"Almost" WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Welcome, Abigail Elizabeth!

"BECOMING MIMI"

I remember back to last June when Sarah and Mike asked to stop over, supposedly with a pre-vacation gift for me - "Just a little something, Mom, that we think you'll need for your trip." And then my utter confusion when I unwrapped the present to find a Grandma's Brag Book photo album, looking first at Sarah, then at Mike, back to Sarah, still not quite certain why I would need such a thing for a vacation in Florida as the light started to dawn when I saw the excitement bursting forth in their smiles. That excitement was just the beginning...my "little girl," my first-born" was...is...going to be a mother. And, as we all soon learned, she is going to have her own little girl. Months of planning, of waiting, of doctor visits and ultrasounds, of pink and painting, of shopping and showers ~ the time is here.

I will no longer just be "Mom" but "Mimi" (no, there will be no "G" word yet for me - yes, I obviously have an issue, but at least I'm up front about it, right?). And yet, to my Sarah - to my "new mother," I know I will always be "Mom"...memories of our own first beginnings come back to warm my heart and remind me of the sweetness to be experienced in days ahead. I do feel blessed to be here, so close by to be both "Mom" and "Mimi" in this special time.

The time is here...a new journey begins soon.

WEEKEND ESCAPE

Hannah found herself with a FIVE day weekend (!!!) off from school (although not from work ~ alas!) and was lamenting the fact that many friends were "escaping" the "great white North" (or least the "great cold Midwest" for what they hoped would be warmer, more southern locales...while we didn't have the time or resources to do that, we did attempt a "girls' getaway" to enjoy - and I THINK we were successful. Here's a peek at our 48 hour excursion:

While we were only about 30 miles away, we felt quite pampered by checking in to the new Hilton Hotel and "splurging" (thanks to a AAA offer) by a stay on the Executive floor, complete with breakfast and perks. The whirpool was warm, wonderful, and EMPTY...except for us both nights ~ how perfect!

Our first night Hannah picked Cheeseburger in Paradise for our dinner plans - another great "escape" (the decor, the music, the food and drinks - you could ALMOST forget the weather outside!). After dinner and a warm soak in the whirpool, we relaxed with an in-room movie that neither of had heard of but both enjoyed a lot, City of Ember, - a sci-fi/fantasy (not my usual fare - but it was really good - comes out on DVD tomorrow if you want to check it out!):

Then - a great night's sleep - after some "Twilight" reading in bed, of course (she's on the 4th book; I'm on the 3rd one!)....

Next morning, after our almost private breakfast in the Executive Lounge, it was time for some mother-daughter shopping at the mall next door (with a very quick sprint from the car to the closest store since the actual temp. was -15...yes, -15!). We started off with "Mimi" shopping since we found the very BEST "Mimi" store - "Janie and Jack" which also was having an awesome sale!! Oooh, Sarah will be very, very happy! :-)) Then, shopping turned "serious" as we split up to get the most done before our movie time...we both ended up with what Hannah is calling our "rocker" tees (LOL!!) -- this one is hers (the one she got is black and it actually comes from a Christian line of products called "Sanctify").

And this one is mine - LOVE the color - and the words, of course, speak volumes - what can I say? Rocker? I dunno...

I also picked up some LaSource items from Crabtree and Evelyn to "take a bit of our getaway" home with us (same items that the Hilton uses -- smell great!!).

Then, off we headed to see the BEST movie ever -- if you haven't seen it - RUN now or make plans immediately to see it. It was a "sleeper" that now is the frontrunner to sweep the Oscars - seriously - and it should! AWESOME film - "Slumdog Millionaire"

We were finished in time to get back to the hotel, unload our goodies, and arrive at the in-house spa for our scheduled...ahhhh....massages.....did I say, ahhhh, already??? Oh, yes!

Dinner, again Hannah's pick, was Molly Woo's - she went with sushi and I tried Molly's Feast, a vegetarian dish with great tofu. Our waiter was an incredible "dish," as well, and I kept telling Hannah that I just might need to rethink my thoughts about younger men!! LOL!! She, on the other hand, suggested that she might be ready for older men - ha!

Our evening was complete with a visit to Barnes and Noble (now you know who picked that one) :-)....and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory - YUM-OH!! One more soak in the whirpool and some more "Twilight" reading before nodding off -- and our quick, close mini-escape came to a close in the morning with an awesome breakfast buffet before scooting off to get Hannah back to reality (aka "work").