. Olympic Training Facility

We'll see you tomorrow after lunch (Around 2:00)

Most important have fun.