Time away with ME

ME and I took off last week for a quick getaway before all the "big Kids" got out of school. For those of you that do not know her, she is my strong-willed, loud, vibrant, vocal, dramatic, smart, and enthusiastic 5 year old biological daughter that keeps us going from sun up to sun down.


(I failed to take my camera with me this past weekend, so here she is last summer at the beach!)

She is a social child by nature and wants so much more of me. I just don't have enough of me to go around, so J and I decided some time away with just she and I might help the situation.

I had a free night voucher for a Marriott Resort, so we headed to my college town Birmingham to stay at Ross-Bridge resort for two nights. Upon our arrival to town we stopped at some dear friends house for a quick visit with them and their daughters. I hated we did not have more time to spend, but we had to get to our destination as we quickly learned that the pool indeed had a water slide. Once we checked in, ME declared, "let's just throw on our bathing suits and don't even unpack." She was the boss, so we did. She must have gone down that water slide 48 times that one day. It was a sight and she even talked me into doing it, only twice. After our session at the pool, we decided a night in the room with robes on and room service would fit our needs. We ordered yummy food and even an episode or two of Hannah Montana. (fun times) After a great night of sleep, (of course we had to sleep in the same bed, even though we had to QUEEN beds)we headed back out to the pool for a day of fun and swimming. We tried out the hot tubs, indoor and outdoor, the swimming pools, indoor and outdoor, and of course once again, the water slide. We were thrilled to find out the pool snack bar was open for the day and in crewed a $45 tab as we enjoyed burgers, sweet tea, and gelato for the day.

After a full day, we headed in for showers and then a dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We of course split a piece of divine cheesecake and even a decaf coffee. We then enjoyed a fun time shopping for bathing suits and even enjoyed a trip into Claire's. When you have little girls, a shopping trip is not complete until you hit Claire's. Luckily on this day, the store had a 10 for $10 sale, she delightfully selected items she could bring home to her siblings. Precious. After an evening of shopping we headed back to the hotel to enjoy "Horton Hears a Who". Did you know you can save your movies that you order in a hotel? That is fabulous because she was of course too tired to continue the movie and conked out quickly. The next morning we ordered room service and dined on bacon and cheese grits. Sadly, we had to leave by noon, so we headed to the pool for TWO MORE hours. They went by so quickly and ME cried when we had to leave as she had finally made friends with several girls that morning.

I loved my special time with her. She can be so demanding of me, but I realize so often that all she needs is me, my time, and my attention.

( I forgot to thank my awesome husband that funded our shopping spree and trip, Thanks J, and thanks for helping me get away, making it happen, and keeping up with the gang, so we could go.)

Dear Lord, give me more hours in the day, so I can spend more time with all of my children, especially those that need me more than others. Thank you Lord for special time with my little live wire. I pray for more times in the future where we can spend those quality times together.