It seems too good to be true. I couldn’t even risk telling y’all before we left, because I was just sure if I said it out loud, it wouldn’t happen. But it did, and now here I am, in sunny Cali-forn-I-A. The weather here is startlingly perfect….especially to a person who just left 95 degrees and 100% humidity. I’ll be honest, I was a little leery that I may not be able to wear my sundresses–unsure if 70 degrees with a California breeze might be too chilly for a seasoned Southerner, but y’all, it feels like HEAVEN. I wear a sundress and keep a little light sweater in my purse for when the sun goes down but hardly need it even then.
Let me stop just a second and tell you why/how we’re here (WITHOUT ANY CHILDREN!). There is a global spine congress here this week and Jeremiah is presenting one of his spine research projects. Since he is presenting for UAB, they were paying for his hotel room and flight. Now, I had enough frequent flier miles for my ticket…all that was left was arranging child care…HOW IN THE WORLD COULD I NOT GO? So, Keke (and my Dad, and most likely other members of my extended family) are keeping the rascals so that Jeremiah’s parents can come and cheer him on with me 🙂
Last night we went out to a nice dinner and then poked around until we accidentally ran into the Golden Gate bridge (hence the pictures from earlier. And we did ask a passer-by to get a pic of us together, but there was a bit of a language barrier in explaining how to use the camera and the photo turned out so fuzzy you couldn’t tell what anything was).
Today, we did something very odd for two tourists’ first whole day in a new city. We sat in the hotel room and did exactly what you see in these two pictures. I wore a big fuzzy white robe and read my book, while Jeremiah worked like a madman on his presentation. With that bad schedule he’s had the past couple of months, he hasn’t had ONE minute to work on the presentation he’s giving until Sunday afternoon. But let me tell you the honest truth, just being able to both be present in the same room, sitting quietly on our butts, with the window open and a cool breeze and Starbucks coffee…has been MARVELOUS. I’ve just missed him so bad I didn’t want to go wander around and shop and sight-see alone. We did go out and eat lunch and get his hair cut at a local place. We did go for a run this afternoon, through the city and by the water, and we have a WHOLE WEEK to see the sights later.
I’ll end with this. I’ve been saying over and over how bad I need a “break” (and you other Moms know what that means). But as soon as I realized I was about to leave my little girlies for that long, I just about perished. I actually started talking to Jeremiah about how I bet Dapples could still count as a lap baby on the plane and maybe we had enough frequent fliers to get Pace a ticket too. He looked at me like I had lost my ever-loving mind…and he was right. We are having fun and the break is glorious and I’ve said “thank you Jesus” out loud (to myself) several times, but I do miss those little chicken wings 🙁
Enjoy this time Abby….like I know you are : ) Abby and Jeremiah time is good….and even makes for a better mommy and daddy as well as husband and wife : ) As for the girls, I'm quite sure the Dothan family is loving having the time with them. One of the highlights of my parents life, was when Bill and I would go to a meeting so they could keep the kids! Tomorrow I get to see Pace and Mary Aplin and can hardly wait! Your girls have a way of making people feel special : ) It can only be learned by watching you and Jeremiah : ) Have a fun and relaxing time. UAB is being very well represented with Jeremiah's presence and presentation…..: )
Just reading your post made me smile so big. I remember how mushy I was about leaving our kids for a week in January but boy was it worth it. Just think about it this way: Your kids are on vacation as well. You all are getting recharged and loved in a different way. Enjoy every minute of your Abby and Jeremiah time because it is extremely important. Your kids are getting spoiled too by the family. Have fun!
Seeing your pictures makes me kind of miss my "home" for the past three years… BUT I do love being near family in the South now. Enjoy… it is a wonderful city and enjoy relaxing!! So glad you are getting a much needed break!
yeah!! so gld you are having fun! if you have time to hit the most adorable sweet spot (i've not been but want to so badly): http://www.miettecakes.com/
let me know what you think!
XO
glad you're having so much fun!
i never sent you a list of things to do (or that we loved) but if you're looking for a cool local restaurant try Jackson Fillmore Trattoria. We ate there and it was so great. Our good friends lived in San Fran and used to go there all the time.
also, we love the arista winery in sonoma county.
we missed you last night 🙂
Abby, Hello, this is your friend Darby. I'm going to be honest and first tell you that I'm
a. happy for you
b. really jealous
c. but really more happy than jealous
d. i think Jeremiah's blogging
e. you didn't tell us what you're reading… is it the Gideon Bible from the nightstand?
f. we need more pictures
g. next time, can we come with y'all? i can sit on your lap and Justin can sit on Jeremiah's
Can't wait to hear more!!!
you deserve it!! and it is definitely okay to just sit in the room with your husband and RELAX!!! Have a great time!
Oh how I love the weather in that part of California – I spent a summer in Santa Cruz (about 90 miles south of San Fran) the summer after my freshman year at Alabama with Campus Crusade For Christ. I quickly realized why it is so expensive to live out there – the weather is near perfect!!! It didn't rain a single day all summer and I could run at 3:00 in the afternoon and hardly break a sweat!!!! I wore a sweatshirt and shorts every day to work and felt all snuggly snug!!!! In the afternoons we would lay out on the beach (or witness to people and build relationships – haha!!!) I know how you feel about leaving the girls – I felt the exact same way when Will and I went to Las Vegas 2 years ago and I had to leave EC and Wilson – Will did not understand my sentiments AT ALL – it was only a week after all??? Have fun and enjoy it and know that your girls are having the time of their lives too!!!! I'm saying a prayer for Jeremiah right now, that God would give him wisdom and speak through him and calm any nerves he might have.
Best of luck to Jeremiah! I know he will do an amazing job! I love San Fran! I went in college with a guy I was dating at the time..his sister lived there. It is a beautiful place. Enjoy your time with your hubby. What a blessing it is to have one on one time for a week! Safe travels!
Hey Abby! I am SOO jealous! Darby's comment cracked me up. Glad ya'll are having this week together! Hey I would love to email you. can you send me your email address? Thanks!
love, Joy
i ditto darby's post! hope you two are having a blast. best of luck to jeremiah. post more pics soon!
I'm with Darby, too. So funny.
I was reading this last night to Michael and said- when do we get to go to San Francisco?? 🙂
So glad y'all are having such a great time. It is well deserved.
Don't you LOVE this place? I went to SF. last Sept. If you run into any problems at all I have two great friends living close by. One is in Mill Valley, a place to see! The other is in Berkeley. Enjoy it all. I am happy you're able to rest and enjoy this ride! Good luck to Jeremiah, too!
I think as moms we can't help but want/need a vacation, but when it gets close, we just feeling like dying inside. I think it is only natural because we spend so much time with our little ones. I hope you 2 have a great time.
So glad you're getting a chance to relax and be together!! I hope Jeremiah's presentation went great. See you soon! And hey, bring some of that weather back with you!