My amazing weekend, Part 2: A Shower for Julia

Wow.  What an incredible weekend.  It was pretty much perfection in my book.

Saturday morning was spent with me meeting Mara's beautiful little family and medicating myself with caffeine.  Not the most flattering way to meet new people....bed head and pjs, pre-coffee, but hey, it worked. :)  Her little boy is a mega-dose of cute, with energy to spare....a serious joy to be around. I brought him homemade cookies, so that I could almost guarantee he would be ok with me, and allow my stealing his mommy for a whole day of fun.  Did you know that there is such a thing as scones in a can?! How can this be?! Perhaps it's just a California thing?!  Either way, they were yummy hot out of the oven with the coffee her sweet hubby had ready for us.  Great start to the day.

After getting ready for a fun day in San Diego, we hit the road. Our first stop was Balboa Park, which I remembered once we got there, that I had visited with the LWC Singers in college.  Very fun.  The weather could not have been more perfect...seriously.  After walking through the Botanical garden area, we hung out and baked our fair skin in the sun for a while and hashed out life a bit.

We then walked around some more, realizing over and over again how incredible it is to be able to stroll leisurely around places without having to tell your curious kids 4,000 times not to touch things, or not to run too far ahead of you, or worry about them getting lost.  Serious chill time was being had by these mommas.

Next we entered another beautiful garden area and sat a while longer in the glorious sun and talked about our babies, friends, God....you know, all the good stuff in life.

Next, we had lunch plans with two of Mara's lovely friends at a restaurant right on the water. 
A-m-a-z-i-n-g....both the food and the view.

It was such a fun time to spend with new friends, cracking up and stuffing our faces.  They were so gracious to welcome me into their group for the day! 

Naturally, I cannot come home empty handed, so Mara took me to a great area of shops and I grabbed some things for the munchkins.  We saw lots of interesting characters down there, and at the end got to enjoy a pedicab ride, serenaded by Marvin Gaye.  Awesome.

Once we wrapped up our time in the city, we headed back to the area where she lives and entered wine country...I don't know if they call it that there, but that's what I'm calling it. ;) It was breathtakingly beautiful.  She took me to the most gorgeous spa/resort/winery.  Simply amazing. 

The entry lane to the spa. Gorgeous.

We got our spa trip started with some relaxing in the jacuzzi, then she got a facial and I was blessed with an incredible massage.  Afterwards, we lounged in our plush robes on the veranda overlooking the vineyards.  The breeze was blowing and the sun was setting...I seriously could not believe I was really sitting there. It was pure perfection, something straight out of a movie, in my opinion.

But, more than all of these fun and incredible things we did, the most precious thing we did was celebrate her Julia.  We celebrated Elijah. We celebrated how their unique lives brought us together.  We dug deep into what our hearts feel, what they can't understand, and how fragile they feel sometimes.  My greatest blessing, what made the trip completely worth it, was when Mara expressed that my being there has given her strength.  Praise be to God who can use my heartache, failures, successes, faith and love to bless another.  Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to journey with a sister down a path we would not have chosen, but has been allowed, and has changed us for eternity. 

We treated yesterday as a shower for Julia.  I know I keep saying it, but it really was a day of celebration! It was a day of pampering for us, yes, but it was a day to focus on the beauty of Julia's small life. It was a time to share the deepest thoughts, point out the greatest blessings and a day to be present with each other....and hope the hugs can carry us through and be felt over the phone for months to come.  I was able to feel the life of Julia in the tiny kicks against my hand, and I was able to see the life that is being transformed in Mara.  Words really can't say what a blessing it was to be with her. 

I hope that you would keep my dear friend in your prayers as she enters the last weeks of her pregnancy.  Believe me when I say that prayers can be felt.  I know she would greatly appreciate you lifting her and her family up.

So, here I sit in Denver, enjoying more caffeine and getting ready to make my connection flight home.  Told Maggie on the phone this morning that I had a surprise for her. Her response was, "I know."  Little stinker. ;)