Life is good

The past 5 days have been great. Richard and I flew to Chicago on Wednesday to visit our good friends Ryan and Martha and their twins, Ethan and Garrett. The trip started off with a miscommunication on the arrival of our plane and left Martha and the twins waiting for 3 hours! Oops... Fortunately, that did not set the tone for the entire trip. Instead of typing every exact detail of the trip, I am going to give you some highlights:

• We met Ethan and Garrett - cutest boys ever - and got to live a few days in the life of Martha - mother of twins, wife of a busy dentist, awesome friend to many, and always making people laugh.

• Richard got to spend a whole day with Ryan at the office. They got to talk about dentistry to their hearts desire.


• Martha and I went shopping with the giant stroller. You'd be amazed how many people talk about you as you pass, but do not even offer to help you open doors.


• Playing with Tackle. Tackle was an Alaskan husky they were taking care of. Beautiful, giant dog who didn't want to get his picture taken.

• Silver Beach Pizza - really awesome pizza. We almost finished off 2 large pizzas, but we had to same room for some really awesome ice cream for dessert.

• Lake Michigan and the town of St. Joseph. It was so great to see so many beautiful trees! They were everywhere and it reminded me of New York so much. And then there was lake Michigan, which was gorgeous. St. Joseph had a touristy-feel and I thought it was a great town and a great place to visit. We didn't get into the water because it would have been freezing, but we took a walk on the beach and on the pier. They even had a lighthouse!

• Meeting the Smith family (the dentist Ryan works with). We went to dinner with them at a local place called Clemintine's and also went to a surprise 50th birthday party for him. They are great.


• Playing cards at the chocolate store. Saturday afternoon we spent a few hours just playing cards and talking. It was one of the best parts of the trip.


• Hanging in the airport. Our flight was delayed to Chicago AND back to Omaha.

• And, I got an awesome new haircut from Martha. It feels great and is so easy to do in the morning.

So, I realized a few things during this trip. First of all, I love that we are in our mid-twenties. Second, I love our friends and I want to visit them as much as possible. Third, being a mom is a ton of work and I have a whole new appreciation for them. Martha makes it looks so simple and is an awesome. I hope I can be like her someday. Fourth, I can't wait to meet Ryan and Martha in the Honolulu airport in 61 days!

And now, here is a departing picture of those adorable twins, whom I already miss, in their new jeans. SO CUTE!