This year for Valentine’s Day, Blake and I had the pleasure of traveling to a marriage retreat that our friends invited us to!
We only had a 3 1/2 hour drive to get to Iowa City, and did not need to be there until noon on a Friday, which was nice.
I usually do not enjoy sitting still in a vehicle!
But these days I am starting to enjoy it more and more – especially when my hubby is in the seat next to me!
The weekend of the retreat we had the MOST beautiful weather!
It made traveling easy and packing a lot lighter!
The conference was being held at the Hyatt Regency, which was a very nice hotel.
The conference started at noon with lunch and then a speaker.
I could not believe how very well cared for I was over this two day event!
This place sure knew how to handle food allergies – and I am here to tell you I ate like a queen!!
Lunch was DELICIOUS.
After the first speaking session, we had the rest of the afternoon free to be with our spouse.
Blake and I enjoyed getting some coffee and going for a walk outside because the weather was so beautiful!
As we walked around town, of course we saw things that the children would love and ended up talking about them the whole time!
It was a really nice place to take a walk.
The Valentine Banquet was that evening, and we had to be ready for it at 5:30.
I was very excited to get to eat “out” again!
Before we had our meal though, we played some games as a group – they were really fun!!
I think our favorite was the selfie game.
It was a wild scramble of finding the right people to get the selfie you needed!!
There were 225 people there!
I am not sure it helped us get to really know the other couples there – it was a competitive group – and everyone was running around!
Oh my goodness, our selfie skills are so on point, aren’t they??
Dinner was fantastic, by the way!!
Tate had set my girlfriend and I up with some chocolates he had made for our dessert.
They brought everyone else a giant piece of “tuxedo” cake that looked like a stomach ache, or maybe a heart attack, ha, ha!
No one at our table hardly ate it.
But then they brought my girlfriend and I a fruit dessert and we were the envy of the couples at our table!!
It was delicious!
And I even got a photo with my very best bestie!!
The next morning we had a buffet breakfast before the speakers started.
I found plenty to eat and it was perfect!!
Before we left our room to go down and check out, Blake and I watched the trees out of our room window.
We were right on the river where we were staying and there were SO MANY EAGLES!!
I have never seen so many eagles in one place!!
We counted 36 eagles in those trees!!
It felt like a hug from the Lord.
Of course once the retreat was over, we headed right to Costco!
How can you be five minutes from a Costco and not go??
Our friends went there too so we shopped together.
It was a great way to end our couples Valentine get-away!
Then it was time to head back home to our kiddos!!
That was the most wonderful retreat!
Blake and I could not even talk about all we heard without tears!
We are SO grateful to everyone who made that retreat possible – they really believe that strong marriages and strong families are what this country needs – and we AGREE.
Our friend’s invited us to join them again next year!!
Time will tell, but I am sure hoping we can make that happen!
Blake and I NEED time away alone, with each other, where we can focus on our marriage.
Thanks, babe, for taking off work and making this very special Valentine get-away happen.
You are one in a billion, Blake Moschel!!
