My Spontaneous End-of-Summer Vacation.

Summer is over (sad story), even if we ARE having a spectacularly beautiful fall so far.  I didn't manage to take any sort of summer vacation, but I did manage to take a last minute trip to Las Vegas to hang out with my beautiful best friend and her adorable children and sweet husband.  She needed help, I had time off, and we found cheap tickets with 1 week's notice, so it was a go!

I was working on the day of my flight and kept getting texts that my flight, which was already going to get in rather late, was delayed and delayed and delayed.  Then I got a phone call from the airline that if I could make it to the airport earlier, I could get on a flight at 6:00.  This was a serious challenge since I was 45 minutes south of Portland until 4:00 for work, and I still had to go home before I could go to the airport, but I decided to go for it.  So between leaving my training 15 minutes early, racing home, packing in literally less than ten minutes, and a crazy mad dash through the airport, I somehow managed to get the VERY LAST seat on the flight.  

April's husband, Jeff, came to the airport to pick me up, along with their two middle kiddos, Logan and Kelsi.  Holy moly, their kids are adorable.  It was dark when they picked me up, and Logan kept saying, "Dad, what does she look like?  What does she look like, dad?"  Hahaha!  I finally told him he could see me in the light when we got home...and they both promptly fell asleep.  :)

Luke thinks we talk too much...

I was soooooo happy to snuggle their newest little one, and you'd better believe that was one of the first things I did when I got there!  He is SO sweet.  Granted, I'm a sucker for babies, but he is such a good, sweet, cute baby!  Luckily April was more than happy to share.  :)  So I spent four and a half days driving kids around, helping around the house, playing with the big kids and snuggling the little one, getting one million sweet kid hugs, and staying up wayyyyy too late with April (as per usual).  I love this girl so much--it doesn't matter how often we see each other, it's always just like no time has passed at all, and we could seriously talk for days.  We even managed to run away for a little girl time, with pedis and lunch on the menu, and a phone date with one friend and a skype date with another.  It was great.

Kelsi begged to hold Luke...
then promptly fell asleep!
So cute!!

On the last night, before they drove me to the airport, we took a walk down to the park with the whole family.  I was sitting in a swing with baby Luke, watching the big kids play and chatting with April and Jeff and a couple of their friends, and it hit me like a ton of bricks how badly I needed a vacation and how lucky I was to have such amazing friends and to be able to be there.  To be totally honest, I was pretty teary when I had to leave (and the texts from April saying her kids missed me already and have decided I need to live next door didn't help), and I literally walked through the airport with tears streaming down my face.  

It's so crazy to me that I've reached the point in my life that most of my best friends have been my friends for more than half my life--getting almost to the 20 year point.  But I love these girls so much.  Sometimes living in Portland is tough for me.  I love, love, love living near my sister and brother-in-law (best thing ever), but over the last few years many of my Portland friends have moved on, and sometimes it's kind of a lonely place to be.  So remembering that I have truly amazing friends all over the place who really do love me a lot is a pretty awesome feeling.  

I love all April's kids, but I tell you what, I have a soft spot in my heart for that little Logan.
There's just something about that kid that nuzzles his way into your heart.

Thanks for an amazing time, April.  I needed that sooooo much--more than you know.  Love your family, love your kiddos, love you.  SO, SO much.