Although we love our Florida family, nothing compares to thee established relationships we cherish in Iowa. My college girl friends are really some of the people I love most in this world and I am thankful they continue to love me despite being so far away. Our children also have 6 of their 7 grandparents residing in Iowa and one Uncle, one Aunt and one Cousin. Fortunately, Trey was visiting from Colorado at the time of our trip & Tiff came from Minnesota for the weekend...so most of their family was represented. Truthfully, I didn't spend a ton of time with my kiddos (particularly Carly) as they prefer hanging with their very fun grandparents, so I don't have a ton to share about them...other than they played, played, played, spent time being sick, played, played, didn't sleep, ate a little bit, played and enjoyed playing. Brian was also a rather boring companion as he sat in his Dad's recliner watching basketball the first few days & headed back to Florida early as he is a faithful provider for our family. SO! This meant I got to do essentially whatever I wanted. I ran in the freezing cold every single morning, took a shower at my leisure and spent much desired time having my soul filled with encouragement by dear friends. Here is my top 10 list from our Iowa trip (in no particular order).
1. Carley-time
I got to see Carley 4-5 of the 8 days were in Iowa! I really needed some time with this friend and she is one of my absolute favorite people to engage in conversation with. Really, she may be the best thought partner I have. Our life stage is quite similar & our core values line up nicely, which allows for productive encouragement. We also enjoy over-analyzing most things and appreciate self-reflection. Our boys are 10 weeks a part and we do hope someday they will be good playmates.
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| I really do want twins. Completely serious. |
My favorite day with her was probably the day when all the kiddos were sleeping and we got to sit on her porch drinking tea. It's not often mama's have the luxury of doing that.
2. Dinner with Lindsay
Typically, Linds & I try to coordinate a time when we can get our 5 kiddos together. It's always a joy to see them play, but this time we decided to take time to spend just the two of us. We met for dinner at HuHot & enjoyed conversing about all things marriage & babies. After all, that's what life is made up of these days. She's open & honest, asks good questions and is willing to share her joys & frustrations. We could have talked all night.
3. An evening with my college small group
Stacy, Jodi, Jen, Libby, Lindsey, Meg & Abby were a colossal part of helping me knit my thoughts and actions about marriage together while in college. Each living a spirit-filled life, these ladies were a huge encouragement to me; particularly while I was dating Brian. I find that each time I have the opportunity to sit down with this group of ladies (5 of the 8 of us were able to meet) I leave feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. It was such a good 3 hours.
4. Coffee with Renee
Renee has been one of my longest-standing friendships and I make sure to see her every time I am in Iowa. Kind, sensitive & thoughtful, my relationship with Renee holds many dear memories. Her & I actually had coffee at The Cafe one morning.
5. Sibling Coffee
My siblings & I have been in different life stages and different states our entire adult life; so getting together is SUCH A HIGHLIGHT OF LIFE. I love them both so dearly and appreciate hearing about who they are becoming with each passing year. My parents see the benefit in giving the sibs time alone, so they encouraged the four of us to head for coffee one afternoon. I don't think Brian, Trey, Tiff & I have spent much time just the four of us. It was really nice to hide in the back of Cafe Diem and enjoy one another's company for a few hours.
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| Me making fun of Tiff bc she said my hands didn't look cute in the first pic and we needed a re-do. This good enough, Tiff? ;) |
6. Running with Trey
Trey & I had some really meaningful chats during our morning runs. He is learning so much in his journey of getting his Masters in Counseling and also working as a youth director for a mega-church in Denver. I've known he was a good guy for years, but hearing what's on his heart was so refreshing for me.
7. Nathan's Birthday
We celebrated Nathan's 29th birthday at The Cheesecake Factory! Besides this restaurant being one of the best ever created, it was really special to spend time with Brian's family. I loved hearing about Nathan & Angel's day-to-day and seeing sweet baby Jackson. Nathan affectionately said he was excited to finish out his twenties and head into his thirties because he had everything he wanted. What a neat perspective. I MISSED HAVING KELLY and Aaron and Cora this Iowa trip but it made it MUCH easier knowing they were only a few short weeks away from being with us in FLA!
8. Dinner with Grandma & Trey
We had these big plans to drop the kiddos off at Brian's folks one evening (after Brian had returned home) so I could have an adult dinner with my family. It was the perfect plan. One more evening for Luke & Carly to spend with G&G and a relaxing out-to-dinner-experience for me. However, a high fever and two very needy, sleepy children changed all that. Carly recorded her highest fever yet, at 103 degrees and Luke was in his final stretch of "please get me back to Florida" attitude. Well...both kiddos went down for the night so my parents told Trey & I to meet my Grandma at Hickory park for a late dinner. WHAT A BLESSING! My parents are such servants. This was one of the most meaningful two hours I had while in Iowa. We laughed, cried, shared hopes & dreams, encouragement, confessions...my Grandma's wisdom dives much deeper than most and she always teaches me something when we are together. Goodness, so blessed!
And actually...since I'm on the topic of my Grandma...we had a brilliant day of "all-you-can-eat nachos & basketball" at Mimi's place. So maybe number 8 should just be Mimi in general. ;)
And actually...since I'm on the topic of my Grandma...we had a brilliant day of "all-you-can-eat nachos & basketball" at Mimi's place. So maybe number 8 should just be Mimi in general. ;)
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| The oldest & youngest members of the Stubbs clan |
9. Lounge time at the Weiss residence
It is so easy being at Brian's folks' house. Rhonda prepares the most elaborate dinners and always has snacks I just can't resist! They have a basement full of toys and the kids spend most of their time playing down there. I have very little parenting responsibility while there. I love my kids, but I'll be the first to admit it's a nice change of pace when I get to sit on the couch in peace. ;) They also made it possible for me to gallivant around the town getting my heart renewed. The other super fun thing about the Weiss household are the many Cyclone fans there. Even though we are still trying to forget the events of that first tournament game...we had fun preparing...
10. Ma & Pa
My Mom is the ultimate care giver & my Dad has enough energy to live well into his hundreds. ;) From the moment I walk into their house, my mom takes care of all my laundry, all the food prep & clean-up, changing of diapers, bathing the kiddos, etc, etc. My Dad takes care of feeding them candy and getting them completely wound up. Together they balance one another out. I have been beyond blessed to see them nearly every 6 weeks for the past few years and if they weren't so willing to visit us in Florida on a regular basis we would probably live in Iowa. Oops...did I just say that out loud?! Please don't stop coming to see us in order to force us North! ;) But, because I do get good quality time with them often, they were gracious about letting me spend quality time with my siblings; who I only see a few times/year. We did have some really great convos around the dinner table, and spent time playing cards. It's always quite stressful for me when Brian leaves and of course my kids decide to have the worst nights of the trips when he's gone. With Carly being sick, she wet her bed a few times, was up a lot in the night and needed medicine on a regular basis and of course Luke was so fed up with traveling he REFUSED to sleep on his own. I just couldn't do it. I gave C's monitor to my folks & would grin when I heard her yelling and one of my parents RUNNING down the stairs to aid to her call. Every time Brian leaves us early I say it's not worth it and I wont do it again....but every time we evaluate what our time will look like, the extra few days with family are always worth it.
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