AGW- "All Girls Weekend"

All the women in Andrew's family get together annually for a weekend to relax and eat lots of yummy food. I wasn't sure I would end up going, but it worked out! This year, not everyone was able to attend, but I enjoyed spending time with Debbie, Blayre, Sara, and Julia.

I flew to Washington on Thursday, October 18 and that afternoon, we drove to our airbnb in Rock Island, WA. The place was very secluded which was perfect. We were surrounded by apple orchards. We were even given permission to do some apple picking which we took advantage of. The hot tub was a big plus and the big, starry, sky was so clear. The owners were friendly and welcoming. They took us for a ride in their vintage car.

I think the destination for AGW was chosen so we could explore Leavenworth-- a quaint town an hour away from where we stayed. It's absolutely beautiful and I wish I had done a better job at documenting my surroundings. Leavenworth is full of cute, expensive shops. We ate at a restaurant for lunch that none of us loved, but Cold Stone made up for it later on.

The fall colors were gorgeous! 

I was able to catch up on some chick flicks I've been wanting to see. I enjoyed "I Feel Pretty" as well as "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again" even though I may have fallen asleep for a minute or two. It's exhausting to sit around all day eating amazing food, reading, and not chasing around a wild James. We also played "Code Names" as well as "Scrabble" and I let everyone else win.

Getting enough to eat was never a concern of mine on the trip. In fact, making room for another meal was often a struggle. We went to Olive Garden for one of our meals which hit the spot. Blayre also made us some tasty dinners that I want to try to recreate. 

As usual, I was spoiled and left with my bag bulging full of chocolate, a candle, a new recipe book, etc. I had one goal for the weekend-- finish my book ("The Devil in the White City") which I accomplished with only 30 minutes to spare... on my flight back to Utah Monday morning. The book wasn't my favorite.

I feel so blessed to have friends, parents, and a husband that I trust completely who made it easy to leave James behind, worry-free.

Maybe next year we will have AGW in Barbados, where Debbie will be on her mission.

Overbooked

Sometimes it feels like everything is scheduled for the same weekend. Last weekend is the perfect example.

I'm training for a Half Marathon and had to get a 10 mile run in this past weekend. Fortunately, my friend was able to watch James on Friday while I went on the run with my dad. I'm proud to say I survived even with my phone dying at mile 2, meaning I didn't have music. I was exhausted and sore afterward for a few days.

Friday night, Andrew and I had tickets to the Colbie Caillat and David Archuleta concert at the BYU Homecoming Spectacular event. 

I LOVED the concert. One of the first CDs I ever owned was Colbie Caillat's. She is so down to earth. I've been a David Archuleta fan since he was on American Idol. I haven't listened to his music in recent years and learned at the concert that many of his new songs are inspirational and religious. I think I liked listening to him singing pop songs more.  His new songs are good (just different) and I might play them on Sundays.

Andrew has been teasing me mercilessly because I admitted that Colbie made me a little emotional. (And no, I didn't cry.) 

As you can tell, the lighting wasn't great and the pictures didn't turn out super well. Andrew leaned over to me and told me he found the best picture. He then showed me this goofy pic.

Jessica and Chris watched James while we were at the concert which we appreciated! After the concert, we went back to their place and played a game until late. I think we got home around 11:30pm.

Saturday morning was a blur as I was busy prepping for the baby shower I was hosting for my friend, Sadey. I made snickers cupcakes which were tasty, but very time consuming. I was grateful to have so many friends help with the shower. The decorations were beautiful with lots of letter-boards and flowers from Trader Joes. (I'm not tooting my own horn... My friend was in charge of decor.)

Andrew gets the credit for putting on the frosting. I was frantically throwing the toppings on before the frosting dried.

Lots of people had left by this point. I think 62 people were invited and we had a good turnout.

Originally, we didn't have plans to go to the BYU Football game, but our friends landed some great seats and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. I literally had 10 minutes from when the last person left the shower to bundle up and get ready for the game. 

We tried Bam Bam's for dinner which we have been wanting to do for a long time. I enjoyed it, even though I was still stuffed from all the food at the shower. We had some time before the game, so we played at an arcade, and went to a book store. The book store had old and original copies of famous books such as The Book of Mormon and Harry Potter. We made our way to the game with several layers and blankets. Although Hawaii didn't bring much competition, we enjoyed being with our friends. We left in the third quarter.

We told our friends that they treated us like royalty. They provided the great seats. They also had a parking pass to park closer than I've ever parked at the stadium. Not to mention the fact that they drove us. I told Andrew we need to step up our perks, so people will want to be friends with us.

What a weekend! I think I'm finally rested, but I have to get up at the crack of dawn for an early flight tomorrow morning. I'm ready to read the weekend away and lounge in the hot tub for hours on end.