Mom & Dad need breaks too!

We have been adjusting to our fall schedule as it is slowing down tremendously after our month or so intense busy time at DTI. This is the first year both Dave and I have been employed by the same company and we did not predict the toll that would take on us as we battled through the busiest time of year together...as co-workers and as parents. End of July through end of August or so is DTI's "crunch" time of year and we both put in a lot of extra hours to keep up. Usually, we could juggle or hand off some shared duties around the house while one or the other is unusually busy. This time...well, lets just say we didn't invite a lot of visitors over for dinner much since the kitchen was rarely cleaned! I finally feel like we are recapturing control of the house and our sleeping time! Whew! After an end to our busy summer we both made plans for some trips with our friends :)
For me, this meant a day trip with the girls. For Dave, this meant a weekend long trip with the guys. Apparently he needs a little more time away to recuperate...or he just can't handle having mom gone for more then a day with the kids by himself :) To be honest, 1 day away is plenty for me...I miss my kids by evening anyways! Some girlfriends and I headed to DesMoines for the day. It was a great day to spend with the girls doing not much of anything...some shopping, some eating, some chatting, some sitting. It was a great day! I had saved up some birthday money and even did a little spending on...myself! I usually buy for my kids when I spend and it was fun to shop for myself a bit. A little selfish of me, but I enjoyed it for the day :-) I am a woman who needs some time to just connect with the girls (especially when I live with a house full of boys!) and this day trip was just what my body and soul needed! Thanks girls!
Dave headed to Nashville and on the way down the guys stopped in St Loius for a Cardinals game. They went to the Vikings game in Nashville and stayed at a friend's place. From what I've heard...they had a great time too. Dave was tired when he returned, but ready to plunge back into normal life after he got back. A perfect get away for the both of us! We both feel so blessed to have such great friends to do special things like this with. We're already thinking of next years location for our day (or weekend) away! Whoo-hoo!