Epic Summer Vacation, Part 1

Two weeks ago, the kids and I embarked on a mini-Midwest tour. We picked my mom up on the way. And then we all stayed with my sister and her family in eastern Nebraska. I left the kids and my mom in eastern Nebraska and drove Highway 20 straight into central Iowa for my annual girls' spring break weekend.

Before the festivities began, I got to catch up with S. from Simply Bike and Bobbie from Run Bobbie Run. While I met these ladies through their respective blogs, I am so glad I was able to spend time with them in person. Both ladies are active, healthy moms with lovely personalities. It was also a treat to visit with S. about academia and motherhood and what it all means. There aren't many women in my life who can relate to that. I even got to take a short bike ride with S.

dinner with S. and Bobbie // an #everydayonabike ride with S.
Katie and Jayne in downtown Des Moines // only missing one spring breaker this year

Then off to Des Moines for our wild girls' weekend. Every year, I meet up with three old, dear friends from Iowa State. We used to attach it to spring break vacation because for the longest time, at least one of us was still in school. Between the four of us, we have four bachelor's degrees, two PhDs, one JD, three husbands and five kids! Two of us own our small businesses. One lives in Minneapolis, one lives in San Francisco, one lives in SINGAPORE and I live in Denver (obviously). The fact that we still make it a priority to go on these girls' weekends is impressive and important. This year, we did miss one friend who had just had a baby the week before the trip. It wasn't the same without her there.

When we were younger - before kids and jobs and middle age - we used to party like we were on spring break. Dance and drink and dance. Stay up late, sleep in late. Over the years, our activities have changed a bit. This year, we got massages and pedicures, went out for a nice dinner and then had a drink or two back at the hotel. We still stayed up late, but we mostly just talked. And enjoyed each other and our vastly different lives. We spent Saturday doing just about the same thing, and also included a one-year-old birthday party in the festivities.

I woke up early on Sunday to head back to Nebraska to pick up the kids and my mom. The kids were happy and exhausted from a long weekend of playing with their cousins, swimming nearly everyday and generally enjoying not having a schedule. We made it back to Denver with a full 24 hours to spare before our next big road trip.