What I learned this weekend...

This weekend Chris and I headed down (just to clarify again KID FREE, can I get an amen!) to our old stopping grounds and where we courted...good ol Knoxville TN!  We met Chris's college roommate Ryan and his adorable wife Ashleigh's at their family's lake condo.  We had SUCH.AN.AMAZING.TIME!   When we got there Friday we grilled out and headed to the hot tub!  On Sat. we took the boat out to our own little cove, relaxed by the pool while the boys played golf, went shopping, then went out to dinner.  Sunday we slept in and caught a movie before we headed home! OH.MY.WORD we could not have packed more of the things that we Dowdy's ABSOLUTELY love into one weekend!  We had an AMAZING time!  Have I used enough capital letters to get my point across that WE DOWDY'S HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!  Don't get us wrong we love our kids more than ANYTHING but it should down right be a law that parents should HAVE to take a weekend trip together without kids at least once a year...can I get my second AMEN!  Here are a couple of things I learned this weekend:

-One of my favorite parts of the trip was the drive.  Something is to be said about a 4  hour trip where I did not have to pass out juice cups, or hear kids screaming, or watch CARS for approximately the 178th time.  On the way down we reminisced about our dating, talked about our awesome kids, made long term goals...we didn't listen to the radio we.just.talked!  And it was beautiful!  (it also didn't hurt that we stopped at Cracker Barrel because "Pursey" don't mind cornbread, no she don't!)
-Speaking of eating, eating without kids is pure JOY!  Chris and I ate 8 meals in a row without cutting one piece of food...not one piece!
-Not only is Ashleigh one of the most adorable 9 months pregnant mommas I have ever met she is also extremely crafty AND she coupons! I was only half joking when I told her to her face that I wanted to be her! HA!
-Don't judge but one of favorite all time hobbies is to people watch!  Add on a little eavesdropping poolside and I was in heaven!  Let's just say Knoxville gave me a lot of material!
-Tina Fey makes me laugh!  We love 30 Rock so I bought her new book to read and it made me LOL every other page.  For clairification purposes it is a little rauchy but it is def. funny.  
-These such weekends should be MANDATORY before you make your 2 year old go through big girl bed/no more bappy bootcamp (we have now shortened it to just bed/bappy boot camp).  This weekend gave us just enough energy to get through the last two days!  Knock on some wood people but I think we are on the downhill slope with this! She went down last night (night 3 of bootcamp) all on her own in her big girl bed with NO BAPPY!  I'm so proud of her!
-Nothing makes you feel more special than close friends.  Ryan and Ashleigh are just the sweetest and most hospitable people in the world.  We are extremely blessed to have such sweet  and generous friends!  I often pray for Sam and Charley's future friends and I could probably shorten my prayer to "just like the Allman's are to us" and God would know exactly what I'm talking about!

(there are no pictures of this weekend.  When you get a chance to sit by a pool and read a funny book and not have to apply sunscreen 37 times and eavesdrop on several conversations while pretending to read said funny book....you do not stop to take pictures...that would just be wasting valuable mommy time!)