A Trip with my Family

There are certain perks to being married to a pastor. While we don't usually save up money for a big family vacation to anywhere, as there are always about 104 other ways we can spend our money (hello....bills? Cat declawed? TV bit the dust last week?), we do get the opportunity to take little trips known as a "conference." Or "convention." Or "annual meeting." So, there are two times a year that I know we will be getting at least a two-day trip somewhere as a family. We are so blessed that when Paul has to go somewhere on "church business", Abigail and I are usually allowed to tag along.

In June, it is the annual big Southern Baptist Convention. This past June, it was in Indianapolis, which is the closest it ever gets to home. Next summer will be Louisville, KY, and I think maybe Texas or something the year after that. It is four days, and along with getting to stay at a hotel, which Abigail thinks is THE coolest thing in the world, we get to eat out and go do something fun...outside of the voting in the largest business meeting ever, I mean. Because that's really fun. Just to make that clear.

So this last time, we took Abigail to the zoo. I'm not sure if she liked it more or if Paul and I did, but it was pretty great seeing those dolphins swim overhead. It was not so great getting all hyped up to see the koala bear exhibit that was only there for a limited time, only to find out that koala bears sleep 22 hours a day with their furry little faces buried in their chests. So we got to see koala bear backside, which, really, they could have stayed over in Australia for that excitement.

This week, we went to Springfield for the annual meeting of the IL Baptist State Association. Springfield itself is not so exciting of a town, unless, of course, you have a true appreciation for all things Abraham Lincoln. In that case, you might go into excitement overload and spontaneously combust. We, along with Paul's best friend Jimmy, went to the Lincoln museum. We had gone last year, too, but just like seeing something through the eyes of your kid for the first time, seeing the Lincoln museum through Jimmy's eyes was pretty fun, too. As far as museums go, it is honestly about the coolest one I have ever been to. I don't think any kid would leave disappointed if their class went on a field trip there. It is very interactive and touching and gives a whole new look at Abraham Lincoln's life and presidency. Last year they had a special exhibit on how crazy Mary Todd Lincoln was. Really. A whole exhibit on her insanity. Pretty interesting. That was fun, though, to see that again this year with someone new. And now, to go along with her recognition of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Barney Frank (just kidding...she doesn't really know Barney Frank), Abigail has great new love for Abraham Lincoln. And spending two days in Springfield allowed her to see his picture pretty much everywhere.
We swam at the hotel, we ate out, and we went to the annual meeting, which was really pretty cool. It was a chance to hear what God is doing in churches around our state and vote on trivial things, like the wording of the IBSA constitution. You'll be glad to know that no fights broke out (which is more than I can say for some of the big SBC meetings). :)

And when we returned home yesterday, I had locked us out of the house and got to shimmy on my back under the garage door to let us in. A great cap-off to a family get-away. Then I tried to crawl in a hole in our house somewhere for an hour or so, because after any extended time away with their family, who doesn't need some good alone time? I'm much more refreshed for having it.

Now I get to look forward to the big SBC meeting next summer in Louisville. Since this is where Paul and I got to spend our first year of marriage while he was in seminary, our special time with Abigail will consist of a guided tour of....."Look, Abigail! That is the ghetto apartment where your daddy and I started out!" and "This is the half-hour drive in traffic we took to the seminary each morning!" and "This is all of this really cool city we never experienced because we were flat-broke!" Aw, the sweet, sweet memories. I guess that is another blog all to itself.