so excited...

I got a gift the other day.

It wasn't a package at our front door. 

It was something I've been talking to God about for years.

I even mentioned it to JD a couple of months ago.

But it wasn't from him.

I didn't think I'd get it.

But I did...  :)

In 2009, I met a few people who talked about how they get away once or twice a year by themselves to lean in closer to the Lord.  I can't tell you how intriguing that was to me.  That year, and really several years prior, I had been able to slip away for a women's retreat here or there and one year I went to the MOPS Convention and I always felt recharged after getting away.

But I always did it with girlfriends.  Which I love.  And need.  

But over the last couple of years, I've started to yearn to get away by myself.  At first, I pictured myself booking a hotel room at the beach in the winter and just going by myself for two nights.  I imagined packing up my easel and supplies, a great book, the Bible and some nice play lists.  I even researched a particular spiritual retreat, but could never pull the trigger. 

Until now.

A couple of months ago, I mentioned to JD that for my 40th birthday (yep..it's right around the corner!) I wanted to go to a Created for Care Retreat.  I learned about it a year or two ago and drooled all over my computer thinking about going to such a thing.  What I also learned when I looked into it back then is that it fills up fast.  Like within 24 hours.  Ugh.  So, thinking that I was ahead of the game, I hopped on their website this fall and planned to gather the information I needed to present the idea to JD only to find that it was already full!

Dagnabit.

So I put my name on the waiting list thinking the chances of getting in were zero to slim.

But alas!

Last week came an email.

Yippee!

But could we pull this off logistically and financially?

It's rarely simple for a mom to slip away with just over two weeks' notice.  And to complicate things, Avery has a sectionals meet that weekend that she's worked very hard for.  Would she even mind if I weren't there (since I'm the one that takes her to her meets)?  She didn't mind.  Especially knowing that her daddy would be there instead.  :)  But 'Does he know how to do everything?' she asked.  Hilarious.

Then it was on to seeing if I could make arrangements for our other children since driving two hours away, sitting at a meet for five hours and driving two hours home doesn't sound like a lot of fun if you have to drag four other kids along.

My mom!  She'll help out in a heart beat!

Ugh.  She and Allen are headed out of town that weekend for a little getaway themselves.

Our dear friends the Johnsons?  Whose kids often spend the night with us and our kids jump at the chance to spend the night with them.  But are they free?  They have such an active social life!  Surely they can't have a Saturday completely free just waiting to take our four kids in.

But they did!

God had His hand on this whole thing from the very beginning!

And, the financial piece?  After tapping into our travel rewards I was able to book my plane ticket for free!

In a way, this little getaway is from JD because he's so dang supportive any time I want to slip away.  I mean, he's happy to take Avery to her meet but now he has to figure out what to do with her hair (I think there's a 'meet hair' tutorial in Payton's future).  JD's always been so supportive of me in this regard.  'If we can work it out (which isn't always the case), then I should go' seems to be his motto.

So, I'm going all by myself.  I don't know a soul who's going.  I have a hotel room all to myself.  What in the world will I do with a king room?  Ha!  But I can't wait!  And, I'm sure I'll meet some amazing women.  I'll let you know all about it!

12 days and counting...