We ran away!

Feeling like we needed a fresh perspective on life, we packed up the kids, ourselves and even the dog and we ran away for a couple of days.

We utilized two great websites. 
Hotwire.com - We selected; 3 1/2 stars, a pool and near the airport. That got us a comfortable room at the Sheraton with a 24 hour pool, hot tub and sauna.

Restaurant.com - $2.00 for a $25.00 gift certificate. We got to try two different Mediterranean Restaurants in Portland. One was Greek food and the other was Syrian. Both were delicious!
*Tip: Wait until there is an 80 or 90% off sale to buy coupons. Yes, they go that low!

And we all went Ice Skating at the Ice Chalet at Lloyd Center. This was our kids first time on ice skates, they started out pretty shaky but by the end, they were asking when we could come back again. "How about tomorrow?"  Erik and I have skated in our youth. It all came back to Erik, me... not so much. I really enjoyed it, I have to admit I skate like an old lady, but I was really excited to be ice skating again. Once I got over the fear terror of falling I relaxed a bit. I was "comforted" to learn that falling doesn't hurt as bad as it did as a kid. I know, it's such a strange phenomenon, oh, the ice was probably softer, we were indoors so the temperature was a balmy 70 degrees, everything hurts more in the frigid outdoors of Minnesota, yep, I'm sure that's what it was, I'm sure it had nothing to do with all of the extra cushioning that I now have. ;)

Father and Son

Daddy and Daughter

I'm skating, I'm really skating!

All ready to hit the pool!

The kids in the "Hurricane Simulator". They loved it!

Erik and Greta