My midwest debut, hospitality at its finest, and some of the best friends I could ask for

Oklahoma, y'all. It's the place to be. Especially when some of your best friends live there and they have two precious daughters whom you've never met and one of them came all the way from China and you haven't seen any of them in over four years. So, when we realized Phil had an extra week of vacation, we thought: it's time for a road trip to see the Riherds, friends we've known since college. And that's just what we did.

Moo captures how excited we were to see the Riherds!

We broke up the 10-hour trip by stopping overnight halfway--a brilliant move considering we had our 17-month munchkin in tow. (Side note: a 10-hour trip without kids sounds almost wonderful: uninterrupted conversations, the ability to take a nap, read a book, listen to a book or music of your choice--all sound luxurious) Thanks to Advil for a molar that decided to cut through the day we left, lots of Baby Einstein DVDs, new books from the library, and a few new toys from the Dollar Store, the trip wasn't bad. And I loved getting to see a different part of our country.

But let's get to the good stuff. When we arrived, Ashley was on her way back from picking up her daughter at preschool, so the house was empty. But it wasn't empty. It was full of thoughtful touches like a plate of grapes, tangerines, and homemade brownies with a welcome note on the kitchen counter. When we walked in the guest room, we found pictures on our pillows that their four-year-old had drawn us and little glasses of candy on our dresser along with some water bottles. Bed and breakfast material, people. When our hosts arrived, Moo was pretty immediately smitten with their two girls. It's not hard to see why.

Despite some finicky weather, our visit was delightful in every way. The kiddos got along well, and the youngest two (Moo and their daughter, both a year and a half old) especially hit it off. I'd be lying if I said we weren't trying to arrange a marriage in their futures. :) Clearly they understand how perfect they'd be for each other. Just look at these pictures:

(side note: perfect day for Moo to wear his "Chick Magnet t-shirt. It may be a bit too big on him, but it's oh-so-appropriate!)

Our friends outdid themselves. They took us to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, the Oklahoma City Zoo, a nature park, and to one of their favorite Mexican restaurants. In addition to showing us all around town, Ashley also did some seriously delicious cooking. Spaghetti. Hash brown casserole. Breakfast casserole. Homemade pulled pork BBQ. Homemade banana pudding (the I-must-have-that-recipe kind). Chicken salad. Spinach dip. Brownies. It was wonderfully overwhelming. In fact, the day we left, she sent us on our way with packed lunches and a tin of fresh-from-the oven oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (my favorite). I was taking notes on how to be more hospitable because if anyone has that gift, it's the Riherds.

We left feeling rested, encouraged, and loved, and now we're experiencing some serious Riherd withdrawal. It's rare to have other families who feel like family, but the Riherds are like that for us, and we're so, so grateful.