It's a Wonderful Life: Eureka! Springs, AR

Our sweet friends invited us to join them for their annual weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We were excited to get out of town for a little bit - the 5 1/2 hour drive was a walk in the park compared to our summer excursions. So, we let Will skip a day of school (shocking, I know), loaded up the van, and headed out of town. It always amazes me how you can be driving through what seems like the endlessly flat plains, you take a right turn and all of a sudden you're curvy swerving through the mountains. I'm proud to say that I only asked John to slow down twice once we hit the curvy uphill climb. He would want me to tell you that I also had my right foot pressed practically through the floorboard and a death grip on my armrest. We toured the town, rode a trolley, window shopped, and saw an outdoor Passion play. More than anything, we enjoyed our friends, laughed too hard (is there such a thing, I don't know, but my cheeks were killing me), and stayed up too late (and regretted in when the kids were up at their normal time the next morning). These are the kind of friends who are more like family, who live life with you - the good and the bad, and who are there to cheer you on no matter what. We are blessed.