Shopping With My Girls..

This past weekend, three of my favorite girls and I headed to Ohio for an outlet shopping trip!

Sam, Debbie (Sam's mom), Abby and I shopped until we dropped.....literally!

Sam and Jason are the couple we do everything with.  Whether it's a weekend trip to the mountains or a day trip to the zoo, they are "our people." :)  

We've taken many road trips together- but this was the first one where we left the boys behind.  Just girls this time :)

We left Friday afternoon and made our first stop at the Cincinnati Premium Outlets.  It was such a nice outlet!  A beautiful outdoor mall!

Abby trying to decide what Yankee Candle tarts she will be buying....  we start them out young :)

And giving Sam the look that says "you will like and buy this red one, Mommy." :)

The outlet mall had a playground.....

And a Disney store...  so Abby and I were both happy.

Abby wanted everything she saw.  Gram (Debbie) pretty much bought her everything she saw :)  

I need a Gram.

Here she is trying to decide between "Nala" and a "Cars" phone.  She went with Nala in the end.

After shopping we went for Chinese food.  Abby sat on Gram's side of the table....  I think she knew Gram would make 39 trips to the buffet for anything she wanted .

Again...  I need a Gram.

I wish these wouldn't have turned out blurry...  Abby loves her Gram to pieces.

After we checked into the hotel, Sam, Abby and I went down to the hot tub.  

And then got ready for bed.  I begged Abby to sleep and snuggle with me...  which she normally would be tickled to do.  Except for I learned on this trip that Gram beats Aunt Kristin.....   next time Gram sleeps in the car. ;-)

The next morning we started bright and early.  We had serious shopping to do.  

We went to the Tanger outlet in Jeffersonville Ohio!  It was also a very nice mall.  They had a huge Pottery Barn outlet, which I've always wanted to visit.

Abby's favorite part of the outlet were the "rides" (that stole our money more times then not!).

She was such a good girl for us while we shopped!  She even took a nap.

After a full day of shopping, we went to dinner, and then Abby and I went to the pool that evening.

This was her first time in a big pool, and she was such a fish!  I asked her if she wanted to jump off of the side into the water (never dreamed she'd do it) and she was so excited.  She jumped off the side of the pool so many times that my arms were sore the next morning from lifting her back out each time.  Such a brave little baby!

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and go home....

And girl's weekend was over.

So I debated writing about this next part, but decided to do so for two reasons:

1. It's the truth... and definitely a "memory" from this trip.

2.  It shows how crazy I am about these girls.

So last year my mom and I went to Nashville for the night for a mother/daughter trip.  We had such a good time just the two of us, but I could have never made it a second night.  I was so "homesick" for Troy that I couldn't take it.  Most people would never understand this, but thank the Lord my mom did.  My mom has always had a tendency to get homesick for my Dad, and has just in recent years (due to traveling for her job) gotten over it somewhat.  I'm still a basket-case, and did it again this weekend with the girls.

On Friday night (while everyone was sleeping) I got so very "Troy-sick" as we have been calling it, that I didn't think I would make it.  I know it sounds so childish and dramatic- but it's just who I am.  It has happened before when I've traveled (without Troy).  I wish I could control it, but I can't.  It's an awful feeling!  I was so disappointed in myself for feeling this way- I wanted to be fine with going away without him for the weekend...  but I found at midnight, half way through our trip (that I was enjoying!?) that I wasn't fine.  I know...   you probably think I'm nuts... a big ol' baby.  I must say that I have to agree with you.  I wish I was one of these carefree girls that could take off for a week to cruise with their girlfriends in the Bahamas.  But I'm not.  Troy is my other half- and I miss him when I travel without him.  

Troy told me he would come and get me....   but one thing and one thing only kept me from letting him.

This.....

I had to remind myself that there was no reason to be homesick...  I was with my family.

I was with my best friend... who've I grown up with.....

Shared everything with....

have been most comfortable with......

and have shared all of life with.

Sam has this frame in her home (thank you Jason for sending it to me!).  It's a photo of me putting her garter on her on her wedding day....  and her doing the same for me on mine.  These photos were not planned- just a coincidence.  The frame says...

"Everyone has a best friend during each stage of life...  only a precious few have the same one."

I have this frame in our home....

That night during my meltdown, I looked over at Sam and Abby sleeping and told myself that there were no other people in the world I'd rather be with if I was homesick.  I was with family.....  the kind of family that we want....that we choose...  that we can't live without...  family that started as friends.

I WAS home.  

The next morning when I woke up, my "home/Troy sickness" had passed.  Sam had known for months leading up to this trip that there was a possibility I would have a hard time.  She is aware of my silly-ness.  I told her what had happened, but that I was fine now.  I was excited to spend the day shopping with my girls.  Minutes later, Abby woke up....sat up in bed and said...  "Mommy, I wanna go home."  

No Abby.  Please don't break.  Your Aunt Kristin can't handle you being homesick too. As it turns out Sam and her mom were the only normal ones in the bunch :)  HA!  

Abby was fine minutes later, and the four of us spent the rest of the day doing what we do best.....  being together.

To my girls......please don't think for a minute that I didn't enjoy our trip or have a good time. You know how strange I am with traveling without Troy (well....Debbie didn't.. but she does now!?  HA!) .... but maybe I'm getting better...  because I did it!?

Okay...  maybe not.

Sam.......I've told you before that I love that our husbands our such close friends.  How perfect!?  It means that we get to do "life" together.... all of us.... all the time.  However, I still love our girl/alone time together too, because it's where you and I began.  I cherish a talk in the car just us girls .....or a conversation over dinner...just us... more then you'll ever know.  Those simple things ....girl time things... are rare these days.... we normally have the whole crew in tow :).  Which is why these road-trips are so important...  and I can't thank you enough for making the time, planning, and doing this...   for us!  I'll always treasure it.  I love you so very much my friend!

And speaking of the boys.  While we were away, they spent the Saturday doing indoor go-karting, seeing a movie and eating barbecue.  I was so tickled that they got to spend some time together doing guy things.

Well..... that was my weekend.   I can't believe I wrote about all my weirdness/homesickness.. you'll probably never come back to read this blog again.

I promise it's the only strange thing about me....  no commenting from all of you that know differently :)

Have a good evening!

Kristin