Anniversary Getaway

Victor took this picture of us before we dropped him off (really we found that fairly impressive). He loves our new iPhones (and will probably be teaching us how to use them in about 2 weeks).

He was really excited to play with boys and trucks, so he did great when we left.

Ben and I headed north, stopping for lunch at Arby's (in nostalgia from our wedding evening dinner).  We also got an oil change.  When you're in seminary, working, and/or pregnant (or the whole combination thereof), that just makes sense on an anniversary getaway...

We stopped in Cambridge for a look around a bookstore (and a new baby name book), a pleasant but rainy walk, and dinner at the Peoples' Cafe.

The Peoples' Cafe was a terrific stop... huge, fluffy pancakes plus meat and eggs for Ben, and a nice cheeseburger and fries with coleslaw for me.  Ben asked our waitress if there was anything we could pray about for her (she said there was a big swim meet coming up), and the two young ladies at the table behind us overheard and said they were praying with us and that was the neatest idea for witnessing and they planned to start doing that too.

It was dark by the time we got to our little home-away-from-home, but what a beautiful place it was!  

We spent most of the next two days reading, time praying and planning, stoking the fireplace, going for a walk, eating, and sleeping. We read some together, and Ben and I both dug into a just-for-fun book too (which was the first time in a really long time for that!).

Saturday we had a little Face Time with Victor.  He kept coming up and giving kisses for Mommy and Daddy (which almost made Mom cry).  But he did great.

This morning, we got our first little taste of the coming winter wonderland.

We headed off in the snow, but it was just gray and wet by the time we got back home.

Honestly, we loved our getaway, and it was such a refreshing and encouraging time in the middle of a pretty non-stop busy season.  Important for us, I think.

But one of the sweetest things was enjoying being home again as a family.

(Our welcome home included my opening the shoe closet and finding a mouse scurrying around inside... followed by various maneuvers eventually resulting in a farewell to aforementioned rodent.  But we're still hearing some noises in the ceiling, so that story may not yet be finished.)