Lake Geneva - Part I
04-20-2004, 8:26 p.m.

This weekend was one of the best weekends that I have ever had. I knew that it was going to be special and fun, but I never expected it to be as uplifting and deep as it turned out to be. I hope that I will always remember how I felt during the weekend, and I hope that it is something that will last in our friendships for a long time to come, the closeness that we felt. It really was such a special time, for all of us.

It all began Saturday morning. Tonya and I met Jen at Cory�s house and got to spend a few moments cuddling with Andy. He just keeps getting cuter and cuter and I love the time that we get to spend with him. Before too long though we all moved our stuff to Jen�s van and headed on our way. I felt bad for Cory cause I knew that it was hard for her leaving him overnight for the first time, but we just tried to keep her mind on fun stuff, and that was easy to do. We stopped at a scrapbook store pretty soon after we headed out, and that was a lot of fun, and a nice start to our trip. It�s not too far to Lake Geneva from Cory�s so there really was no huge rush.

Eventually we made it there and found a place to park, and walked over to the lake and to Popeye�s, were we planned to have lunch. It was a wonderful place and the food was yummy as can be. We had a great table, with a view of the Lake, and it was really just such a beautiful day, perfect weather really. It was like everything just fell into place the whole weekend and I really do not have a single complaint, or regret.

Jen and I managed to arrange for a birthday surprise after lunch, and they really do such a cute thing there. They have these strobe lights that start flashing as they are playing the theme from Rocky and then the waitress comes out with a sparkler and dessert. They announced the birthdays with a microphone to the whole restaurant, and we sang to them, and then everyone in our section clapped. It was just so sweet and the look on Cory�s face is one that I will not forget anytime soon. I could tell that at first she thought it was for Tonya, and when they announced her birthday too she look amazed and happy. It was special, and I am so glad that we were able to do this. It was a nice start to a wonderful birthday celebration.

After lunch, we walked around by the lake for a while, taking pictures and laughing and joking. It was really a beautiful day, not too warm, and not at all cold. By the lake it was nice and breezy and even the air smelled so fresh and springy. I hated leaving, it was just so relaxing, all being together. We haven�t had time to be together like this for a while now, and that made it all the more special.

We walked up and down the street checking out the little shops, and eventually made our way to Starbucks, much to the delight of Tonya and myself. We even got Cory to taste our coffee which was a feat in itself as she hates coffee. We were getting really excited to see the hotel though, and decided to go ahead and head over to it, and hopefully check in a little early. Luck was on our side, and they got us in right away.

It wasn�t how I pictured it to be, but once I got past that, I found it to be charming and in many ways beautiful. Especially our view! We had patio doors heading outside, complete with a view of the lake. It really was stunning and very special for all of us. Jen and I were anxious to see Tonya and Cory open our gifts, but mostly to open each others as we have been hard pressed not to say anything knowing that they got each other the same thing. It was cute. After gifts were all opened and ooh-ed and aah-ed over, we decided to check out the hotel, and the grounds. We walked around the hotel first, checking to see where the pool, spa and other amenities were, and then made our way outside. It was a really pretty walk to the Lake, and once we got there we just sat and talked for a while, taking pictures and really just spent the time enjoying each other. I don�t know why, but everything felt different on this trip. I felt very close to each of them, and we really had so many emotional moments, very good talks, and just wonderful quality time.

To be continued...