Happy Birthday Stacy

For 34 years, there has been a celebration for Stacy and Papa’s birthday together. This year it was a single celebration on Stacy’s special day. We had dinner at her house and of course sang happy birthday before enjoying yummy petifours – our girls do not think you have a birthday without cake. Thankfully, in November before daddy passed away we took mom on a getaway for her birthday and decided that needed to be our new tradition on birthdays. After a kindergarten orientation Mimi, Stacy, and Lisa loaded up to head out on Stacy’s birthday trip. Going down the road Lisa commented about thinking the hotel was closer to the interstate last time (it should had been). Upon arriving at the destination in the GPS, Lisa figured out she booked a different hotel/motel than thought. Instead of going to a Lodge and Spa at Callaway we went to the Mountain Inn which was more like a motel than hotel making us feel as if we had stepped back in time to one of the youth group trips. After the look of shock on the faces, being told the accommodations were disappointing compared to where we thought we were going, everyone had a good laugh – the kind of laugh where you can’t walk up the stairs stop laughing, and you feel like you have been doing crunches.. However, it looked similar to the lodge and spa inside; it was clean, and even though the view was not a garden view as thought when booked but pretty. God works everything out beautifully and we shared the best laugh any of us have had in a long time before taking a short nap – Lisa could not sleep.

Text for sister to find out her destination

Celebration at Stacy’s

Friday morning we were up and out before the country Inn was open for breakfast. As we sat in the car songs played on the radio that reminded us of daddy and we talked about what a great Papa, daddy, and husband he was to us. We enjoyed a big breakfast like daddy would have enjoyed on his birthday. Next up on our schedule was hiking and zip-lining in Callaway Garden (not thinking any of our men would enjoy these events). The zip lining was a little more of a work out than originally thought. We signed up for the one with a mini obstacle course too but it was perfect for the day to keep our hands and minds busy. After spending most the day in the gardens we headed back to the motel for showers before grabbing a late lunch and shopping. That evening we decided to head back to Mimi’s and enjoy the amenities there.

In the Inn

Zip-lining … the redeeming part of the trip

Exploring

Saturday, we had our plan but as life as a way of changing them they were changed when Mark texted the next morning he had been up with Sara half the night and turning the den into “Doc McStuffins clinic”. Instead of having everyone over to cookout and swim that afternoon after a little mother-daughter time, we took sister home and ran errands that morning. Chris brought the girls out that afternoon so we could cookout and swim. Leia is doing amazing swimming now! It was nice to have some family time before Chris headed out of town on business for most of the week Sunday morning.

Missed these little princesses! Glad they had fun with daddy