Lawrence

It was way back in winter when the idea came up and just now in July it became a reality. There's a group of women at church, we don't have a name, and usually we study books together about being mothers, wives, Christians, etc. Every now and then we schedule a dinner out in Wichita together, but usually we simply gather in someone's home and talk and share snacks together. This time, though, we went all out! We broke free, broke our routines and maybe broke the piggy bank. But it was a blast! Nine of us went to Lawrence:

Vanessa

Gretchen

Rachael

Megan

Mandi

Michelle

Amy

Shari

and me!

We stayed at The Eldridge Hotel on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. We shared 2 rooms and all slept pretty well. We had to draw bed assignments out of an ice bucket to move us out of the, "I don't care, really I'll sleep wherever" rut.

Then we headed downstairs for desserts and drinks. It was half price martini night at the hotel and the options were pretty amazing. The architecture of the hotel was amazing. It's a very old hotel and it has all of it's original charm in tact.

Mandi and I shared this lovely Strawberry Tart. The crust tasted a bit like lemon and the creamy part under the fresh strawberries tasted like raspberries and strawberries - DElicious.

Please notice the lights, they were beautiful.

Michelle, Amy, Vanessa and Megan shared a piece of chocolate cake for 4 people. The last bite was forced upon Megan - she's eating for 2 anyway!

Call me crazy, but I loved the lights and the windows in this space.

The next morning we met in the lobby to start our full day of exploring the shops and restaurants on Mass St. First stop was Wheat Fields Bakery for a wonderful selection of baked goods as well as hot breakfast options and good mochas.

The first shop we went to was Phoenix Gallery and it was amazing. This wooden piece was a mere $495...needless to say, most of the stuff I LOVED was way out of my price range. Great eye candy, though.

Next up, Sarah's Fabric Shop - A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

The fabric below is what started a long shopping session that lead to me picking out 10 fabrics for Noah's next quilt. (Sue, I'll send you more details!)

For dinner, we ate at 715 a fancy, but not too uppity Italian restaurant that was just down the street from our hotel. I'm in love with these filament light bulbs. In love.

The food was delicious. And, after dinner we watched some of the bicycle race that was happening right next to our hotel and then waited around for the street dance to start! You got it, all of that just happened to be happening right outside our hotel. The Mud Bugs performed Cajun music until midnight - the people watching was amazing.

Saturday morning we ate at Wheat Fields again and then walked through the Farmer's Market.

It was beautiful to spend so much time together, in an interesting place, away from what is our normal routine, to feel pampered, relaxed and without any pressure to be on a schedule.