Forty eight hours at Great Wolf Lodge

We have just returned from 48 hours at Great Wolf Lodge.  Before we left, I was king of feeling "blue" about this.  A water park didn't really sound like my idea of fun, and a vacation that was going to last only 48 hours (while being only 45 minutes) from home...well, it kind of sounded like cheating by calling it a vacation.

We had an absolute blast though!  There were so many fun things to do, and so many relaxing things!  The water rides were completely safe, even for us non-swimmers, and I had complete confidence in my children NOT being supervised every second.  In fact, we set up a home base and gave them check-in times of 60-90 minutes.  Not once did anyone miss a time.  I also loved the fact that there were restaurants on-site so we never actually had to leave the resort.  We parked when we arrived Tuesday and then got back in our vehicle today when we left.  We spent some of our evenings in the arcade, and Andrew and I hit the skiball games to help the kids with the ticket totals.  Thomas had been wanting a yo-yo forever, so he was very excited to turn in tickets for one!  I also loved the fact that he won the "jackpot" in one of the games and received 1000 tickets.  He promptly gave half to his sister.  We discussed how fun things are always more fun when we share them!  I had to laugh as he was pretty much our pogo stick...he was going, going, and going all the time...he absolutely loved every minute.  At the same time, as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out! 

We stayed in a room where the kids had a little (very little) space of their own, but most importantly they had their own TV.  Our bed was with a couch and a little table, and it was a perfect amount of space to share for 48 hours.  Everything there has a lodge feel, and that was fun too.

We all agreed, this was one of the most relaxing and fun vacations (and it very much was that!) that we've had in a long time!

A slow week

This past week has been really wonderful.  Although Robert's confirmation doesn't feel like it was an entire week ago, as a whole, the week moved slowly.  It was a very unscheduled week with the exception of the twice daily swim practices.  But because those happen so early in the morning and then again late in the evening, it really felt as though each day was moving slowly.  It's been very nice.

Thomas had a cold this week that caused him to miss practices, but he seems to be feeling a little better now.  This week is much busier than last, and part of that is due to our two-day getaway to Great Wolf Lodge.  We are so excited for this!

Employed

Robert is now employed.  He has received a job at a fast food place here in town.  I'm guessing he will begin in about a week.  We still need to get the work permit put together, and we are going to be out of town for a few days in the middle of the week so it looks as though it will be next weekend before he can begin.  He is not in love with this job particularly, but at his age there simply weren't a lot of people hiring.  Hopefully this will encourage him to work harder in school so he isn't at fast food for the rest of his life!

A day that was good for my soul

Our former school district is still in session all of this week.  I've been through enough to know that things are pretty laid back and informal this week, so I decided to take Catherine and Thomas over to visit former co-workers and friends.  We timed it so we would be there during the lunch/recess time in order to be as non-disruptive as possible.  It was so fabulous to be able to see so many wonderfully familiar faces.  It is so flattering to be as missed as I am.  There were lots of smiles, hugs, and conversations during our visit.  Thomas was even there was the fifth graders ate lunch and he was very welcomed.  Although I shed some tears on the way home, I still whole-heartedly believe this is where we are supposed to be.  At the same time, seeing so many friendly and familiar faces was definitely good for my soul.

We make a good team

I am so incredibly blessed to be part of this team...the team that is my marriage.  I've always known that we are good together, but parenting teens has shown me this even more so.  As we were dealing with an incident a few weeks ago and I was demonstrating tough love, my husband commented that I was very strong to be able to do so.  He felt that I was stronger than he.  I was flattered that he felt that way, but the truth is, there are so many things in parenting that I couldn't do without him.  Right now he is out, and has been for hours, with Robert pounding the pavement for a job.  Andrew made sure that he was dressed appropriately and practiced what to say, how to say it, and how to shake hands.  Robert is very, very good at speaking to adults and apparently has had a good deal of success.  I am so grateful to Andrew for handling this particular step of parenting.  I am so very grateful to be part of this team.

A fun lunch out

Today our family headed to a lake.  This isn't the lake where my dad had his cottage, but rather one that is only about 20 miles west of here.  We've known many people who have gone over for recreational reasons, and we were also aware of a restaurant that is right on the water.  We spent some time driving around and then found the restaurant.  I kept telling the kids that we had no intention of eating out, but honestly, as long as it was open (and had inside seating available...it's only in the 50's today) I was planning to have lunch there.  The food was absolutely fabulous and although it's a bit pricey, it is fun to have a surprise like that everyone once in a while!

Confirmation

Yesterday was Robert's confirmation.  After some very warm weather late last week, it was a cool and damp day...but that doesn't matter inside a church!  There were six students confirmed yesterday, and I was very pleased that Robert spoke with such poise.  We were joined at the church by Andrew's parents, Robert's godparents, and Thomas' godfather and fiance.  They came back to our house afterwards and my mother, sister, grandmother, and two aunts joined us as well.  We all really enjoyed visiting together.

Andrew's parents left after breakfast this morning.  We all came back and took a little nap.  While there are certainly things we need to accomplish, today we are allowing ourselves to enjoy the clean and quiet house!