Girls Weekend

Thursday evening I flew in to Spokane with Lainey to spend the weekend with Steph, Sara, and Cortney!  On the flight there, I was seated next to a gentleman who said I was in luck for being assigned to sit by him because he loved babies and I had Lainey there.  He broke out his phone and showed me a picture of his baby back home and began to tell me no one loves babies more than him.  Just then, the stewartess announces that the plane is only half full and therefore, everyone can move around the plane and have a row to themselves.  I thought the guy would move (I was pinned in by the window), but he sat there quietly as the other passengers moved around.  I wanted to get up so bad because Lainey is super wiggly and was constantly going for the guy's phone or book or sleeve, etc.  But I didn't want him to think I "disagreed" that I had sat next to the absolute best person for Lainey and I to be stuck with.  And appearantly he didn't want to do anything that would retract his statement either because he didn't move.  So we were not only the only row with two people in it on the entire flight, but the only row with THREE.  I had to laugh at my chances.  But, of course, since that's how it usually is when we fly anyway, we were fine.

Thursday night, we four friends and Lainey went to dinner, then Cortney started her evening shift at work at the airport while the rest of us went home to Sara's where we were staying for the weekend.  Her boys were at their dad's house and she had changed out all the boys' bedding with pretty quilts and Cortney had baskets she had made with treats and hotel-like samplers of not just lotion and shampoo but LOTS of fun things there for us.  They super spoiled Steph and I.

Friday, we all got pedicures and did some shopping. 

At home, that evening, we ate yummy home made sweet popcorn mix and artichoke dip while watching a movie.  Would have been 2 movies but we decided to take some pictures and it took us 45 minutes to get a good one because we kept laughing or messing up!

 

Saturday we went to their ward's Super Saturday, had the tasty soups both Sara and Cortney had made for it, and made some fun crafts.

 

 

 

 Then we took Lainey to a babysitter for 4 hours while we went to an amusement park!  We rode all the rides we usually never ride because we usalluy have kids with us.  Several times on the roller coasters and twice on the one that slowly slides up a giant pillar, then DROPS you to your death!  After the second time, Cortney asks if we're done riding that ride because that's the one a girl got her legs amputated on by a snapped cable a while back.... AH!  So we were done with that one.  It was really fun.  And my neck survived all the jerky roller-coasters going back and forth and upside down. 

 

 

 

That evening I got to meet up with Rachele!  She lives in Lewiston, less than 2 hours away and she and John drove to Spokane to do some shopping for the day so we met up at Chile's for dinner.  It was great to get to see them again!

Sunday we had a lazy morning.  Sara's mom came over to say hi.  I hadn't seen her in years since they moved from Alaska back in high school.  It was great to catch up while making and eating breakfast.  We also worked in the kitchen to get dinner started- Cafe Rio's pulled pork burritos and fruit pizza.  We attended their 1:00 church.  Then we had our dinner at Cortney's house with her family.  Her husband, Jeff, is Sara's older brother.  We were all friends when we were kids.  They have a beautiful family!  Jeff is a great photographer and he took pictures for us.

And then we all messed with the pictures a bit on a photoshop type of program.  Too much fun. 

That night we did a bunch of coupon clipping in each of our Sunday papers we got.  Cortney is a couponing queen and she taught us the ropes! 

And while we clipped, we ate caramel apples!

Monday we went shopping again.  We used a few coupons and hit some awesome sales.  Maybe a little too much shopping because I almost couldn't zip shut my extra suit case that was empty when I came! 

While we were at the stores we bought coupon binders and fillers for Sara, Steph and I to use Cortney's coupon system and really get good at it.  It was all so much fun and so relaxing!  I have such amazing friends. We lost contact for a few years after high school and several moves, and I feel so blessed to have them back in my life again.  They mean so much to me and I'm grateful for Todd for not only being willing to take the kids for me to go once a year to see them, but for encouraging me to do so. 

I'm also grateful for Lainey, who was an angle on our trip.