09Oct
This weekend we had friends in town from New York. It was going to be a killer, fun-filled, action-packed weekend. Chris and I took off on Friday and the plan was that while they boys all went to play golf, I’d take the kids up to my parent’s house for the weekend. Saturday we were going to Universal Studios and then that night to a nice dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal. Sunday, I was supposed to go pick up the kids from my parents.
The first thing that wasn’t according to plan was a really great surprise. The fourth friend in the guy’s Man Quad, Brett, surprised everyone and flew down Thursday afternoon. It was a GREAT surprise!
But the rest of the changes in plans weren’t quite so fun. On Friday morning, the rains came down. And they didn’t stop.
I still took the kids up to my parents, but just about every other plan we made was ruined by the rain. The guys tried to go golfing, but ended up stranded in the clubhouse due to a bad thunderstorm. They were FORCED to spend the next few hours at the club bar, I was told.
Friday night we ate dinner out and everyone crossed their fingers that the rain would clear out by our Universal day the next morning. No such luck. We woke up to even harder rain. But that’s the great thing about good friends. Sometimes the best laid plans aren’t nearly as fun as the plans you don’t make.
We stayed in our PJ’s pretty much all day. By 10:00, everyone was awake and congregating in the kitchen, where we all started making a big breakfast.
By the time breakfast was over, it was 1:00 in the afternoon. We were all still sitting in our PJ’s at the breakfast table and the rain still came down in buckets. Not wanting to do much other than continue sitting there, we spent almost the whole afternoon playing card games at the dining room table and somewhere along the way, beer replaced orange juice…
That night we all finally showered and got dressed and headed out to a really good dinner at The Kitchen, a casual dining restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel. It was fabulous! We had a five course meal and quite a few cocktails, too.
And let me tell you about the most amazing dessert I have ever had in my whole life. It was called the Elvis Presley Special. It was a funnel cake stuffed with chocolate sauce, peanut butter, and bananas, then deep fried and topped with powdered sugar. Seriously. I dreamed about this dessert last night. It was so good. It was so good, in fact, that I got carried away and forgot to take a picture of it before I devoured it.
When we got home, we worked off all that chocolate and funnel cake with a few exciting hours of charades. Which, by the way, I KILLED.
Sunday morning, I went to pick up the kids while the boys went out to lunch and we spent the rest of the rainy afternoon hanging around with the wee ones. They hadn’t seen Bean since he was nine months old and they’d never met Gracie. Seeing them all play together was pretty awesome.
As I write this, Gracie is down for the night, Chris is putting Bean to bed, and I’m blogging on the couch next to three of my favorite boys as they watch football. They are all flying out tomorrow and we should probably be celebrating with some kind of big dinner or something, but we’re going to keep hanging out on the couch, watching football, and eating chili.
It’s cool here today from all the rain we’ve had this weekend, but you’d never know from inside my house. Both my heart and home are full and warm.
1) Katie: So, I just have to say, that video is ADORABLE!!! It is so awesome when old friends come to visit, and usually, I've found that all the plans always seem to fall apart, but somehow, everything still turns out totally awesome! (PS, Those guys are just too cute!) (10.09.2011 07:16pm)
2) Jenna@CallHerHappy: That sounds like the most perfect weekend. You know you have good friends when you can sit on the couch, eating chili, and watching football :) (10.09.2011 07:23pm)
3) Rachel: Bean is ADORABLE! I bet he will sleep really well tonight! :) (10.09.2011 08:03pm)
4) Nate's Mom @ Nate is Great: Now that's what makes a house a home! :) (10.09.2011 08:05pm)
5) A Long Far View: Love this! Old friends are the best and having an excuse to hang around with each other makes for the most wonderful weekends! (10.09.2011 08:14pm)
6) Rebecca @ The Reluctant Housewife: I absolutely love weekends like you just described, when nothing goes as planned, but everything goes right. Hope tonight is the perfect end to the weekend. (10.09.2011 08:19pm)
7) Jen @ Caved In: So glad you guys still had a great weekend, even though the weather was not cooperative. Old friends like yours can make those unplanned problems seem like no problem at all! (10.09.2011 08:56pm)
8) Sarah H.: Yay! Sounds awesome. But reading this makes me realize that my daughter will be 4mo old next week and I might need a night away with friends soon!! Except all my friends also have new babies so it will take some planning. (10.09.2011 09:07pm)
9) laurenbtrain: sorry the rains ruined your plans! but it sounds like drinks, cards and good company was just as much fun and way more relaxing! (10.09.2011 11:31pm)
10) Michelle Zive: Never have I been more jealous of rain, stormy stay in the house kind of rain. I don't even like bananas but those empty plates have me thinking I haven't given bananas a big enough chance in my life. I just went to my 30th high school reunion where I traveled back in time. Your weekend sounds like the same. (10.09.2011 11:39pm)
11) Alaina: Sounds like a relaxing and fun time! Sometimes the best laid plans aren't always the best ones...funny how those things work out! (10.10.2011 06:23am)
12) Ashley @ A Recipe for Sanity: It sounds like the perfect weekend! So happy everyone had a great time. :) (10.10.2011 07:25am)
13) Ashley @ According to Ashley: Aw! Glad you had a good time anyway! Sooo....awkward story, but I dreamed about you last night! Hahahaha! Apparently, I was pregnant, but I had plans on my due date, so they took the baby out and put it in my husband's stomach so he could give birth instead. Good idea, right? Anyway, so while he was having contractions, I was walking around the hospital, and then I saw Bean getting a check-up! I ran over to him and hugged him/tickled him, then realized neither of you really "knew" me so I introduced myself and told you that I read your blog every day. I told you that I comment pretty often, but you didn't recognize my blog name when I told you. I'm telling you....It was the CRAZIEST dream! (10.10.2011 07:38am)
14) Aunt Ginny: Aw, the boys look great!! Those are the best kind of weekends anyway - the unplanned ones. And, Bean's laugh, is just amazing. Can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks!!!! (10.10.2011 09:02am)
15) Marie @ It's a Kind of Normal: That video is ADORABLE!!! Bean's laugh is so contagious! And I've always found that things that aren't planned always end up being so much better than the things that are planned! Glad ye had a great weekend! (10.10.2011 10:21am)
16) Laura @ Casa del Hansen: LOVE IT! Isn't it funny how sometimes having plans get changed make things even more fun than what you were expecting? I'm glad you had so much fun - we had an impromptu dinner with some old friends last night, too, and I gotta say - they're the best kind! Love it! (10.10.2011 10:55am)
17) Casey: That sounds like a pretty awesome weekend! (10.10.2011 12:06pm)
18) Jesseca: That is adorable! His laugh is awesome. (10.10.2011 01:07pm)
19) Kathleen: As his big sister I have to say WHAT sad sad pajama pants are Justin wearing?!?! Why is that boy attracted to all things ripped, worn, and holey?? (10.11.2011 12:22am)
20) Kat @ Living Like the Kings: I remember the post you did ages (it feels) ago when everyone came to your house when Bean was a tiny baby and how you all hung out. It's one of those things that I always kept in the back of my mind after we had the baby - life doesn't end when you have a baby; friends can hang out with you and the baby. It's helped me a ton to adjust! I love seeing that you guys are still close with your friends even though they live so far away. (10.11.2011 08:09am)
21) Tressa: LOVE the video of Bean Man and one of his Uncle's playing!! His laugh spread a smile on my face thousands of miles away!! Happy to hear you had a great time with old friends. (10.11.2011 09:51pm)
22) Dessi: I was dealing with that Florida weather all weekend with you!! But it sounds like you all had the perfect weekend anyway! And the video...love it! (10.11.2011 10:04pm)