Bad Girls, Good Babes Reunion Weekend 2009

Natalie and I did it again. We boarded a plane ... all by our cute little selves ... and traveled to another state. I think it will be our last "free" airline trip since Natalie is sure to turn two before we fly again ... well, maybe :)

This time - our 8th time traveling by plane - we headed back to Denver, Colorado for our Bad Girls, Good Babes Reunion (BGGB, B-doubleG-B if you're cool enough to say it like me) to see my three best friends from college: Missy, Lisa, and Laryl - and to spend time with two of the cutest little nuggets I know: Emmett and Marisa. This was our first BGGB with three babes in tow, and I must say I was quite impressed by how smoothly everything went.

Here are the three "good babes" ... aren't they adorable?

What follows is by-no-means a complete recount of our BGGB weekend adventure ... just a few details I'll always remember :)

Auntie Lisa Lee, Sherpa Extraordinaire

Landing in Denver, we were both a little tired, and it was already bedtime (with time change) for NHV. I was seriously dreading the baggage claim-carseat, big pink bag plus carry on and toddler-shuttle ride-rental car pick-up adventure that still awaited us. But we were so very excited to see Lisa Lee, who flew in earlier in the afternoon, hung out at the 'port, AND took care of absolutely EVERYTHING! The rental car was waiting just outside the baggage claim doors. How awesome is that? I must admit I was surprised - very pleasantly so - to have all of that taken care of ... but I don't know why I was surprised because Lisa Lee had proven herself a worthy sherpa at last year's trip to the zoo and all over Denver. It was just such a blessing to land and hop in a car and speed away ... to Missy's house we go :)

Arrival, Late Night for the Babes

Everyone was still awake including babes - past 10 o'clock - when we arrived. We chatted and hugged and watched the little ones play until almost 11:00, and then decided to call it a night ... I also shared some exciting news because I just couldn't contain myself, and Missy already knew :) It was my first time meeting Marisa, and I was quite smitten. She is such a little love and full of personality, just like her mama!

Just Tired? Nope, Sick
I took Natalie to the doctor on Tuesday (we flew on Thursday) to have her ears checked. She was clearly very congested, and I didn't want to risk ear complications on a flight. The doctor - not our usual - assured me that it wasn't an ear infection, prescribed saline mist to keep the snot moving, and a cough suppressant, and told us to have a great trip. Natalie was not 100% when we left on Thurday late afternoon, but she definitely seemed better. I was having a hard time keeping enough tissues on hand to wipe her constantly running nose ... ugh!

I woke up Friday morning not feeling all that great. At first I thought I was just tired and perhaps a little weary from traveling. But as the day wore on, it became apparent that I had some kind of cold or flu or feverish-snotty-sore throat misery. By lunchtime, Natalie was ready for a nap and so was I. I sent Lisa and Laryl off to lunch while I enjoyed a little cable TV on the couch. (Cable is such a luxury for me; we don't have it at our house, and sometimes I really miss TLC, HGTV, Style, and MTV.) I flipped through the channels a few times and prompty fell asleep ... I missed my opportunity to veg with cable! I continued to feel pretty rotten the rest of the day and Saturday and Sunday, too. The amount of snot (sorry if that's graphic) between me and Natalie was like nothing I had ever seen before. We must've gone through like 9 boxes of tissues!

It was beyond disappointing to be sick during the one weekend a year that I get to spend with my dear, faraway friends (and the babes). I kept my distance to hopefully avoid "contaminating" everyone else, and my energy level was a far-cry from its usual. But I did enjoy

Aquarium Outing

One of many highlights (despite the lowlight of being sick) of this trip was a visit to the Denver Aquarium, the perfect venue for the kiddos. And perfect chance to "feed" Natalie's recent octopus obsession ... well, in theory, at least. Natalie chanted "octopus" the entire time - a display that is at the very end of the aquarium circuit - and barely wanted to look at any of the other animals. And then, we finally got to the octopus exhibit and a "cartoon, costumed shark guy" terrified her so much that she didn't even look at the darn octopus, the one she had been asking to see for at least an hour!

It was just so nice to be "out" with my girls. How I wish we all lived closer together. I wish we could just call each other up on a Saturday afternoon and meet up for lunch or an outing to the zoo or whatever. Being able to spend time with Missy, Laryl, and Lisa is absolutely precious ... regardless of what we are doing we always manage to have the BEST time together. I love my "bad girls."