Summer Regional 2010 - Day 1

Its that time of year again... we take off for a long weekend and spend it with our favorite Edward Jones families. I recognize how different this sounds from the first couple of regionals we attended. In 5 1/2 years, we have come to really love (some of) these people and look forward to spending this extended time with them every year.

We're back to Sheboygan, WI at Blue Harbor Resort this year. And this year, we have finally brought the girls with us. Much to everyone else's amusement... we have already heard many jokes about how "nice it is to finally SEE your children" etc. etc. I think there is a bit of jealousy laced in those comments:) We are fortunate to have parents that are willing to help us on these weekends. This year, however, since it was back at a waterpark we decided to brave it and bring them with us.

One thing I will say, though, in regards to not having brought the girls with us in the past: it really afforded us the opportunity to make and cultivate some great relationships with people in the region. We were not bound by nap and bedtime schedules. We didn't have to be back in our rooms at specific times. We were not pulled away from conversations by impatient children. We were able to get to know people in a way that we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. And I wouldn't trade that for anything, because now we have actual relationships with many of them. At the same time, it should be noted that most of the places we've gone to in the last several years were not very kid friendly and if next year's location is not kid friendly, we may not bring them with us then, either.

Anyway... brought my laptop with me this year so I can work on Saturday morning, so I figured I'd update everyday rather than do a summary at the end (those are sooooo overwhelming for me to craft).

The actual regional has been cut down again this year to just F-S, however, we opted to again extend our weekend by one day and came out yesterday (Thursday). We left at 2ish and arrived around 5:15. The second I opened the car door, I knew I had to go running. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the location is awesome - right on the lake & canal. So we got everything up to the room and I changed and went out for 4 miles. It was awesome.

We went down to the waterpark and found the other EJ people who had extended and chatted for a few minutes before embarking on the pizza party. The girls, though, were chomping at the bit to get in the water - and who could blame them? Pizza is nothing compared to water slides and pools! We spent the remainder of the evening in the waterpark and left when it closed at 9.

After getting everyone set in their pajammies and settled in their little boat-beds with Animal Planet going for them, some friends (Paul & Kim & Jay) came to visit and have a few drinks. It was a nice evening - just a few of us, hanging out, no agenda, no responsibilities and plenty of drinks to go around:)

Beautiful.