Adventure #4 {Eau Claire}

I left the husband alone for his first "new start," his first week with a brand new distributor. He needed space to get used to the role without a wife and kids hanging around, and I needed to not stay in a hotel where you checked in at the gas station and were issued a fly swatter with your room key.

But by his second new start, I lovingly insisted on going with. He was hesitant. Traveling 5 hours in the car and staying in a hotel for 5+ days with two 3 year olds was a bit unimaginable for him. But rational daddies sometimes underestimate the persuasiveness and power of highly determined, not-so-rational mommies. In my best from-the-heart voice I told him, "We need to try this at least once. I can do this. It will be fine. I either parent them alone here while you're gone, or parent them alone there while you work."

It worked and soon we were off, leaving behind the Indian Summer at home to go visit the rainy, classified as "hurricane-like," weather of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

And you know what? It was fine. In fact, it was more than fine. It was wonderful, such a great time of family bonding, of watering our ever-growing Matco roots, and a much appreciated sabbatical from home life for me.


After dropping off the husband at the home of his new distributor, the kids and I would head back to the hotel, enjoy the continental breakfast that I did not have to clean up after, do a bit of homeschool in our room that I did not need to clean, and head out for our daily adventures that did not involve late night canning or scary sibling haircuts. We explored outside every dry moment we could and even a few rainy moments.

We took a beautiful drive to visit a cave and had a picnic in the drizzle.

{Ava and I discussing what we might see in the cave while Jack does his thing.} 

{let's just call this guy "Mr. Out-of-Focus"}

{shot through the windshield - more drizzle}

We visited a large city park and had another picnic in the drizzle.

Taking care of potty needs on the go is interesting with 2 toddlers/preschoolers. I think I only got peed on twice.

We explored a little bit of the city and all its rivers. And I snapped a few photos before it began to drizzle.

And during the torrential rain, we spent two afternoons at the Children's Museum.

 We had another picnic in the drizzle, and enjoyed the sun breaking out of the clouds for a few hours.

I have so many good memories from this trip, things like Jack-Hammer teaching himself to swim under water at the hotel pool, going down to the lobby any time I felt like fresh coffee or tea, eating out at different places as a family, all four of us crammed in one bed watching movies, and hopefully starting a simple tradition with new distributors.

But my favorite part was when the husband looked across the table at me one night while eating out and asked if we would come back with him in a month when he needed to return for a week. Inside of my head, my jaw dropped and I jumped up and down screaming "Of Course! And I didn't even have to fake that we were having a good time!" (which I was fully prepared to do).

But I just smiled and replied, "Yes."