73.5 HOURS

You may remember that last year I spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach with some other women.  They go every year and one of them had invited me along.  Well, a couple months ago I got an e-mail saying they were getting things order for this year .... and that my way had been paid!!  Seriously!?  I'll never know who covered my part of the expense, but I'm so grateful for their generosity and thoughtfulness!!  There's no way I could have gone otherwise. 

Anyway, my last few days have been wonderful.  A friend came to my house on Thursday and we carpooled to the condo we'd rented in Lincoln City. (As a side note, we stayed in this one last year and both units are great.  Just a little FYI, in case you're looking for somewhere to stay over there.) We changed into pajamas by about 4:00 and spent the evening eating, catching up with the people we haven't talked with since last year, playing Bananagrams, and laughing a bunch. 

Friday morning is when everyone likes to hit the Tanger Outlets, as the weekend crowds aren't there yet.  I wasn't going to buy anything, but I rode over with one lady and enjoyed browsing the game and book stores while she did her shopping.  The weather was better than forecasted, so she and I walked on the beach for about an hour when she was done shopping. Eventually everyone else made it back from shopping and we just hung out at our place for the afternoon.

Friday evening the other ladies went to get pedicures and I had some time alone.  It was still dry outside, so I grabbed my Bible and a blanket and headed out to our deck.  It was so nice to spend an hour listening to the waves, working on a Bible study I'm doing, and watching people enjoy the beach.  They returned from pedicures and the usual evening routine of pajamas, eating, talking, laughing, and playing Bananagrams commenced. 

A couple of the ladies had come a day early and had someone come over to give them massages on Thursday, but the massage therapist came back again on Saturday for two other ladies to get massages. (Another side note is that the therapist's name is Leila Whitlock-Hauth and she does on-site massages in Salem and Lincoln City.  Just an FYI, in case that sounds like something you'd be interested in.  I can't give a personal recommendation, as I didn't get a massage, but I saw the happy faces of the other ladies when theirs were done and they were really pleased with her massages.)  So we spent Saturday morning laying around the condo, then everyone who wasn't getting a massage either left to exercise or hunkered down in a bedroom to chat or read magazines. 

Saturday afternoon some people went back to the outlets, others watched a movie, and Ashley came to visit me for a couple hours.  That evening was the one and only meal that's ever eaten at a restaurant during the long weekend, so off we went to The Side Door Cafe.  Oh my!  I love that place!  I've eaten there twice and everything at our table has looked or been delicious each time.  Here's a peek at their menu, in case you're looking for a place to eat around there.  Their website is kinda funky, but just keep clicking "next" at the bottom of the page to see the rest of the menu. Saturday evening ... well, you've probably caught on to the evening routine by now. 

This morning we relaxed for a couple hours, then loaded everything up and headed for home.

I love my family and I love being home full-time.  I also really loved having 73.5 hours without any responsibilities, expectations, or questions.  I loved having 73.5 hours to just relax.