A Long Weekend at My Parents
And just like that we are back in the swing of things, breaks in routine always seem to mess me up a little bit, but so far, this week has gone fairly smooth. This past weekend, Landon had a guys trip scheduled from Thursday to Sunday morning, so instead of hanging out by myself, Benaiah and I took a road trip to my parents for a long weekend. I’m so glad we decided to go instead of hang out at home, because we had such a great time with my family.
Thursday
Since Landon’s destination was on the way to my parents, Landon dropped Niah and I off at my parents mid-Thursday afternoon. Thursday afternoon we hung out with my parents, playing outside, throwing the frisbee, and having fun as a family. We kept it pretty low key and my mom made the most delicious avocado/cilantro/tomato salad and it was delicious. We paired it with some pork chops and roasted sweet potatoes and it hit the spot. Benaiah got down late, but we enjoyed hanging out together and ended the night making homemade cookies and talking with Abby over FaceTime.
Friday
Friday was a good, busy day. I woke up early, exhausted after a long (but fun) evening. After a hot cup of coffee and devotions, I felt more awake and took advantage of the quiet house by sneaking away for a 45 minute bike ride. Benaiah always sleeps so well at my parents, since we have his crib downstairs. I think the darkness of the basement (it’s finished, don’t worry) helps him sleep longer. I was surprised when I got back that he was still asleep, so mom and I snuck in a quick CrossFit workout together, to round out my workout for the day. 45 minute bike ride and a circuit of 10 burpees + 20 jumping lunges x 4 killed my quads.
Shortly after I finished my workout, I refueled with a protein shake and Benaiah woke up around the crack of 10. He normally wakes up around 7, so 10 o’clock was super unusal for him. But, hey, I will take it.
We spent the rest of the morning playing with toys, hanging out with Aunt Emily, Aunt Hannah, and my mom.
After a delicious dinner of homemade pizza, we hopped into the car and went to my parent’s towns’ annual Fall Festival. For the last 18 years, my family has attended the Fall Festival and as a kid, it was one of the highlights of the year. Typically, we would ride carnival rides Friday night and Saturday we would look at the craft booths, eat funnel cake, etc. Sunday morning after church. the town puts on a parade and then, in my mind, it is officially fall.
This year, I took Benaiah with my parents and Emily for his first carnival rides. I didn’t really know how he would react to the rides (honestly, I thought he wouldn’t want to get on them.) But after a while of observation, he jumped at the chance to ride a little merry-go-round and absolutely loved it. I think he was mesmerized for the entire ride and immediately after it stopped asked for more. It was precious.
Emily and my mom went on some other bigger rides, while dad and I opted to watch from the sidelines. I can’t handle carnival rides.
We ended the nights with pints of Halo Top and a movie. Friday night = you were good.
Saturday
Saturday, mom and I went running, post coffee and devotions. One of my favorite memories that mom and I share together are our numerous runs together. I know that a deep part and reason why I am so passionate about running, fitness, and nutrition is through watching my mother’s example throughout my childhood years. It is so fun to continue to share a passion for the sport of running, together, and to be able to run together too.
We went an easy (windy) three miles before heading home to make a quick turnaround. We both quickly got ready, snagged a cup of coffee and some breakfast before all heading downtown for the fall fest day.
While downtown, mom, dad, Emily, and I walked around, looked at the craft booths, talked, and grabbed some funnel cake. It’s tradition that every year we have to get a funnel cake, maybe a lemon shake up, and spend time together. It is one of my favorite things to share together and it was so fun to share this special tradition with Benaiah. He loved it (of course) and helped us devour the funnel cake. Emily and I went to a book sale, while Benaiah was napping and found a couple goods finds. Yay for book sales!
We all ended the evening sharing bowls of homemade chili and Benaiah developed a new passion for sour cream.
Before going to bed, Benaiah watched fireworks and helped my dad drill in some screws on a project my dad was working on. He’s now fascinated with tools and wants to play with drills, as much as possible. 😉
Sunday
Sunday morning, Landon came to pick us up and we spent a few hours chatting with my parents before heading home. It was such a sweet weekend with my parents, but it felt so good to be all back together as a family of three.
Later, Sunday morning, we found out that Landon’s grandpa passed away. It was a heavy Sunday as we processed grief through losing Landon’s grandpa and yet, rejoicing knowing that He is with the Lord. We love you, Grandpa and will see you again, soon.
And on that note, I will leave for today.
I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Tuesday!
Questions of the Day
- What is ONE thing you are thankful for today?
- How is your Tuesday shaping up to be?
- If you could do anything on a weekend, what would it be?