I've made so many great friends since we moved to Holdrege . . . gosh, let me see . . . has it really been 16 years ago? Wow, how time flies! And I treasure all these friendships. Friends who've been with me when I had babies, when I tried to figure out this thing called "parenting," when I sat by my child's bedside before, during, and after surgeries, when I received the news from my doctor that I needed to stop working for the benefit of my health; friends who encourage me when I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I wouldn't want to go through life without them. (Blessing #1081)
And then there's my old friends. Not "old" in age, but "old" because I've known them since I was a little girl. We know each other's families; we remember the teachers, the birthday parties, the pets, and all those little details from the deep past. (#1082) One friend, in particular, will always have a special place in my heart. We went to college together, were in each other's weddings, and vowed to keep in touch forever. Even though our lives have taken different paths, and we live in different areas, we still find time to get together a few times each year. (#1083)
Last weekend, Lanise & I cleared our schedules, met in Lincoln, and then headed to Kansas City for a much-needed girls getaway. (#1084) It was so great to spend time together ~ more than just a couple hours over lunch, which is all we usually get.
We had GREAT weather (#1085) and really didn't need our coats much except at night.
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| The view from our hotel room. |
We were able to meet up with my cousin Crystal and her hubby Jay for a late lunch at The Yardhouse one day, which was a blessing, because they weren't able to come home for our family Christmas the weekend before. We heard about Crystal's fascinating medical mission trip to Tanzania last summer and the really cool way God used her while she was there. (#1086) And because Jay & Crystal live in KC, they were full of great tips of where to eat, shop, park, and how to get from point A to B. (#1087) However, their good directions were offset by an out-dated Garmin which led us astray a few times. We saw it as a well-rounded tour of the city instead of an annoying delay. (#1088)
They told us about Happy Hour at The Melting Pot on the Plaza, where we enjoyed some amazing fondue at half-price. (#1089) The lights in the plaza are just awesome, and it was such a beautiful evening that we were able to just walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.
They told us the best place to get sushi, which is something I've never tried before for two reasons. #1 it's expensive. And #2 it's raw fish. However, I learned that it's not expensive when your friend has a gift-card she wants to spend (#1090 - Thanks for sharing, Lanise!), and that it's not all raw fish - some of it's fried. They recommended the Drunken Fish Restaurant, which had an hour-and-45-minute-wait when we arrived.
We took that as a good sign (it must be good with the long wait), and since they said they'd call us when a table was available, we were able to check out at a nearby Dueling Piano bar while we waited.
Check out our table at the Sushi place. The table glows! Red! (Perfect for Christmas.) It was a really fun experience, and I discovered that I DO like sushi. (#1091)
We enjoyed our table, the company, and our sushi! We ordered the california roll (with crab, cucumber, and avocado) and fried philly roll (salmon, cream cheese, & avocado, covered with eel sauce, but don't let the word "eel" scare you - it was yummy). Would Chad have liked any of it? Probably not. It's so much fun getting to choose a restaurant when I don't have to think, "where can we go that the kids will find something on the menu they'll like?"
We stayed at the Westin Crown Center (with great rates (#1092) thanks to Lanise's skills with Priceline.com) and had a great view of a Christmasy Union Station from our room. It was so pretty!
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| Union Station from our hotel room. |
It was a great, relaxing weekend with my dear friend. It's hard to get away with a girlfriend when family activities are at a high, but God carved out a gorgeous weekend for us to travel, and there were no parties, programs, or activities holding us back. And that in itself is a miracle. (#1093)
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