Identity Rehab

We really helped mom pick out some new glasses, but don't you think that these look great on Hailey? (now whydidn't I get a pick of Mom's new glasses?).

Here are some new glasses for Mom (but they weren't the ones we picked! They might help her have a more rosy outlook on life though!).

The "Wicked Women's Wicked Shoes". Funny, nobody wore red and sparkly....

Man, we clean up nice!

Our seats!

Our sweet ride! yeah, it was a school bus. Funny, on the brochure, mom said it was a limo. I think that's false advertising! Good thing we had too much fun to care!

Getting pretty! (I just look like I'm getting goofier, but Rachael always looks pretty!).

I've yet to meet a PFChang I couldn't like. The crispy green beans were amazing! It's for nights like this one that we can't wait another 4 yrs to do something like this!

I loved our trip to the temple together! Trips like this one make me realize what I'm missing by living so far away for sooooo long!

It's a miracle! Hailey and I both found formals at Nordi's that worked with everything except our budget and lifestyle! (certainly worth a pic though!).My daily breakfast choices pale in comparison to the spread we enjoyed at Rockwood Bakery! (especially the quiche).

Last week I went to what I'm referring to as "Identity Rehab". It's a great spa-like experience that my mom hosted at her house. It was wonderful to be reintroduced to being a person instead of a parent! It was so amazing that last time we all got together like this it was in Paris, France but this time even though we were in Spokane, WA it was still one of the most amazing weeks!!

I drove to Hailey's house Tuesday night (before Memorial Day), then we flew out together from Chicago to Spokane. It was really fun traveling together. We arrived at 1pm and mom came and got us in Dad's truck! We were momentarily so confused but then remembered that Dad had gone out of town and took mom's car to save on gas. Wow was it fun to be together and be free to do whatever we wanted! The novelty of not being tied to any schedules (naps or meals) never wore off! We went by the house and marveled at all of Mom and Dad's hard work. Sadly, I've been gone so long I hardly remember most of the changes they've made and then they're ready to do it over again! That night we went to dinner at Ferrantes and had an amazing Italian feast. It was so fun each meal to order what looked best and pass it all around so we could taste many different items on the menu! The triple chocolate and pistachio gelato was a fabulous way to end that meal. Thankfully Hailey and I went for a walk (we tried to run part of it but were just too painfully full!)to Manito Park that night while Mom had some meetings to attend to.

The next morning we got up and went to breakfast at Rockwood Bakery (see pic above). Then we went shopping and found Mom's top for "Wicked" and her amazing "Wicked" shoes that she should probably sleep in they are so great. Then Rachael called to let us know she had arrived (she drove in from Seattle) so we raced home to see her. Then we all went downtown to help mom return some stuff to Nordstrom and to flaunt our freedom from reasonable parent activities. This is when Hailey and I found those great formals!

On Friday we cleared out the living room of couches and furniture and had our own Zumba class taught by Hailey. It was really fun! After getting sweaty we all took showers and raced off to the temple. I am spoiled now! What an amazing experience to be there all together. Hailey and I realized that I don't think we've ever gone through the temple together! How sad when you realize she's been married for 7 1/2 yrs! After the temple we went to the distribution center and then headed home to grab our stuff for "Wicked". Mom had gotten early tickets by buying them through the Red Lion. So we got to stay in a room there and have a shuttle (our "sweet ride" was a school bus)to and from the show. After grabbing our overnight bags we went to our dinner reservations at PF Chang's. The highlights were the Crispy Green Beans (appetizer), Chang's spicy Chicken and the Beef a la szechuan. We took a Great Wall of Chocolate to go! (we shared that on the bed in the hotel in our jammies after the show, why didn't I get a pic of THAT?? I guess I was too busy enjoying all it's chocolatey goodness and the awesomeness of the present company!).

After dinner we raced back to the hotel and prettied ourselves up then caught our cheese wagon to the opera house. We got there just in time and the show was spectacular! At first our Glinda was doing a funky thing with her voice (think like the Glinda on "Wizard of OZ"), but thankfully, her shrilly voice was reserved for when she was in the bubble and the rest of the show was breathtaking! After the show was over we caught our pumpkin ride back to the hotel where we got hot chocolates and put on our jammies and ate chocolate cake in bed and didn't even remember there was a TV in the room.

Saturday morning after realizing the hoops one had to leap through to get the "free breakfast" at Red Lion we bailed and went to the "Rocket Bakery" for breakfast. Sadly, there quiche was nowhere near as good as the one at Rockwood Bakery, but mom's sandwich was spectacular. Then we shopped a bit downtown and then got to go visit a friend and tour her fabulous Italian villa.

Next we got french fries and milkshakes (yeah, for lunch, 'cause you can do that if you don't have to set a good example and be reasonable for your children) and we were going to go running, but decided that we'd rather shop some more, so we did! HA! But after we went shopping, we did go running (well, Hailey and Rachael did, but Mom and I walked. Man, I forgot what it was like to have hills). And then we went and got more amazing food at Ferrantes and gelato. I got the dark chocolate and the peanut butter/chocolate. It was like the most decadent Reese's Peanut butter cup or Buckeye that you've ever eaten. Cravable.

After we got home we watched "Sara's House" for a bit and talked a lot. So sad, we had to get packed to leave the next day after church. It always goes too fast. Luckily, Hailey and I got to travel together. It's gonna be really painful when she leaves Chicago next July. I'm already bracing myself.

It was nice Sunday morning to have time to have breakfast together. Church didn't start until 11am. Directly after Sacrament meeting we came home, changed our clothes, grabbed our bags and raced off to the airport. The trip home took Hailey and I through the Sea-Tac airport. Too bad Rachael didn't fly also! Hailey and I got into Chicago at midnight on Sunday night. Steve (and the boys too) was a saint and picked us up. The next day I got up and drove back up to MI. I tried to talk Craig into blowing off the ward picnic (it was sweltering+humid)and meet me at the beach, but he had to be there. Luckly, after I got home and Sophie had her nap we all went to the pool! It was the only decent thing to do on a day that hot and humid!

Craig had to get up and leave for a business trip the next morning but I was all rehabbed and ready to become Mommy again! What a great trip!