Our 14th Anniversary get-away...

Well, we have had a great weekend! Neil and I will be celebrating our 14th anniversary in just a couple weeks, so Friday afternoon, we left for a little anniversary get-away. It was a couple weeks early, because that is when we could schedule the room at the bed & breakfast, and the babysitter. It was a lot of fun.

Neil had all of Friday off, so after he slept in a little bit, he and PJ mowed our lawn, and I got some things done in the house. Then we took the kids swimming at the fitness center for a while, and then ran to Walmart to get a few last minute items for the kids while we were gone (snacks & stuff). After we got back home, we fed the kids some lunch. Well, as they were eating, the tornado siren went off. It had been getting darker & cloudier, but I didn't think much of it. So, I turned on the T.V., so we could watch the weather reports. Sure enough, the severe weather was on it's way, with tornado warnings included. GREAT! The kids finished lunch, and then we all sat watching the weather reports and looking out the windows as it got darker and stormier. Finally we closed all the blinds & curtains and got the kids safe in the little boys closet, and Neil and I kept watching the weather. It sounds like there were a few funnel clouds spotted, but I don't think anything touched down, thank goodness. There was some pretty good size hail in some places (but not right where we are). So, finally everything calmed down and the sun came back out again by about 2:00, when the babysitter was supposed to be here. We were really relieved. We had already paid for half the room fee at the B&B (we had to to reserve the room), and if we cancelled, we wouldn't get a refund (not to mention not being able to go have fun together like we had planned!)

So, the babysitter got here at 2:00 (she's a sophomore in college and someone that we used to babysit for us when she lived here, and she's back for the summer). Anyway, the kids were SO excited! They LOVE her! We had bought some wooden crafts, some air-dry clay, some paints, a couple large pizzas, rented 2 videos, and got lots of snacks & treats for them while we were gone. They couldn't wait!

So Neil & I headed out to Eureka Springs to enjoy ourselves. It was so nice! It's a little old town that has a bunch of little shops in the center of town, and it's just kind of a quait little tourist get-away. After we checked into our Bed & Breakfast, we headed into town. We enjoyed just walking around together, holding hands and talking. They even had a live band in the center of town that we enjoyed. After walking around for a while, we headed to dinner. We went to a little home-town looking steak house. Neil got prime rib (his favorite), and I had an italian chicken dish. Neil said it was the best prime rib he's ever had. It was a cute atmosphere in an old cabin, and we sat right by the fireplace. After dinner, we headed to an old train station they have, to take a look around, but their last train had left (they serve dinner on the last one), so we headed back to our Bed & Breakfast. We enjoyed a bath in the big jetted tub, watched a movie, and had a great night.

The next morning, we got up and went for a walk around the neighborhood, since breakfast was served at 9 a.m., and we still had about an hour before then (we aren't late sleepers). It's in a very quiet area, with lots of trees all around. After we walked around for a while, we sat in the little gazebo by the B&B, watching some squirrels eating out of a bird feeder. They were very determined and I thought they were just going to climb right inside to try to eat it all. They were very entertaining! After a while, we headed back to the B&B, and went downstairs to the dining room. The breakfast was amazing! There was fresh fruit, fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice, bacon & sausage (Neil got mine, since I don't like it), a ham & broccoli quiche, and pan fried potatoes with green peppers & cheese on top. Then they brought us an apple & cherry cobbler to finish it off. Oh my goodness! We were STUFFED!

After breakfast, we decided to head back to Bentonville (it's about an hour drive). We got into town around 11:00, and headed to the outdoor mall to wander around for a while. We checked out the showtimes at the movie theater, but there wasn't really anything we wanted to see, so we decided to go miniature golfing. The weather was perfect, and we had a great time. After that, we went to the little LDS bookstore that we have here, so we could get Clay a little bank like our big kids have, and Neil also bought me a couple new books. We had fun, and then we went to PF Changs for lunch. By then it was about 3:00, so we headed back home.

The kids had had a blast and had been great for the babysitter. They did crafts, watched videos, played games, had lots of snacks & treats, had a picnic, played in the sprinklers, and lots more. We were glad that they had such a great time and didn't miss us too much. (Next year we are hoping to go somewhere for a few days--maybe a cruise or something).

So, anyway, we had such a great time, and now we can look forward to celebrating AGAIN in just a couple weeks! We'll just go out to lunch or something, and leave the kids home (with PJ & Tessa watching Jonah & Clay). I'm so grateful for Neil and for all he does for me and our kids. He's a wonderful husband & daddy! I've loved spending the last 14 years with him, and look forward to many, many more! :)