…the kittens act all GROWN UP and RESPONSIBLE for once. A-ma-zing. My friend Heidi and I were talking about how, when we go away, our girls (hers are 10, 8, and 6) just step it up and do things they simply aren’t “capable” of when Mommy’s home.

Like initiating bath/shower time. Or packing their own lunches. Or cleaning their bedrooms without being asked.

I know.

I left for New Jersey from the bus stop (well, technically the airport) on Thursday morning and got home at 10:30 a.m. Monday. And while there was one disheartening phone call on Saturday afternoon in which my husband told me it was nigh impossible to get website work done while running the house and caring for three “bored” children, everything else went swimmingly.

Yes, they ate out a lot. And no, the laundry didn’t magically do itself. But, my goodness. The man pumped up their bike tires and wrestled with them (one of their all-time favorite Daddy activities) and got them to church on time (after a donut breakfast at Tim Horton’s) and took them to see The Princess and the Frog at the Dollar Theatre. And so on and so forth.

And when I got home, instead of telling me how much they cried because they missed me, they told me how much fun they had with Daddy. Warmed my heart. They each fell just a little bit more in love with their Daddy. And so did I.

Because he gave me a gift really. I knew our babies were in the safest hands possible. I knew they were being loved and cared for and even spoiled. So I was able to relax and enjoy myself and have a blast with two dear old friends and 100+ new ones.

I read this book on the flight over and this one on the way back. I liked the first one okay because it’s about a family that goes on a year-long adventure (to Italy!!), but the second one (I’m not finished with it quite yet) is ROCKING my world because it’s all about story and making your life mean something.

Anyway. I got to spend so much quality time laughing and talking with my friends Heidi and Rachel who flew to NJ from Michigan and Heidi’s mom, Kathy, a pastor’s wife and mastermind behind the women’s retreat. We ate lots of good food and shopped for trinkets for our kiddos (mine, by the way, were not really the huge hit I was hoping for. oh well). Rachel and I shared a king-sized bed at the hotel for 3 nights and had way too much fun laughing way too late.

The women I met were just flat-out amazing. Open and honest, warm and accepting. You could hardly tell they were from New Jersey. (joke! joke!) We laughed and talked, and they were just so great. I’d love to start mentioning them by name right here and now, but I’d hate to leave anyone out. They were just so sweet and above-and-beyond awesome. I miss them already, and I’m thrilled to have so many new facebook friends from the East Coast.

Did I mention that the hotel was on THE BEACH? I’ve never seen the Atlantic Ocean from the shores of New Jersey before (just FL, SC, NC, and VA). I’ve also never been at the beach and seen snow. It was a bit chilly but sunny and gorgeous. There’s just something about the ocean.

It killed me to drive right by the Cape May Zoo and not stop and see the giraffes. But some sweet anonymous new friend bought me a t-shirt! And another sweet group of gals went together and got me a stuffed giraffe in a little cream, fuzzy purse that says “Wild!” on it. Nina has convinced me to “share” it with her, and we named our new friend Ginger.

God gave me the words to say (thank you for praying!), and I know He worked in so many women’s hearts (mine included) all weekend long.

I came home Monday to great news and some really encouraging comments on this post. And my Diapers books are here! (if you ordered some–and paid–I hope to get them all mailed this week) If you’d still like to order some, let me know. Life’s not all peaches and creamer, but that’s another post for another day. God is good, even if (because) His plans are different from mine.

I do have a (not very) hypothetical question for you: Let’s say I had to put the Zoo Book on hold for a bit and write something else. What book would you want me to write?