Our anniversary isn't technically until the end of the month, but Jon's vacation was the first of the month so that's just kind of how things worked out. Last year, we spent one night in Park City while the kids were with Jon's parents. We were gone for a total of 24 hours and it was the first time we had ever left any of them over night, other than to have a baby. Because my separation anxiety from them has been lessoned by pure exhaustion, I was ready for anything this year.
Initially, Jon wanted to go on a cruise just the two of us. That plan got majorly busted when I looked up the latest they'll late you cruise while pregnant- 24 weeks. So since that plan was crushed, we decided to keep it really chill and just head up to Kansas City. We did however, find a nice hotel with a HEATED pool. It had to be warm enough for me since I like to basically sweat from the hot water :)
So we drove up Tuesday late morning and stopped for some of the best BBQ in the US. Seriously. I had no idea until we rotated in Kansas City back in 2012 but they have some of the best BBQ in the country. Formerly Oklahoma Joe's and now just Joe's, is amazing. There are three or four in the city and all of them are pretty small. The one we went to is actually in a gas station. But don't let that fool you because the food rocks. I had just the pulled pork which was delish until I tried Jon's which was pulled pork and beef and that was even better. After a more than bursting stomach, we went to IKEA. We grabbed a few organizing things, but no major purchases this time. Our wallet thanks us. After that, we checked into our hotel and went swimming. The pool had a very nice and warm hot tub as well as an awesome lap pool. They have an outdoor pool as well that they decided to close for the first time this year. Bummer. However, the lap pool was cool enough that it was okay. It was more like a lazy river because it actually went in an oval so you didn't have to turn around. You just swim in a circle. Novel idea! Why does no one else do this?! I kind of didn't do much swimming because I can't coordinate my breathing while pregnant (yes I have problems). But I walked laps around the pool and that felt pretty good.
On Wednesday, we slept in. Like slept until 9! It felt great. We very slowly got ready and headed to the temple. I think this was my first temple trip since having kids that I didn't stress about getting there quickly to get back quickly so the babysitter wouldn't have to be there long. I didn't stress about memorizing every word. And I didn't even stress about trying to learn something new. I was just there to be there and enjoy the spirit. It was a different experience than I've had in a really long time and I think I learned more and felt much more peace than I have in a long time.
After the temple, we grabbed a few more gifts for the kids at Target. Then we headed downtown for dinner and the symphony. We found a sushi place just a few blocks away from the Haufman Center and decided to walk so we didn't have to find parking at dinner. Let's just say it was a nice brisk walk. Haha. I tried miso soup for the first time which I really liked but the sushi was just okay. It's crazy to me that my favorite sushi place is still in little old Springfield. Who would have guessed Springfield would have the best sushi?! The symphony that we attended was called, "Walking in a Winter Wonderland: Classics Unplugged." They played winter themed songs from several different classic composer. Some I was familiar with and some I was not. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show and was not bored for one second. I can hardly wait to take Vanessa to the kids matinee here in town now.
That night, we stayed up way too late watching a movie. We stayed up late to watch the 2nd Hunger Games so that we could go see the 3rd Hunger Games the next morning. But then, we were too tired and opted to sleep in longer and just make the drive home. Being that tired, however, made us miss a few turns and it took closer to four hours to get there. Oops.
It was great to spend some alone time with Jon and mostly just get a break from the endless needs of three kids. It was even more wonderful though to miss them and be able to come home to their craziness, sweet hugs, and tender kisses. I'm so grateful to my parents for coming out to watch the kids for us. We would not have been able to go without their help. I just don't think either of us would have felt comfortable leaving the kids with anyone else.
Happy seven years together Jon! I know it's cliché to say, but I really do love you more today than I did when I married you.
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