Our trip, day one

Well, we got a little bit of a late start, due to the driver insisting that she get enough sleep the night before. The plan was to leave at 5 am, but I got to bed much later than I thought I would and ended up sleeping in. We didn't end up leaving until 9:30 am. The trip itself was pretty uneventful, a little bickering in the car (not Mike and I!) and some traffic jams, but other than that, it went very smoothly. We stopped for lunch at Friendly's, which was a treat because we rarely eat out anymore. We arrived at Denise and Nick's a little after 5 pm.

Once we walk in their house, we feel instantly at home, which is great. The kids are so cute! I can't believe how much E is talking and how tall JJ and Nate have gotten. GracieGirl was a little shy with me for the first few minutes, but quickly got over it. As is often the case with mommies of toddlers, Denise was taking her morning shower when we arrived!. Nick cooked a delicious sausage dinner for us (even though I don't really like sausage, it was very good) after he and Mike ran to the store for some supplies. I think we are going to start a new tradition of sending Mike to the store with Nick because I think that was the shortest time Nick has ever spent in a store! Let's just say that Nick is a "take your time" shopper and Mike is a "get the heck in and out as fast as possible" shopper. Since Mike drove, Nick was forced to shop quickly or walk home!

CUP came with us and is staying with his friend, Janine, who lives nearby. Janine came over to pick him up and we got to meet her for the first time. Now, I didn't really feel like it was my first time meeting her since she and CUP have known each for many years and she and I have talked on instant messenger and even on the phone once. She is just as wonderful in person as I thought she would be! She even brought gifts for the whole family, which was unexpected and very sweet of her. The gifts she brought were perfect, too, she somehow knew exactly what everyone would like. I was impressed! She also brought a yummy plate of cookies. We had to put the cookies away because Denise's kids have so many allergies, but those of us who are not allergic are sneaking them. After Janine left, Denise made the comment that she is one of those people that you just instantly know you like. Thanks for coming, Janine, and for taking CUP off our hands!!!

I have one complaint about this resort. My room was rearranged and I don't do well with change. I complained to Nick, but he said it was for my own good and I would just have to deal with it. If the company wasn't so great here, I would think about upgrading to the Motel 6 next time! I guess the chair lift that takes me up the stairs also makes up for the disturbance in my room.

I will try to post some pictures, but they will be mostly kids because Denise made me sign a contract not to post any of her!

Oh, I almost forgot, Drew broke his collar bone yesterday. He was playing football and a "big guy" tackled him. He went to the urgent care center and they sent him to the ER. They immobilized it and told him to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday. Here we go again, but at least it isn't a leg!