Out and about

Last week I was blessed with the opportunity to go with some very good friends for a girl's time out. We had a blast, and it was very refreshing to just hang out with such wonderful ladies, and go shopping and swimming. And the most important, of course, was LOTS of talking! Love those ladies!

Just a couple days later, we left for the Lake Home and Cabin Show in Milwaukee. Now that was a bit challenging! It was too far away to drive back and forth every day, so we stayed in a hotel. We had many adventures, such as trying to park the enclosed trailer in a parking garage that gave us only a couple inches of clearance to the ceiling, and whose parking spots must have all been designed with an economy car in mind. We also had to run to Walmart to grab a few last minute things, and I fought culture shock as we ended up at the most disorganized, crowded Walmart I've ever seen--made me think inner city, though it wasn't. I know, I'm a country girl all over! But the show itself went well, and we made a lot of contacts.

We went down to Milwaukee early Friday morning, and spent the day Friday setting up the booth and moving into our hotel room. And taking naps, to make up a little for the early morning start! Then on Saturday I took the children to the zoo while Jere manned the booth. Now, that was interesting, driving the big truck out of the parking garage, through downtown Milwaukee, to the overcrowded zoo (which, on an odd chance, was having a free day--nice on the pocketbook, but VERY crowded!), and then pulling out of the parking spot where others had parked very close. So much for choosing a nearly empty parking lot so I could maneuver! Big city attractions are obviously made with small cars in mind...

At any rate, the children had a blast at the zoo! There's been a lot of talk around our house the last couple weeks on bears, so it was nice to see bears in real life that weren't all that scary. :-) Jaron, for the first time, was able to read the plaques when he wanted to, so that was an exciting discovery for both of us!

The thrill of the day was getting to ride a miniature train. The boys were pretty pumped about that, and I was really glad for the opportunity to rest my weary feet! And, to have all three children contained in one spot for once, not getting lost in the crowds.

We came home again Sunday night. It ended up being later than expected, as the truck ran out of fuel thanks to a malfunctioning gauge. At least we had just gotten off the freeway so there was a gas station relatively close. Only, that one didn't have diesel... Needless to say, it was 9 before we got our supper and midnight till we got home. Ah adventures! I was just glad to see my bed...