Las Chicos Chicas

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there---especially my own amazing mom, a living saint named Theresa, who continues to guide me and my 3 older brothers to the Lord through her advice and constant prayers.  Here's a fun "then and now" photo of us :)  I am one blessed girl to have a family like this!!!

I am also one blessed girl to have a husband who lets me go on a girls' getaway to recharge my soul with a couple of my best friends (he not only lets me go, but encourages me!).  We went to a nearby hot springs resort called Chico---thus the name we gave ourselves: "Las Chicos Chicas." :)  This is the first time that I've done an overnight trip just for fun, just for myself.  In the past I've always felt too guilty to leave my family behind.  I've always thought I have to be on full-time mom duty, full-time sacrificing, in order to be the best mom possible.  But I am just starting to realize that sometimes being the best mom requires putting aside my "mom hat" and putting on a swimsuit instead! :)  

Slowly I'm beginning to learn that I shouldn't feel guilty about soaking up some natural Vitamin D, laughing out load with my friends, or relaxing long enough to listen to the Lord and find myself again so that I can be a better wife and mom and woman of God.  After all, how can we pour ourselves out in service to others if the pitcher of our soul has run dry?  So, hopefully this girlfriend getaway has taught me to give myself permission to recharge from time to time.  I give you readers permission too!  And if you live nearby, perhaps you could just tag along with me and mis amigas and join Las Chicos Chicas!  :)

Here's me and mi amiga Laura.  

Mi otro amiga, Beth, refused to be in any of the pictures.

She chose to be the group photographer instead :}

(she's a muy loca chica, but we still love her)

We stayed at our own little private cabin at Chico, which was perfect---

especially because we learned that there is a "ghost" that lives in the main lodge.

We prayed a Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the resident ghost, 

so perhaps we helped her out (literally) :)

This was my first time to go to Chico.  I found it to be very Montana-esque---

rustic and lovely at the same time, very laid back and not too fancy...

perfecto para mi.

The food was MUY BIEN!!!

Spending time with my dearest friends without the stress of kiddos

was so good for all of our souls.

I think our husbands were worried that we wouldn't come back home :)

I have to admit it was hard to leave these hot springs--

they were like soaking in a hot bubble bath that never gets cold.

Ahhh...so nice.

Here is Laura saying, "What happens at Chico, stays at Chico!"

Here is the road that led to rejuvenation for Las Chicos Chicas.

I wonder what road we will take next year...

I wonder who else will join us...

What road is the right road for you to help you be the best version of yourself?

Easter Recap

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

I hope all of you had a beautiful Easter celebration---and are continuing to celebrate until Easter officially ends on Pentecost Sunday!  We had a lovely Easter, although our plans for Easter Sunday changed at the last minute when Natey threw up in the middle of the night on Saturday.  I was so bummed because we were supposed to go to a dear friend's house (who has 7 kids) along with another great Catholic family (who has 8 kids), and I was really looking forward to the fellowship with these special friends.  But, it wasn't meant to be.  Once I decided to "offer it up" and "praise the Lord anyway," I quickly got over myself and my disappointment.  Natey and I stayed behind and had a very special Easter together while Paul took the rest of the crew to our friends' house (actually, it's a ginormous, gorgeous ranch, near Lincoln, MT).  The boys had a blast mountain biking all over the property (there's 100s of acres to explore), and there was also a fun Easter egg hunt for all the little ones.  Natey and I had our own Easter egg hunt around our very own gorgeous property.  He was as happy as can be, and it was a memory I will never forget spending that Easter with him all to myself :)  God is so good.  I recently heard the phrase that "our disappointments are God's appointments."  When things in life don't quite go the way we wanted and disappointment comes, it's usually an opportunity to grow closer to Christ, an appointment to unite our sorrows with His--which does so much good for our souls and perhaps other souls too as we share in Christ's redemptive suffering for the world.  What an amazing God we have, which seems so obvious at Easter as we remember that He sent His beloved Son to die to save us from our sins.  Thank you, God, for salvation, my beautiful boys, family, friends, Easter joys, and even for our disappointments!

 

Hope your Easter was filled with 

joy, 

heavenly graces, 

and even some candy too! :)