Don't you just hate it when you plan for a vacation for so long and then BOOM, it's over and you're looking at the pictures wondering if you were really even there?
I'm still trying to catch up on all the sleep I didn't get while I was in Albuquerque this past weekend. And, I'm looking at the pictures not believing that I was there, with my mom and sisters.
It was an amazing few days. From start to finish. Other than the major wind and stormy weather that kept my sister Sara in the Albuquerque airport FOURTEEN hours longer than scheduled. (She finally made it home around 3:30 am on Monday!) I just missed that weather, by a tiny amount of time. I made it home as scheduled.
And, poor Jana got the flu on the last night. Luckily she just slept in the back seat of mom's van the whole way home. But she was a trooper.
Friday, I had to wake up at 3:30 am to catch my 5:30 am flight to Houston. I was on just about the tiniest plane in the world it felt like. Made it to Houston and connected to Albuquerque. As soon as I landed, Marisa was texting me like crazy. They pulled up to the airport from their 4 hour drive from Clovis, right when I landed.
We had to wait a few extra minutes for Sara's plane to land, but we were all reunited at baggage claim! It's been almost 5 years since I saw Sara and Jana and about 10 years since I saw Cassie.
We drove around (well, I drove...Mom is terrified of driving in big cities, and since I'm a big city driving "pro"... ha ha...I drove THE van). We had dinner at Macaroni Grill. Yummy!
We checked into the hotel and had a blast visiting and then went down to the first session of Time Out For Women. We got to see Jenny Oaks Baker, who was just nominated for a grammy, and Dean Hughes, the author of one of my favorite story series about World War II. It was a fantastic evening. One of the greatest moments was when I looked up from where I was sitting and saw an old friend, Kristine Lines, standing right there. I think I probably scared her when I called her name, but wow, talk about small world. Very cool.
We spent the rest of the evening visiting and laughing and staying up way too late.
We got up early and had breakfast in our rooms and then headed down to the Covention Center again for a day full of Time Out For Women!
We had so much fun during the day, listening to presenters, shedding some tears, laughing out loud, shopping at Deseret Bookstore, getting a yummy lunch at the hotel, and taking pictures together. It was just a day that I needed so much.
All the messages were inspiring, and exactly what I needed this weekend. I think we all got an amazing dose of the Spirit, the power of women, and gratitude for each other and the time we got to spend together.
After Time Out was over, we went down and stood in line to get our pictures taken and meet the presenters. We got to meet some inspiring women, Mariama Kallon, Wendy Ulrich, Laurel Christiansen, and Hillary Weeks. Just amazing.
We went out for a while after the conference. We drove up to see the Albuquerque temple. It looks like a rose coming out of the desert. Beautiful.
Then we went to Deseret Book and spent more money! :) Then we found a little hole in the wall New Mexican food place...well, I couldn't go all the way to New Mexico and not have New Mexican food.
I thought I'd get crazy and get red AND green sauce. I guess it's been a while that I've been out of the line of fire of hot New Mexican chiles, but wow...I had to beg the waiter not to keep laughing at me while he got me a cold glass of milk to calm the fire coming out of my ears and the tears streaming down my face. Crazy hot...to me anyway. Yes, there were many laughs directed towards me, but that's okay. It was yummy and fun.
We made our way in the evening to Old Town Albuquerque. We found some fun little shops and one very old church. We decided to head back to the hotel and spend the rest of our time together talking. It's such a blessing to me to have these friendships with my mom and sisters.
I had to get up early to catch an 8:30 am plane. After saying goodbye to my sweet sisters and mom, I was honored to ride the airport shuttle with Laurel Christensen. What a woman. I was honored and thrilled to meet her and even visit with her a bit!
I made it home after a long day on airplanes. It was a treat to see my kids and husband with big smiles on their faces when I came out of the airport. I missed them so much!
Now back to the usual. It feels like a dream, it went by so fast, but totally worth every minute, every laugh and every picture.
I'm so thankful for this time to spend with my sisters and mom. What a blessing to have the opportunity to attend Time Out For Women with them.
All around, it's a trip I won't soon forget. And now...pictures!!!
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