A working vacation for my friend Kat

This move to Florida has been a good one for us.  We are really enjoying it here.  I was telling my mom the other day on the phone how much I liked it and how we've loved everywhere we've lived so far; but how, after living here, I'm having a hard time picturing myself wanting to leave and move back to any of those other places.  PJ got on the phone with her just after that and I heard him say, "I'm not sure why she loves it here.  She doesn't have any friends."  :)  He wasn't being mean, just stating a fact and the two of them know how much friends mean to me so there was an understanding there.  I had some amazing friends in Illinois.  And some amazing friends in Arizona before that.  I've been so blessed.  And one of the things I hate about moving is starting all over, and finding new people you mesh with and cultivating new relationships.  Its hard, and not always so fun.  So it was such a treat to have my good friend Kat Olsen and her two girls come visit us for 9 days! 

They left/moved from Scott AFB the same time we did - only they went to Bowling in DC and we came here.  They were originally suppose to move down to Tyndall with us but got switched - that was a sad sad day for the two of us.  But after settling in to their new home they decided to take a little vacation and made the 16 hour drive to our house.  They arrived on Labor Day and we whisked them right off to spend the day on the beach...

And then we filled the following days with lots of shopping... Kat has a passion and talent for home decor - something I seriously lack.  So I recruited her to help me and my house.  While Brynn and Tyler were off to school each day we drug the 4 youngest from store to store to store and then home to work on our projects.  The little ones were troopers but I should had some video footage of the two of us trying to coordinate sheets or pick out the perfect curtains and find accents etc while the 4 of them were trying to escape the carts and hide in the isles and throw tantrums for more treats.  It was awesome :{  But our efforts paid off.  And PJ would walk in each evening, look around, silently wonder about his savings account, not give us the praise we were hoping for ;) but we all liked the changes.  I seriously haven't even hung curtains in our 10+ years of marriage so this was big stuff.  There is a whole post to come on my house, but that would require me to clean up so I could take pictures, so that's still a work in progress.  But we also crafted... 
...yep we totally made this wreath for my door.  And when I say 'we' I mostly mean Kat.  I helped and learned :)  And Brynn and I also learned how to frost cupcakes...

 And the kids hung out and played...

Speaking of cupcakes... Kat is the cupcake queen.  So I had a special request to try these monster cupcakes and they did not disappoint.  And then we had to try these maple bacon ones - they were just like pancakes covered in maple syrup with bacon.  Delish!

It was so great to have a good friend around who knew just when I needed a good cupcake and diet pop to start off my day and help get me through it :)  And there didn't have to be any shame or embarrassment behind it.

And while we worked very hard all week - yes she even helped me pull off the big birthday bash - we still found time for the swimming pool and a few more trips back to the beach.

It was a fun and ultra productive 9 days.  She and the girls left Wednesday.  It was sad to see them go but we were so glad they came to visit.  We needed time with good friends, it was very refreshing.