MY FAVORITE KIND OF GETAWAY

So...let's see...what day is it?

Friday?

So on Wednesday morning, we left for the Amana Colonies in Iowa. As I mentioned earlier, we had to meet my brother to pass off Mom so Paul and I could get her back home after her five days in South Dakota. You will all be glad to know that we all three made it home safely. There was NOT a homicide on I-80; as I had feared.

Rather than drive five hours one way, then home, all in one day, we decided to make it a little getaway and visit The Amana Colonies Wednesday afternoon. Then we only had about 20 miles to drive westward on Thursday to get Mom, turn around and head back home.

Let me just add right here, that I had found a rubber stamp shop in Davenport, from one of my magazines. All I had to do was mention to Paul it looked like a nice one and he Mapquested it, said it would not be that far out of the way and drove me right to it. How sweet is that? I was so, so, so happy he did that. Of course, he might have done it because, since he sat in the van while I shopped, it meant an hour of silence without me saying "So, what can we talk about...?" But still it was pretty darn sweet.

Anyway, our children did not come with us because, well, they cannot fit us into their schedule anymore. Since we were not going to a major league baseball game, a UFC event, Disney World, or a mall of any kind, neither of them found it the least bit tempting to get in the car and drive for five hours into Iowa.

So we dumped Kayla onto the R family, and left Blake, who is one month shy of 17, at home.

Thanks, R family, for taking our daughter. I mean, I know you said it wasn't any trouble and that H, her good friend and classmate found it a treat, as did Kayla; but still, it's really a help that you took her because otherwise she would have had to come with us and she was NOT going to enjoy walking through the historic Amana Colonies, because they did not have an Aeropostale or a purse shop. And since we could NOT have softened her mood at all with the locally brewed beers or locally bottled wines (like I did her father's in preparing him for the trip home with his mother-in-law), well, it just would not have been pretty. So, thanks.

Anyway, we really only got to explore one colony out of seven, which was still great. We spent about 3 hours walking up and down 6 blocks of their little business district, where each shop was housed in an original building from the colony that had been settled in the late 1800's.

I was in Heaven.

And not just in the bakery, where I had a "Raspberry Pocket" made with the flakiest crust I've ever eaten and locally made raspberry preserves. And not just in the Chocolate Haus, where I bought a box of Chocolate Cashew patties and two packs of gourmet coffee. Those cashew patties? Oh. My. Gosh. It oughta be illegal for something to taste that good.

No I was in Heaven the entire time.

Because I literally felt the stress melt away from me as we walked those streets, admired the old buildings, read some history, and of course explored their unique and beautiful wares. I especially liked crossing the tiny wooden bridges built over the ditches lining both sides of the street; and imagining the need for such tiny bridges when the original settlers were building the town. Really, the stress just ran off my shoulders as I walked those quiet little streets. I had no idea I needed this getaway so much. And it is, indeed my favorite kind of getaway.

Paul was in Heaven, I think, when we separated briefly because "the brewery is going to close in 20 minutes, so I'm going to check it out while you shop here. I'll meet you at the Chocolate Haus." And really, it would have been very cruel of me had I NOT encouraged him to sample the local brews when he had made this long trip just to bring his mother-in-law home. He also sampled some local wines. Oh, and so did I. Sample a wine I mean. A communion cup full. The plum wine I sampled was almost good enough to turn me into a drinker and make me risk a seizure, but alas I did not chug from the bottle, as I was tempted, because to be truthful, I was a little uptight about the ride home with Paul's mother-in-law too. We did however, buy two bottles for our Thanksgiving dinner, because it is expected that we will bring wine to the Aunties; and a three pack of half bottles for my aunt and uncle for when we take my step-mother to visit them in the fall. This aunt is my dad's sister. She was with him when he died, so she deserves a sampling of local wines, no?

What else did I buy? You ask. Well I bought a stainless steel pancake turner, made locally of course. A CD of a local pianist, because it was playing in the store and it gave me goosebumps, 9 old fashioned candy sticks - 3 for each child and 3 for myself (because I knew Paul wouldn't want any) the raspberry pocket and the chocolates and coffee. And...I think that's all until we stopped briefly at the outlet mall, where we bought a Big Dog shirt for each of the kids (and for me - a $3 one), two gadgets from the kitchen shop, and a pair of earrings from the Liz Claiborne outlet.

The only room we could get at the Holiday Inn was a Kids' Suite. It had the cutest little room, walled off from the main bed area, that contained a set of bunk beds, a tiny table and a separate television for children. I kept saying how perfect that would have been when our children were five and eight. In fact the getaway would have been nice for our children when they were little because the hotel contained a very small indoor water park and a mini golf course. Of course they wouldn't have liked walking through old historic buildings built by German Settlers when they were five and eight but we could have bribed them with bakery items and goodies from the Chocolate Hause. Oh and maybe if we'd had little ones with us, I would have had an excuse to buy that handmade musical marble tree for $74.99, that fascinated me.

Alas, we are beyond the stage where our children found it exciting to pack up and leave home to stay in a hotel that has a pool. In fact, they really don't find it exciting to leave home overnight at all - at least with us - because that would require them to leave their friends and all their activities - movies, the pool, fishing, ballgames, mall time, watching BOYS' baseball games (and I don't mean Blake... ahem).

We have been outgrown.

Anyway, we're home for a while. And thank goodness, because I'm tired.

Oh, and from the "How Cool is That" File -

Paul is taking Blake to New York in late July to watch a Yankees game, because Paul wants to visit Yankee stadium before they tear it down at the end of this season. It happens to be right around Blake's birthday so he said "This is a pretty awesome 17th birthday gift. Thanks mom and dad."

We haven't told him that, because of the gazillion frequent flier miles Paul earns from work travel, and because of the free hotel rooms he earns from work travel, this trip to New York is probably going to be cheaper than feeding him and some friends at the local steak house. I mean if he wants to believe we are splurging on him and giving him a gift fit for a prince, why should we burst his bubble? I am so happy they get to do this. They are going to make some great Father/Son memories during their 48 hours in the Big Apple.

Now I just have to get through July during which we will be moving my mother, and then life will be good.