Chicago (this is a long one!)

This past weekend Brett and I got to go to Chicago and spend an amazing weekend reconnecting with our friends Marc and Tonya all under the pretense we were there for a management conference.  Brett and I have planned many trips to get together with Marc and Tonya and the rest of our KC family but for one reason or another we haven't been able to make it happen but it was time to make the dream come alive!

Marc and Tonya are people we originally met during under graduate school in Sterling, KS and while Brett and Marc spent some time together there in Sterling I really only knew Tonya as a previous volleyball player (she graduated the year before I came to Sterling but was still involved with the program and in other things on campus).  But our friendship really began in Kansas City.  About a year after Brett and I were married and were living in Kansas City there were I think 5 or 6 couples from Sterling that moved up to Kansas City, Marc and Tonya were one of them.  Marc decided to go to chiropractic school as an extension of his interest in sports medicine.  What began as the guys playing on a softball team and Tonya and I supporting them at their games turned into spending at least one evening each weekend together.  Tonya and I were usually scrapbooking until the wee hours of the night while Brett and Marc watched sports, played sports, watched movies or whatever.  Of course there were the countless games of dominos and cards played as well.  They quickly became that couple with whom we spent most every weekend, who we could call and say "we're coming over" and they didn't feel like they had to make a big to do of it or they could just tell us "not tonight" and vice versa.  We all got a long great!

It was also so exciting (and a little scary given the stage in life we were all in, that being in school and making no money) when we found out we were both pregnant!  Our Ella and their Blake were born less than 4 hours apart - fun huh?!  Needless to say when God was leading us out of K.C., leaving them was the hardest part.  Brett and Marc stay in touch quite a bit since they are both now practicing and are great encouragers for each other, they have even gotten to do a couple weekend trips together for different technique trainings.  Tonya and I on the other hand have had a hard time staying in touch regularly and often just get the update on each other from the guys.  Before this weekend I hadn't seen her for over 2 years which was only the 2nd time I had seen her since we moved out here in 2005.  

We miss them and the ease of their friendship terribly!  One of the hardest realities I have had to face in my life is when my mom said, "Beth you need to understand that there may never be another Marc and Tonya, that they were very special friends and those don't come along everyday."  They are truly so dear to our hearts.  I'll admit I was a little concerned about seeing them again after all this time and if there would be an akwardness since it had been so long since we had all been together, but let me tell you seeing them again it was like we hadn't missed a beat.  We had a blast together!  It was so fun to catch up with them and to laugh with them again . . . oh the laughing! 

Another blessing from the weekend was to spend some quality time with my sister's best friend Shelby.  It was so good to see her and talk with her and just love on her and the sweet baby boy she is expecting in a couple months.

Of course, I also enjoyed the car time with Brett as we drove to Chicago.  It's been at least 5 years since he and I took a road trip just the two of us.  I truly love my man and was blessed by the 20 hours of drive time we spent together.

So here's a pictorial recap of the weekend:

Brett and I left Thursday and drove through to Louisville then took our time on Friday driving the rest of the way.  We ate dinner with Shelby Friday night before heading to the airport to get Marc and Tonya.  All four of us went to the morning sessions of the conference where we heard speakers Denis Waitley and Randy Snow.  Here is Brett and I with Randy Snow, an Olympic Hall of Famer and founder of NO XQs (I think that's right it's supposed to sound like "No Excuses").  Both speakers were incredibly entertaining and had amazing messages to share!

We headed to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory for some amazing food.  The guys went to the afternoon conferences while Tonya and I went back to our hotel room ate our cheesecake and rested which included not only watching what we wanted to on TV but also hearing it as well (those of you with kids will know what I mean by this).  Then Shelby joined us again just as the guys got back to the room and we decided we would take the suggestion of a man Marc and Tonya know to go downtown for dinner at Uno Pizzeria.  Apparently he and his wife enjoy this pizza so much they will take day trips from Wichita just to eat there.  When we got down there we found we were facing an hour and 30 minute to hour and 45 minute wait but decided it would be worth it.  So that allowed us to do some walking around downtown and of course some photo opportunities.

The four of us together again!

Me and Shelby

Me and Tonya

Marc and Tonya

After about an hour we headed back to the restaurant to see how things were progressing.  Let's just say we were really committed to eating there because we ended up waiting for over 2 hours just to get seated!  I wish I could say we waited as patiently and just enjoyed the time chatting but I would be lying.  We groaned everytime that speaker came on and announced another table of 4 begging them to let us have one of those tables and just put another seat at the end, I mean come on how hard would it have been?  The upside of the whole waiting process would have been missing the parade of nearly to totally naked bicyclers who were rode through the streets protesting something or other.  But then we finally got in and finally got to eat and I'll go ahead and admit this deep dish pizza was worth the wait!

Despite the grumbling and groaning we all ended up with smiles on our faces and very full tummies!

We headed back to the hotel where Marc, Tonya, Brett and I stayed up way too late chatting just like old times.  Sunday morning held a few more motivational messages and then it was time to get the Robertsons to the airport and Brett and I to hit the road again.  We made a quick stop on the way to the airport to say goodbye to Shelby and then we were on our way.  Here are a few last pictures from the hotel where we stayed:

Family Time

Brett and I went on a long weekend trip to Chicago this past weekend (which I will post next though I just created that post and am hoping that if I publish this one first it will stay in the right order when I publish our Chicago trip - does that make sense?)  Anyway, since we were going to be gone for so long we decided we needed to be sure to spend some quality time together Wednesday night.  We headed downtown for some ice cream and a stroll across the walking bridge.  Being that River Bend was going on there were lots of people and lots of music.  We had such a blessed evening.

Summer days

So here are some other random pictures from different occasions throughout May and this first week of June.  The last 10 pictures or so are from this past Thursday.  The girls and I were going to go to the Aquarium and we weren't sure if our friends were coming with us or not so we were waiting outside for them.  The girls got to playing in the water and we ended up playing there for about an hour.  I got in with them and we had all kinds of fun splashing each other and getting wet.  We were bummed about not seeing our friends but we had a good time nonetheless. 

Fun with Family!

My little sister and cousin came to visit us at the end of last month into the beginning of this month.  We had so much fun with them!  It was both of their first time to the south.

A few years back (actually probably at least 6 or 7) Anna had memorized a Jeff Foxworthy skit about his family going on vacation with their Piggly Wiggly luggage.  Well 4 years ago when I moved out here I actually got to go to visit a Piggly Wiggly and got Anna some "luggage" but when we started talking about her coming out here I decided she had to visit a Piggly Wiggly for herself.  The one I went to (in a little town called Ducktown) was cute and clean with lots of little pig faces around the border inside and let's just say the one I found for us to go to on our way home from the airport in Nashville was more, how should I say it . . . true to some of the stereotypes of the south.  We went inside to find it was not the cleanest or largest grocery store we had ever seen (don't think you could have gotten 2 carts down any one aisle at the same time) and we only found one little piggy face to take a picture.  It was above the door to the storage room and in the process of taking a picture we about got run over by the butcher with a huge tray of meat.  Anyway, we got some pretty crazy looks to which I explained we were from Wyoming and only heard about Piggly Wigglies, to them this was an acceptable explaination.  Upon waiting in line to buy a bottle of juice our experience was topped-off by the arrival of a topless man who really could have used a belt, as was evidenced by his 1-inch of . . . well I think you get the picture.  Needless to say it was everything she'd hoped it would be!  Anna has a better picture of us outside the Piggly Wiglgy with the awesome sign (amazing grammar included) but I haven't gotten it from her yet so I'll be adding it when she sends it to me.  But here is our picture from inside the store:

The first full day they were here they spent all day with Madeline and Ella while I worked (it was the day before the math final at the school where I tutor so I had a 10 hour day of tutoring).  Then we had 4 days to just play.  We of course hit up the aquarium, did lots of shopping, played at the park, barbecued, hung out at the market and played lots of cards.  So here is a slide show of the rest of our time together - Enjoy!