Weekend Road Trip!

One of Laura's really good friends is getting shipped out to Kuwait in April. He's currently stationed in Oklahoma and they haven't seen each other in months. She wanted to be able to tell him goodbye and, with Bill and I being how we are, decided to make a family road trip out of it.

We left bright and early this past Friday morning and spent some time with the kids late that evening (was about a 13 hour drive). Saturday, Laura left with her friend to hang out on base and play video games, so Bill drove me around southern Oklahoma and northern Texas to lots of quilt shops. Saturday afternoon/evening we met up with my friend Moosey at Olive Garden, ate too much pasta, and talked and laughed and talked shop until the waiter started giving us dirty looks for hogging his table. It was a totally awesome day!

Sunday, we were out the door at 7:30am to head back home, making a pit-stop in Topeka to eat barbeque with Monica. Monica is amazing, just totally funny and cool, especially when the topic turned to corn and french fries. I don't think that Bill will ever look at food the same way again. lol ;). We could have stayed there all day if it wasn't for having to get back home sometime this century, so we piled back in the car for the remainder of the trip north, finally arriving home about 10pm. And the dogs were missing. They had, again, broken out of Fort Stewie, but Janna (our neighbor who'd been watching them) said they were there just a few hours before so we didn't worry. Much. Gozer and Stewie wandered back home not long afterward, and it was off to bed for the travel-fatigued Jones's.

It was a fantastic if exhausting weekend. I'd been wanting to meet Moosey and Monica for what seems like forever and both are great writers, great women, and just awesome friends. I got some really cool quilt fabric and templates for a Dresden plate block. Bill was sweet and charming all weekend - even when stuck listening to boring writer talk, Laura was her usual chipper self, and even I maintained a great mood after three days in the car. AND we stayed within sight of our budget!

It's good to be home though. Too bad I have to drive to Des Moines tomorrow! ;)