Recharged

Well, our weekend away has come and gone, but we had a really great time and got to recharge our batteries. Seeing the kids, holding them, kissing them, just being Mum was something I had been hanging out for and my thirst was quenched. They both look really well and happy and I've come back here feeling confident that I can now do another 5 weeks before we head off again for another dose of family.

Jo and Andy were once again very generous with their warmth and love and they made us feel very welcome and comfortable. We now have our own key to the front door, so we can come and go as we please - We love you guys. It's about time we were able to return the favour and show you some good old country Calliope hospitality. So how 'bout it??

Saturday night we had tea out with them and also with Jo's brother Paul and his wife Emma, who we've also known for years. We had a really fun night, filled with good food, good wine and great company. We went to a little Thai restaurant in Helensvale, it was a late dinner, we weren't booked in until 8 o'clock and it was closer to 9 by the time we were served. But we kept ourselves amused and the meals were definitely worth the wait. Yummo! The fact that I had just come off detox, meant that I was a very cheap drunk - 1/2 a glass of red and I was the life of the party. I don't think I've laughed so much in a very long time.

Sunday we were up early, Joe and I had breakfast out, then met Jayden and Amy back at Jo's so we could all drive in to Jessica and Ray's together. On our way there we got an sms message from Britney (niece). We were shocked when we read what she had written - she said it was a shame we didn't live on the Gold Coast anymore, because she was there from Geelong for an open day at Griffith Uni and she would have loved to catch up with us. It was our turn to shock her then when we messaged her back saying we were actually there too and suggested that we pick her up later in the day so we could have tea with her. It was so great to see her, it was an unexpected delight for the weekend. We got to catch up on what is occupying her world right now, from all the stories about her last year of school, her boyfriend Daniel, (who I've spoken to on the phone really like a lot) to her feelings about her father being away in Iraq and how she's dealing with that. She seems so grown up with such strong convictions for someone so young. She will turn 18 in December, but she is wise beyond her years having had the privilege of traveling to many countries in the world with her fathers position in the Army giving her the advantage of a worldly education.
Despite how she looks in this photo - she was really happy to be with us - just not so happy to be having her photo taken - teenagers, gotta love 'em!

The time we got to spend with the kids was very short but also very sweet. They both look really happy and healthy. I got to double dip with Jayden, when we went to visit him at his digs. He's doing alright for himself although he is visibly missing us - not sure that it's us so much as the good deal he's only just realised he was on by living at home and having Mum and Dad do so much for him - washing, ironing, cooking, making the bed - which I noticed wasn't made when we were there mate!
Lunch was at the Wynnum Tavern which was as good as the last time we were there for Jessica's birthday. We just chatted casually with each other, with Joe and I telling them all all bout our new life and the things we are hating about it and the things that we love about it. It was so nice having Amy join us, even though her and Jayden aren't officially together anymore, they obviously still have a great friendship which has been important enough for them to keep and have obviously been able to work out any of the problems that led to their break up. I know Jayden spends at least a couple of nights with Amy's family, which is nice for me to know he's getting at least some home cooked food.

Another great thing that happened on the weekend - I went to see MY chiropractor, Dr Mike and guess what, he fixed my problem, it took a couple of days to settle down after I'd seen him, but I feel really good again and it's great.

We had been to Harvey Norman in Bundall where I bought my new ipod so we dropped in to see Jared (brother) Aline and the kids, because they are just around the corner from there and would you believe it - they weren't home!! Happy 9th Birthday for Sunday Daniel, we're sorry we missed you.

Well, unfortunately I have been very slack and it's now nearly a week since we've been back here and the time away seems like just a distant memory - but in a way that's good, because we've got one week down so now there's only 4 to go before we get to do it again!!!