Weekend Getaway

We have had such a busy year and we needed to take a little time away so this weekend we took the kids to the mountains. I saw a commercial for horseback riding and I really thought the kids would love it, so I made the reservation and on we went.

They are so excited. They love staying at hotels. I don't understand it. We got into our room and they "ohhhed" and "ahhhhed". My 7 year old jumped on the bed and touched the blankets, "Ohhhh, this blanket is so silky." All I could think about is that there was probably a naked person laying in that bed 12 hours ago. Hotels are gross. On Saturday afternoon we went exploring downtown. There was food and shopping and we explored. My 9 year old asked for this stuffed monster thing and we said no, so she acted like a complete you-know-what the rest of the afternoon. She refused to walk next to me. She rolled her eyes. She refused to talk to us. I wanted to check out St. Lawrence Basilica. It is beautiful.
 

So we walk in and I was so taken aback by the beauty of it. It was amazing. We were there for a minute and my daughter started huffing and puffing. I wanted to leave her.

I wanted to go to Riverside Cemetery because I am fascinated by historic cemeteries. The art and sculptures are so beautiful and interesting. Thomas Wolfe is buried there. My oldest fell asleep on the way over. Thank goodness, she needed a nap. My husband parked the car and my 7 year old and I went exploring. We looked at the statues of angels and admired the architecture of the massive mausoleums. My 7 year old practiced her math. "Mom, this man was 94."  It was a very peaceful and beautiful place and it went on and on.
                                   
We went back to the hotel and had pizza and went swimming in the hotel pool. The kids were loving it. They swam the length of the pool, back and forth. Finally, it was time to wind down. We were headed back to her room when my 7 year old says, "Mom, I'm bleeding." Her entire flip flop was covered in blood. I had her sit in one of the lobby chairs and asked the front desk for bandaids. She scraped the bottom of her toes somehow and they were bleeding profusely. There was blood everywhere. Poor baby. The blood was seeping through the band aid and she was acting like she was on the battlefield. She was so funny.

The next day we headed deeper into the mountains for some horseback riding. I have never been and I saw a commercial for it a few months ago and I thought the kids would love it. We were literally in the middle of no where. We had lunch at a place that was on the edge of a sinkhole. It was a little scary, but the home made banana puddin' was delicious.

We made it to the ranch and they made the girls put on helmets and directed us to our horses. We attempted to mount the horses, which was a comedy of errors. The guys was rolling his eyes. He was probably thinking - Damn city slickers. Some guy was pushing on my husband trying to get him on the horse and he was hanging onto the saddle for dear life. It was very amusing.

We finally were all saddled up and ready to go for our trail ride. The horses just followed each other. It was amazing. The girls were so happy, the weather was perfect and the view was spectacular. It was like a scene out of a movie.

But alas, all good things must come to an end. We dismounted and started the trek home. 

I can tell you one thing - horse back riding is not easy on the pelvis. Lord in heaven. I wanted to sit on some ice. 

The ride home was mostly uneventful until the last 20 minutes when my daughter started complaining of a stomach ache. I told her that she just needed to go to the bathroom. When we got home, that's what she did. She took a shower and put on her jammies. When she was all tucked in with a movie, I went to unload the car. I came in with the suitcases and I heard what sounded like choking. It was my 7 year old, vomiting into the sink. She almost made it. It was a lot of puke, and being as I am the Regurgitation Sanitation Coordinator in my house, I cleaned it up. She went back to bed and woke an hour later to vomit into the vomit bowl. She threw up like every hour throughout the night. At 3 am, I couldn't do it. I had a business trip to leave for the next morning. I shoved my husband, "It's your turn." I woke up bleary eyed just a few hours later. My daughter stared up at me with tired eyes. "You did 5 throw ups and dad did 3." I kissed my husband good bye. "Take her into the doctor first thing."

He did and she had strep throat. Vomiting was her only symptom - weird. We can't have a fun weekend without someone puking. It's an unwritten rule. She is better now - thank God! I hope this weekend is a little less eventful.