Get-a-way and Get-home

We got away on our first date weekend since Lydia was born!  Yippee!  Jay and I dropped the kids off with Grandma and Papa Dirkse on Friday and headed over a rainy Steven's pass toward Bellingham.  I was so thankful to see the edge of the rain cloud north of Everett.  We stopped off in Burlington for the All-you-can-eat Pasta Bowl at the Olive Garden then camped at Larrabee State Park south of Bellingham.  It's amazing how easy it is to pack for one night camping with no kids!  It was so easy.  And I am glad we didn't have the kids since the train went by at 8:15 and 10:15 pm, then again at 6:45 am, just a few hundred feet from our campsite.  Then there were the Christian college guys jamming on their guitars until Jay kindly asked them if they knew it was past the quiet hour mark.  They were enthusiastic in their playing and singing, but did not realize what a bad witness they were being to the people camping on the other side of us (they were NOT happy about the noise).  We were up early the next morning, and I admit we had a hard time wanting to be quiet after the noise our neighbors made late at night. :-)  We headed to Fairhaven/Bellingham to run our 15K race.  It was sunny, cool, calm, and absolutely perfect running weather!  Jay and I had a great time running (I think I had a little more fun than Jay...)  Oh, and you can definitely tell when you are on the West side: there were compost cans instead of garbage cans. :-) 

But... I was glad to get back to my kids.  I read a little poem once about being "tied down" to laughter sweet, chubby feet, etc.  It's so true.  Even though we were having a great time, whenever I saw a mom and baby I wanted my babies with me!  So it was quite nice to have Lydia grin from ear to ear and bounce up and down when I walked into the house.  Even my ever-busy Micah took a break after a while to give me a quick hug. :-)  I am so thankful for my kids, and for my husband, and his parents, and my parents, and well, just everybody God has put in my life right now.  Thanks everyone for your friendship!