My Cup Overflows: Better Than Roses

I mentioned in a previous post that my sweet hubby had planned an overnight trip for the two of us to an unknown destination for my Valentine gift. Seeing as we hadn't been away sans kiddos since December 2010, we were definitely due some time together.

Michael knows how I love surprises and Thursday afternoon couldn't come fast enough! I was somewhat nervous leaving Cade for the first time, but both he and Cole were champs and enjoyed all the attention from Kyle, Laura, Papa, and Gigi. A HUGE THANKS to all four of you for watching the littles - we are truly thankful!

After instructions were given and a back packed, we rolled out Thursday around noon. As we traveled up through Portland and Bowling Green, I thought I knew where we were headed. Sweet friends of ours live in Louisville and we've talked recently about coming up for a visit. Sure that was where we were going, I settled in for a little drive.

All that changed when we took an earlier exit towards Lexington. Where in the world was he taking me? He just smiled and gave no hints. . . I was definitely confused. All that bumped up a few notches when we entered the TINY town of Lawrenceburg, KY around 4 p.m. I thought we might be stopping for gas, but quickly found out differently when we pulled up to the only hotel in town. I knew my man had something great planned, but seriously - what could this little town have to offer?

Michael did say that we had to be somewhere by 6:30, so we checked in, grabbed a snack from Sonic, and found a cute toy store to visit while passing the time. . .

Lego mania inside!

6:15 arrived and we began driving down a quaint road full of historic homes. As we topped a hill, I spotted a church sign and couldn't believe what my eyes saw. . .

One of my all time favorite Christian artists were in this small town for a free concert at a local Baptist church. . . seriously!?! Shane and Shane do not tour and hardly leave the Dallas, TX area where they live. I've told Michael for years that if they are ever in concert nearby, I'd LOVE to go. Turns out they were to be a guest for the large conference that weekend at Southern Seminary in Louisville (about an hour away) and were happy to stop by for a night of worship. I was one happy gal!

We were one of the first ticket holders to arrive and had ample time to chat with members of the church before the sanctuary doors opened to the public. What a lovely, genuine group of believers. They welcomed us with open arms and asked where we were from. Many were shocked that we drove from Nashville and before we knew it, word of our 'story' and what Michael had done for me had spread across the lobby. Random people were coming up to us saying, "I heard your story and just had to come say hello!" Ha! One sweet gentleman even made it a point to go backstage and tell Shane & Shane how far we had traveled and to make sure to speak with us after the concert had ended. Wow...

Needless to say it was an incredible night of worship. Two men, two guitars, beautiful voices, and God's Word. Doesn't get much better!

The next day (after sleeping in until 8:30 - oh yes!), we ate breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and headed to Lexington for a bit. The farms we passed along the way were gorgeous. No denying we were in horse country!

I'm thinking we'll stay here on our next visit

it's seriously a hotel and event center - crazy!

We parked downtown and enjoyed lunch at Giacomo's - a New York style deli with meat delivered directly from the Big Apple itself. My chicken caprese panini was delish and the company was even better :)