a night away

This weekend, Ken and I got to get away for our first overnight date in over 3 years!  I can't even tell you how much we really needed this and what a wonderful and unexpected blessing it was.  It' s long story, but for a variety of reasons, our good friend and neighbor, Nicole,  had a non-refundable hotel reservation here in town that they were unable to use.  So they ever so graciously offered it to us... and here's the kicker, offered to stay with our kids as well!

I wasn't entirely certain that our kids were ready to be without us for the night since we've never left them with anyone other than family for that long.  But if I would trust anyone to take care of them and keep them throughly entertained, it would be my friend Nicole.  She makes Mary Poppins look boring.  Really.

So off we went!  See, we even took a picture of ourselves as we were walking around downtown.

We enjoyed downtown a bit, ate at a great seafood restaurant on the water then checked into a wonderful room on a nearby little island.  We got to sleep in and even go out to breakfast before heading home.  It was so refreshing and very relaxing.  I admit, I did stress a little too much about how the kids were doing at home.  But it turned out that it was all for nothing.  They did great and had a blast.

We came back to happy kids and we are feeling much more energized and ready to tackle another week.  I am so thankful for these unexpected blessings that God uses to fill us up when we need it most.

Funny story.  When I first told the kids that we would be gone until the next morning, Hannah's first question?    "But won't you be tired?"