The mileage machine!

With 17 hours in my old city to visit friends (and 6 of them filled by sleep), I wanted to make the most of my time.  I wasn’t able to see EVERYone, but the friends I did manage to visit……QUALITY time.

The trip was spontaneous-ish and came about because a sweet friend is moving from my old city to Washington D.C. with her family.  I happened to be taking a few days off of work at the same time.  The girls lucked into a VBS @ a Catholic school the next town over for the same week (with my neighbor who was driving there AND back!!).  Hubby was on board and encouraged me to go.  And so, the quick “up and back” plan was hatched. 

Our son had a dentist appointment (cavity?!?!?!  what the????) @8, so after his appointment, I went for a walk (knowing I had a fantastic dinner coming that night and wanted to “make room”), showered and packed.  It’s amazing how quick you can get ready when you are only packing for yourself and only for a night.  And so I was off for Mom’s night out……4 hours away…..and here’s how my time away shook out:

1. Cruising down the interstate solo provides ample opportunity to listen to WHATEVER.  I.  WANTED.  TO!!!  Lots of Catholic Channel on Sirius in which I was able to actually follow a story without losing my train of thought to break up an argument.  Caught up on Among Women podcast, hung out with Gus Lloyd on Seize the Day, learned about a movie on The Catholics Next Door called “Five Blocks Away” and chuckled at with Lino Rulli.  A movie being produced by a parish in Kennesaw, Georgia.  Exciting stuff!  They are in the awareness and fundraising phase and if you donate (even a small amount) your name can be in the credits!  Fabulous way to support Faith based movies!!

1. Due to coffee and MUCH water post a.m. walk I only had one “rest area” stop which was QUICK!!!  And then I realized I needed gas, but since I had Hubby’s awesome gas mileage car that was also a QUICK and inexpensive trip (compared to my usual ride:  the bus).
2. No one asked “how much longer?”  Not even once.  Seriously!
3. I made it in time to drive with my girlfriend to drop off her kiddos @swim practice and an unplanned and delicious trip to The Cake Shop for some treats.

Yummy, right?!?!

1. Caught up with my other girlfriend’s WAY TOO GROWN UP kiddos and managed to get ready for our dinner in 20 minutes AND had time to read a bit.  Getting only myself ready to go somewhere was a foreign experience…..and frankly a bit boring.
2. A leisurely dinner and Round-the-Table game of “your turn” in being brought up to speed on my friend’s lives.  AND I got to hold the baby!!!   for a few minutes anyway, until he realized I wasn’t the milk truck….  These women (about whom I plan on blogging in the next day or two) have been tremendous Sisters in Christ for the past 12 years, and that my dear readers, is a blessings WORTHY of its own post!!
3. Stayed up chatting WAY past my bedtime.  Read in bed for another hour.  Managed to get myself caffeinated and out the door to get home in time for our daughter’s birthday preparations before she was home from VBS.  Another blog post in progress…..me and my baking AWESOMENESS…you really won’t want to miss that one…be sure to “Follow” and stay up-to-date on all minutiae in my life!

Blessings and head on over to Conversion Diary with Jen and the multitudes and see what’s shakin’ around the world!

**so if you keep entering it throws the number off your bullet points, but there ARE 7…..soooooo…yeah, I have a  bunch of errands to get going on, it’s all good!  😉