Dave is on vacation this week. He went to Chicago to meet new nephew Cole and help Dad move Kyle from DC back to Chicago. As is becoming the custom, when Dave leaves we hit the road too. Since my usual roomie is livin' it up on a Civil War road trip with the guys of his family, I decided to road trip down to Fresno to visit my college roomie, Dorina. Dorina extended her typical generous hospitality to us-- making amazing meals, planning outings, sharing her pool and letting us take up 3 whole bedrooms of her home! Ella and Meilani are good buddies and had tons of fun playing together. I realized that my friendship with Dorina has shifted over the years. In college we'd stay up late just having deep conversations or we'd do crazy things (like dance around in strange outfits) for laughs. Now we rely on the kids for our laughs and entertainment. This weekend, the best quality time with my friend was spent watching, playing with and laughing over our daughters. Also special, was the opportunity to just "do life" together-- eat breakfast in our jammies, fall asleep on the couch watching Olympics, roll wontons for dinner's soup, balance washing dishes with keeping kiddos content.
On Saturday, Dorina took us to Storybook Land. This was a great park where the kids could wander through fairy tale scenes and "unlock" a narrator that told them the story as they played on the set and with the characters. We especially liked the train ride and splash park portion of this outing!
On Sunday, Dorina and Ericlee took us to their church. We are so committed to being present at our church's services, that it is a rare treat to visit a new and different church. Dorina's warning that her church would feel like a rock concert compared to what we're used to was right on! Though different, I appreciated the passionate worship and impressive children's ministries.
When we weren't feasting or trying (unsuccessfully) to get the kids to sleep, we were chilling in the pool-- for real, it was 103 degrees and the pool was wonderful relief! Ella's pool bravery peaked as she jumped off the side, by herself, and bobbed around the deep end, by herself, and even put her head under and intentionally swam toward things. She and Meilani were putting on quite the show doing synchronized diving and their best Michael Phelps impersonations!
3 comments:
Welcome back!!!
What a wonderful weekend! We're so glad you guys could come for a more extended time. Meilani has not stopped talking about the songs Auntie Jen sings and her "friends" Ella and Dayla. "When can we go to my friends house?" she asks. We'll have to wait a few months but we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Hugs,
Auntie Dorina, Meilani & Baby Bump
What fun! As usual, I just resonate with your posts:-) Anika is currently matching Ella's swimming skills. She has learned to trust her floation devices (Is there a sermon illustration there?)and she is "playing" Olympics daily.
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