OWE 2015!

Oh, how I've missed these girls.

L to R: Mel, Reba, me, Danielle, Catherine, and Anne

I am so lucky to have made so many wonderful friends in all of the stages of my life. I have the Pink Stars from high school, the Badger girls from college, and the Ortho Wives Club from residency. I am so grateful for all of them. At the transition of each of these stages of life, there have been a very bittersweet set of good byes. Thankfully, reuniting and keeping up with my high school and college friends has been easy. Maybe it's because I've known them for so long, or because we are all from Stewartville, or Minnesota, or Wisconsin. I don't really know why, but I am glad for it. When residency started in 2008, I was doubtful that I would develop similar close relationships with new friends like I did in high school and college. But I did. Maybe it was because residency was a bit of a trying time for many of us, or because our husbands all bonded as well, or because we all had babies at the same time, but whatever the reason, the bond was quick and the friendships were real. The biggest difference after residency was over than when high school and college were over was that we were all moving far, far away from one another. I, for one, was worried that the physical distance would make it harder to keep in touch and see each other than with the Pinks and Badger girls. So because of that we vowed to take a yearly vacation together. And believe it or not, we actually made it happen! Our first ever Ortho Wives Extravaganza (OWE) was in Austin, Texas! We stayed at a ranch resort called Lost Pines. We shared a suite, and enjoyed an entire weekend just hanging out, catching up, and doing girly things. And for real, we picked up right where we left off and it felt like we had never been apart. Here are some pictures and the stories that go along with them...

Day 1: Thursday

We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and after some quick catching up, we headed to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Austin.

It was so good, and the perfect way to start our vacay.

The first of many "usies."

Day 2: Friday

The resort.

There were a wide variety of ranch animals.

Here is a long horn.

Apparently, you could sit on them, as this woman demonstrated.

The line was long, so we just took a picture.

This is a llama, I think, in the lobby.

The weather was a little dreary. 

It was warm, thank goodness, but cloudy and rainy for most of the weekend.

We had a very low key day at the resort, which was nice for these fast-paced and routine-accustomed mamas.

We went for walks/runs, had brunch, eventually showered and got ready, then had drinks and dinner at one of the restaurants there.

There was also a nice country singer performing who gave us a shout out!

I'm pretty sure he called us beautiful or pretty or something, which was quite flattering! :)

Day 3: Saturday

We began the day with a surprise baby shower for Melissa.

She is expecting a boy at the end of April.

This is the quilt that I made for her.

I'm so glad we got to spoil her (and him).

After that, we spent the rest of the morning at the spa. 

We had pedicures, manicures, massages (some of us), mimosas, and some hot tub time too!

It was really wonderful and relaxing!

As you may have noticed, Sari hasn't been in any of the pictures up until this point.

That's because she had Walter (baby #4) on Wednesday, and she obviously couldn't make it to Austin.

So we brought the party to her.

We drove to San Antonio on Saturday evening, which was an easy 1.5 hour drive.

We got to meet Walter, visit with Rob and the kids, and most importantly, see Sari.

She looked wonderful and already manages 4 kids with ease and grace! :)

We had to get a picture of Helen and Witten waving HI to show our kiddos!

We all got a chance to hold Walter.

He was almost 10 pounds, so already chubby and obviously adorable.

Then we hit up a BBQ restaurant on the River Walk.

It was fun and delicious!

Day 4: Sunday

Sunday was travel home day.

Somehow, I accidentally booked myself a first class ticket.

This is not a joke.

I have no idea what I did, but I was definitely okay with it.

It was the best flight ever.

I hate flying, but I actually enjoyed myself up there.

Luckily, Anne was in first class too (as a gift), and we were able to switch and sit next to each other.

And then, this is what we arrived home to in Minnesota.

Just a mere 10 inches of snow on March 22nd.

Typical.

It was an amazing vacation, and I felt and still feel so refreshed after a long weekend away. I am so thankful to my mom and dad for taking such great care of my kids while I was gone. It obviously would not have happened without them, and it means a lot to both Jon and I to have such loving, caring, supportive parents! Thank you!