Our Wonderful Weekend Away!

Praise God William is having a long nap today; he has a cold and has been a sad little boy most of the morning! :( The other two children are resting and reading, and it is SO nice to have the internet back again. Something about feeling more connected to others in this sometimes lonely job of mothering little ones. :)

So. Our weekend away! It had been planned for months, and we had no idea it would fall in the middle of one of the busiest times we have ever experienced. :) But in many ways, it was a blessing to be able to take two full days away after such an exhausting few weeks. We had put out the call to some theatre and work friends many months ago - would anyone like to come to Sydney to see the musical Wicked with us? There ended up being 7 of us - all grown ups, none of the others with children yet, so it was quite different company for me and healthy in many ways. I was reminded that this season of my life is indeed that - seasonal. There is more out there, and there will be more and more opportunities for these trips and experiences as my children grow older. Sometimes with them, and sometimes not.

We were up very early on Saturday morning (4:30am!) in order to catch a 9am flight from Brisbane to Sydney. Desiree our friend and dance teacher traveled with us and we enjoyed lots and lots of laughter! It was a lot of fun. The afternoon we spent poking around Darling Harbour; we visited the Maritime Museum there, and went on the Endeavour (beautiful replica of Captain Cook's ship) which is docked there.

Some of these old books were so beautiful! So much history. Sigh.

We checked into our hotel and spent an hour or so relaxing before getting all dolled up, meeting up with our other four friends, and finding a restaurant for dinner.

The whole city was abuzz - wow, we are such country bumpkins these days!!! Thousands of people everywhere, the buildings, the traffic........ we were all in a bit of culture shock, but it was a nice change from the usual. :) The few blocks surrounding the Capitol Theatre were all themed for Wicked, and it was so exciting! We found this car near the theatre and took a few photos here. The Thai Restaurant we ate at had a "Wicked Stir-fry" on their menu - which I ordered - green broccoli, snow peas and green beans!

Stu and two of his work colleagues

After dinner we phoned the children to say goodnight, and they had all had a wonderful day. So nice to hear their little voices, so cheery. It was a balm for my soul because I had been missing them all day. Thank you Mum and Ray for giving them such a great weekend as well - you are the best!!

That last half-hour before seeing a show is always exciting - thinking of the performers backstage doing their final preparations, the crowd pouring in, buying our program, etc. Ahh. We don't get to see many professional shows these days, and it was just so wonderful to be there!

There were cocktails for sale in the foyer in these light-up cups, all green and blue - a great souvenir to bring home with us. :) There was something special about being in the semi-darkness, making our way to our seats, surrounded by theatre lovers all with their glowing cups..... And the Capitol Theatre is so special, so old and so ornate! It was the first time I had been there.

Here we all are in the foyer before heading in to see the show.

The musical itself was absolutely wonderful. The idea is so clever, and the music outstanding. Amanda Harrison's voice is unreal!!!! I loved every single minute of it. We milked the time we had, staying up much of the night just soaking in the culture of the city and enjoying being together.

Sunday morning we were all very very tired, but managed to make our way to Circular Quay to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House (where my Uncle sang in the Australian Opera Company for many years, if that's of interest to anybody! :)) and wound up sitting in the Botanical Gardens by the harbour, just talking in the shade of the trees and relaxing - and trying to stay awake. ;) Our plane went out at 1pm.

This area of Sydney is my favourite part to visit.

But I tell you what - it was good to get home to the slow paced lifestyle of Maryborough! A bit of a hard transition for me on Monday, with William sick, and Stu going off to work, and me facing a week of mothering mostly alone (as I have said before, the last few weeks of term are very busy for Stu and he's barely here......) - but I had a shower and prayed a lot, and felt better. :) And it is lovely to be back with my children. I missed them a lot!

I would highly recommend a weekend away if you can do it. (And seeing Wicked if you are a fan of musical theatre!! It is so funny, and really quite spectacular.) I was worried about leaving my little ones but needn't have been. They were safe and happy and had a blast with their Nanna and Grandpa! And it was wonderful couple time for us.

So there you go. :) Our Wonderful Weekend Away.