Surprise of a Lifetime

It's the time of year when we all thank our stars above and count our blessings for the incredible moments and people that surround us every day. And after this past weekend, I am beyond grateful.

Now, let me back it up just a little for you. Shortly after moving back to Cedar Rapids, I caught up with some of my best girlfriends...

It started just as dinner, and ended a little crazy, but the best part of the night was a booked trip for Trisha and I to New York. Yep! Little did the hubby's know, they were set for a weekend with the kids. Alone. Of course, there was a little planning on our end... when should we go, how long should we stay, what was too much to pay for airfare, can I get the time off work... oh, and should we tell Kendra we're coming?

The emails started flying, and her hubs was on board with the plan. We were booked for a weekend getaway in upstate New York, the spa reservations were in place, and Kendra knew nothing of it. C'mon, what could be more fun than your two college roommates showing up on your doorstep after not seeing each other for 4 years? Right, and so we waited for two months, patiently stirring plans, thinking it through and doing everything in our power to not have conversation with Mrs. Rossetti.

Finally, Friday morning came and I picked Trish up at 5 a.m. to board the plane. Still unsure what we'd do once we arrived in New York, we took advantage of the fact that it was just Trish and I. A day without two husbands and five kids. Done. We were ready to rent a car and live it up!

We waited in line at Budget Car Rental, and they set us up with a Ford Fiesta. Rolling high was not our biggest priority, so out we strolled to the parking lot, popped the trunk to gage the space for our shopping bags, and BAM! the ungodly stinch of rotten-old-lady-perfume rolled out of the car. It was terrible enough that Trish stompped right back inside to let them know a new car was a must.

We swapped it out for a new car that stunk just as bad, got lost on the expressway because we were too busy in coversation instead of focusing on the Navigation Winch, bought enough pairs of shoes that we considered paying to check an extra bag on the way home, searched for Fungus Fix for my toenail that popped off, enforced the zapping of coupons off our phones in every store, drank way too many Starbucks, got giddy and anxious, thought about picking up drinks and snacks on our way (but we were too late), still made time for a make-up touch-up, snapped a picture quick and went knocking on Kendra's front door at 5:15 p.m.

Roughly twelve hours after leaving our house that morning and there we were, ready to yell SURPRISE when she opened the door! We scurried our bodies as close to the front of the house as we could, so that we wouldn't be in sight from the picture window. And after the third door bell ring and fourth knock, no one was coming to let us in... We laughed a lot while standing out on her porch, before finally texting Lou to open up.
He came to our rescue and led us to the basement where Kendra was playing with her precious 2-year-old little man, Owen, whom we had yet to meet.  As we tip-toed down the basement stairs, she had her back to us, and no one said a word. Then, Trish tapped her shoulder, and we watched her reaction as she turned around....

It was pretty crazy to say the least! Poor girl didn't know what to say. She was stunned, and rightfully so. After 4 years of calling, texting, and facebooking, we were in her home 850 miles away, unannounced. And from there, the weekend continued full of laughs, memories, and moments that I will treasure for eternity.
Owen made friends with us quickly; he fed me grapes and helped us decide what to drink right away! And we even had the opportunity to attend his last soccer drill practice of the season.

We spent Saturday afternoon at Spa Del Monte taking in deep tissue massages, hot apple cider, fresh fruit, pop culture updates from US and People (which may not mean much to those of you without kids hanging on your side all evening long!), and amazing showers with five jet streams of hot water blasting all around my body (okay, so the shower was my favorite part!).

We shopped some more, because seriously, the selection of stores is much beyond the Cedar Rapids offerings. And then we dressed up and headed out for some amazing metropolitan cuisine at Next Door Bar and Grill, tasteful dessert at Good Luck, and a few glasses of wine out.

Of course, our three days together passed by way too fast, but there is nothing that I'd change if I had the opportunity. It has made me realize that there is never a length of time too long to not rekindle. While I often find myself promising to never take for granted my husband, kids, and family, all too often I forget about those I don't get to see and talk to every day. This trip was proof of so much. The chance to be together, the way we picked up where we left off years ago, the comfort that we still have in being together, the lives that we want to share but feel we can't because of distance, and the realization that these two girls bring some of the deepest laughs to my soul.

And to think that it was all a surprise! In Trisha's words, "We are pretty cool."

Crappy quality, but I love the photo.

Ah, nuts!

It's been 2 1/2 years since we learned the hard way that Miss Alayna's little bod couldn't handle peanut butter. I remember sitting at my parents, on Memorial Day 2009, and watching her lips swell until they were touching her nose, eyes nearly close, and body slowly become covered with hives. We reacted quickly that day with Benadryl and prayed that nothing would swell on the inside of her precious mouth. The months following consisted of needle pricks and blood tests until we got the confirmation that she had an allergy to peanuts. It was hard to determine if she'd live with it for the rest of her many years, or how severe it really was. And after lots of reading and research, the suggestion was that we steer clear of any product of the nut family.

She has since had outbreaks of hives from amoxicyllin and other random items. And we've dealt with it until a couple weeks ago. I picked her up from school on Friday and once again she was covered in welts from her neck to her toes. Benadryl finally kicked in after an hour, and even then it took two doses to clear her up. The school and I investigated every piece of what she ate that day, and couldn't make the connection.

We decided then to have her fully examined by a local allergist. On Tuesday, we spent two hours determining what the best step was for her, and decided to perform a skin test. Look at this peanut just minding her own business while we talked about the situation.

Before pricking her with 44 different allergins to identify her sensitivity, the doctor warned us that many kiddos get pretty worked up during the process. So, I held her tight in my arms, and the test was quick. And what did she do? She GIGGLED!!! She thought the pricking on her back was someone tickling her! The nurse was shocked, and with just a few stickers and a blue sucker, she waited 20 minutes for the reactions to take place.

Happily for Jar and I, we learned that she is only allergic to peanuts. Whew! A relief really.
The Doc also fed us Peanut Allergy 101, which was eye-opening.

• Grocery items produced near peanuts are not clear for her.
• Just because a food is safe one day, doesn't mean that it's okay the next time you shop. Often brands will change the factory where food is produced to (or from) a peanut-free factory.
• Therefore, every label needs to be evaluated, every time you shop.
• Only 15% of children will grow out of a peanut allergy compared to 85% who grow out of other food allergies.
• Your immune system completely shifts every 7 years, so she should have a full skin test at least that often to be knowledgable of new allergy sensitivites.
• We should have an action plan at the school in case she comes in contact with peanuts.

So, we have our work cut out for us to keep her healthy. Like I've said before though, there are a million other diseases, sicknesses, problems, and scares that we could be dealing with. We are blessed that it's just peanuts.