A Happy Place

Monday can be a much more tolerable existence when the weekend is fulfilling.  Have you ever felt that way? 

We spent the weekend back in southern IL and while the traveling wasn't the easiest (Kinley cried pretty much the whole way there), the time spent down there was the best.  We moved back to Chicago-land because the jobs are up here.  The money is up here.  Opportunities are up here...endless opportunities.  But going "home" makes us long for that life again.  Our friends are there.  Some of our family is there.  Life seemed simpler there. 

But I think you always long for what used to be or the whole "the grass is greener" philosophy. 

We have a good life now.  We are very happy where we are.  Our future looks brighter and brighter every day.  But it doesn't make us miss southern Illinois any less.

I got some time with my dearest best friends and their babies....although they aren't really babies anymore.  When we lived in southern Illinois, I started up a mommy group to help me meet other moms and find friends for Kinley.  She was only about four months old then...so she wasn't too eager to meet other children her age--but mommy wanted friends!  I was relatively new to the area and didn't know many people, especially moms with babies that could relate to my new psycho tendencies.  That was when the SoIL Chic Mommy Group was born.  I met the most amazing women from that group.  And leaving the group and those mommies behind was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

The friends that I made from that group will be my best friends for life.  I have no doubt.  We bonded on such a special level--and even though we only see each other every few months, it's the kind of friendship where everything picks up where we left off without any need for words. 

It is hard to not see them and share every day with them...but that's why we love Facebook and texting and pictures on blogs.  I keeps us connected in these busy times.

Visiting with my girls on Saturday was probably the highlight of the whole trip. Who am I kidding--it was the highlight of the trip!  The kids were able to run and play and climb and slide.  Play dates were so much easier when they could just lay on the blanket and stare at each other!

Saturday evening, the hubby and I left Kinley with grandma and we went to visit our dear friends who just had a baby a few weeks ago.  Holding a newborn was so surreal. It has been so long and it was almost impossible to remember Kinley being that tiny. 

Later, we went to the Southern Illinois Raceway to watch the races.  It was like old times!  Back in the day before we were married and had a baby, we would go and watch the races all the time.  So it was fun to go back and just relax and pretend we were dating again.

I tell ya....life is pretty good right now.  We are both so happy in our relationship and so happy in our lives....  it's a true testament to the power of prayer!  When things were so bad--a couple of months ago--I would have never dreamed that I would find happiness in our life again.  I was ready to throw in the towel and just walk away.  I thank God that I didn't.  I thank God that my husband held on while I let go.  I thank God for answering our prayers and keeping our family together.  Cause even though times are tough and we may not have it all--we are happy and that makes everything else so much easier.  I am forever grateful, that's for sure.

While sitting outside at the cabin over the weekend, I was watching my husband from afar while he was on the phone...and I caught myself crushing on him.  Do you know cool it is to crush on your husband?  I mean, it's so easy to crush on random hot guys (like Adam Levine) but to feel the butterflies in your tummy over the man that loves you above all things....and crushes on you too....  that's pretty amazing.  And I am so happy that I have been able to return to that place in my life where it's okay to love and it's okay to feel and it's okay to trust.  Makes you just want to shout it from the rooftops.

It was a good weekend.  A fill your heart kind of weekend.  And that's good, cause a week from today I will be starting my adventures in student teaching!