We Ran Away

Last weekend I ran away with my handsome cowboy...

We were long overdue for a good trip away . What with a new baby, the firefighting season and then the deer hunt, we hadn't had a lot of quality time together. So, we decided to take a (late) anniversary trip. And we didn't want to drive far, so we decided to simply go down to St. George. 

My awesome and wonderful mom agreed to come watch our kids, well most of them. We brought our cute little Rory along on the trip.

Doesn't he have the best smile? That's one of the things I loved
about him on our very first date, that great big happy grin.

And do you want to know the best part of this trip? 

We didn't have any plans! I'd gotten us a hotel room in St. George. But that was about it. We were open to whatever. We just wanted time. Together. To talk and laugh and chat and enjoy each other without little ones needing our atention.

So, as we were driving along the freeway, Ryan asked if I wanted to go drive out to a spot where he's been on some camp outs with our oldest son and the other scouts in our ward. I said, "Sure!" Why not, right? I didn't really care what we did. I just wanted to be with him. 

We drove out to a place they call Babylon or Sand Cove on mega-bumpy roads. What a beautiful place it is out there! Sometimes we really take for granted this lovely place we live. I mean, come on! Look at those colors!

We'd packed us some sandwiches and grapes, so we munched our lunch while I fed Rory. Then we decided to get out and hike around a bit. We held hands and talked about everything under the sun. Literally. :) He is such a fun person to chat with. He has a great sense of humor. He even let me ramble on about the plot of the new book I'm writing. And he offered some great suggestions for my magic system! Yep. He's an excellent husband of a crazy fantasy writer. 

Later when we got back in our suburban and were heading back toward the main road, we spotted this Desert Tortoise. Of course, we had to check him out! His little neck reminded me of Rory when he stretches his little skinny neck up.

Back on the road, we headed toward an outlet place to check out microwaves. Our's broke and we really really need a new one! When we got there I wanted to rest my eyes for just a bit more. Ryan realized we were close to Sand Hallow. So, he started heading that way. When I woke up we checked it out. It's so big! We need to go back there with our kids. Then this guy needed a break from his cage (aka car seat)...

Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?! He's a pretty fun traveling companion.

We eventually got to St. George and checked into our hotel. I fed Rory again (yep, he's a hungrey fella) and we headed to dinner at one of our very favorite restuarants, The Olive Garden. We went there on our honeymoon so, it's a popular spot for us on anniveraries.

We both ordered the same thing, Chicken Parmigiana, which is what I always order there. And it was fantastic, as always. Rory was a wee bit grumpy, so after a bit I had to plop him in the sling and put him to sleep. And then I proceeded to eat the rest of my dinner while trying not to drip sauce, noodles or chicken on his head.

Ryan and I talked about going to a movie, but decided to just hang out at the hotel and watch TV. MNy cute man went out for milkshakes at Icebergers later. I asked for a mini cookie dough shake. I'm trying to be healthy. I had no idea their minis were GIANTS! I couldn't believe it when he walked back in with two humungous shakes! 

I love getting away with Ryan. It's so nice to spend so much uninterupted time together!And I also love it when we have a little one to take with us on our trip. It was great spending time with that little guy. I love our happy brood of kiddos, but it's nice to have the chance to focus on just one of them. I've heard some mommas talk about how they don't like being tied down to their babies when they're nursing. 

Personally, I love it. Love, love, love this time. Love him needing me and being the one who gets to take care of him. Being a momma is the best (Ok. Sorry for my foray into the sunny hills where the birds are singing and the roses bloom....I know blogs can sometimes make everything sound so lovely and perfect. It's not. Babies are loads of work. But still, I love it.)

The next day we slept in and grabbed a late breakfast of scrambled eggs, waffles and sausage at the hotel. Yum! Those malted hotel waffles are the very best. 

I met a super nice lady in the waffle line. We got chatting about this and that, what we were in town for, where we were from. Sometimes my family laughs at me about all the strangers I start chatting with wherever we go, but it's fun! I love meeting new people and learning abou them.

Later Rory started fussing after Ryan and I sat down and started to eat. This nice lady offered to take him while we ate our food. How nice is that?! She sat nearby and played with him and we were both able to eat with full use of both hands! Fantastic.

We did a bit of shopping at the nearby outlet mall. Rory needed new jammies since he's growing out of his so fast. In a store I spotted Ryan checking out some little girl skirts that were ruffled and sparkly. "Whatcha doing?" I asked. 

"I was trying to find the price. I thought Molly would like this." 

How cute is that? 

Next we went to see Red 2 in the theater and loved it! Such a great flick. 

Afterwards, Ryan took me to Chic-Fil-A for lunch because it is my very very (cannot write very enough times) favorite restuarant in the whole entire universe. And I was extremely good and didn't order the 12 piece nuggets for myself and instead got the Cobb Salad, which was heavenly. 

I tried to eat healthy on this trip, but...well, actually let's say, I tried to eat healthier. I still ate breaksticks at The Olive Garden. And I enjoyed half of that giant cookie dough shake. I loved the waffle and sausage for breakfast. And I let myself have some of those little bits of shang-ri-la called Chic-Fil-A nuggets. Because even though I'm eating healthier, I'm still going to let myself indulge every now and then. And sure I probably could've dropped another pound if I'd stayed away from all the extra fat and calories, but, oh well. It was fun. And the food tasted great. 

Next....(Now this shows how much that man loves me!)...I ran into Target to do some quick shopping while Ryan drove around with a sleeping Rory. I dashed through the aisles, throwing things in my cart and whipping into the dressing room to try on clothes. I think I was in and out of there in 45 minutes. That's a personal record. 

On the way home, Rory was a bit sad. But we didn't want to stop because we needed to get back so my mom could get on the road and get home. I pulled out a container of Tic Tacs hoping Rory would like the noise. And boy did he ever...

Isn't that the best sound?

We came home to happy, huggy kids who'd had a great time with their Grandma. My mom made us Chicken Tetrazinni (which was very very good!) so were ableto simply belly up to the table after we saw her off. Isn't she the best?

Yep. It was a great trip. Great to go and great to come home, too.