Weekend Getaway

Lee and I have not had a getaway alone since August 2009. At that time, I was very pregnant, and we went to French Lick for our 5-year anniversary. But due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we both had a 3-day weekend, and my sister was watching Amelia. So, we headed into hiding for a few days.

Our trip took us to Springfield, IL - maybe not the most romantic place on earth, but certainly one filled with history, an interest for both of us. Lee takes interest in the Civil War and used to reenact when he was younger. He is also very interested in Abraham Lincoln. As a surprise for Christmas, I planned this getaway weekend to Springfield! We had a wonderful time. It was a much needed vacation for us, and we had an amazing time touring the sites.

On Saturday, we visited the Lincoln Tomb, which was intimate and amazingly beautiful. We then headed to the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, where he was once a lawyer. Lastly, we toured the presidential museum. Saturday night we had "date night" and headed to an 1850s mansion that is now a seafood restaurant. Not only was the food good, but the ambiance was fantastic. We took dessert back to the hotel - Red Velvet Cheesecake - yum! On Sunday, we toured the Lincoln home, which is the only home he ever owned. Such an amazing piece of history. We also toured the Dana-Thomas house, which was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

All in all, the trip just what we needed, but it also allowed us to see such an important part of history - Abe Lincoln's history. I grew up near Lincoln City, Indiana, where Abe grew up and lost both his mother and his sister. He truly was an amazing man who came from nothing and proved that dreams can come true by becoming President. I recommend the trip to anyone who loves history! It truly is a must-see.

Holidays 2011

So I haven’t kept up on my blog as much as I wished the last few months – 3 months to be exact, since I last posted. I guess that means I’ve been busy :-).

The holidays were wonderful for the Lawmasters. This year we hosted the Lee family Thanksgiving. With a table full of family, it was a great celebration to show how much we have been thankful for this year. And, as usual, we celebrated with Lee’s family at Basswood, which is our Thanksgiving tradition. We never know who will be in attendance, but it is always so good to see family we haven’t seen since last year or even longer!

Our Christmas was fantastic! I think it might have been the best Christmas we have had so far. Christmas Eve was spent with the Lee family, as usual. We had a great time – shared laughs, presents, and good food! We hosted Lee’s family for Christmas Day – his mom, grandma, dad, uncle, and aunt! It was great to have all of the family together. Santa brought Taylor and Amelia lots of gifts, but the presents from me and Lee were the best. Taylor received an autographed Taylor Swift songbook framed with her concert ticket from the July concert, and Amelia received a play kitchen! But before we knew it, Christmas had passed, the tree came down, and life moved on.

Time seems to pass so much quicker now than it used to. I suppose when you are a kid, a year is a huge percentage of your life. If you are 5, 20% of your life is 1 year. So time seems to stand still. But when you get older, a year is such a small part of your life – 1/32 of your life in my case. But I think since having Amelia, the time has flown even quicker. Milestones come and go, memories fade, and she grows up. But we do our best to document all that we can with our blogs, pictures, and video. One day I’ll be an old woman saying, “It all goes by too quick.” I’m working on trying to enjoy the moments as they happen. Wish me luck!