If I’d known I would be spending my weekend in Fairyland, I might have brought a ball gown.

Something reminiscent of this, perhaps?

ball gown

{Ha! This is the $7 Goodwill ca. 1998 prom dress I scored to wear to Mandy’s surprise murder mystery birthday party. I’m 8 months pregnant with Della in this pic}.

Still, despite my lack of formalwear, I did have some fun getting more dressed up (for sure!) than I do when Shaun’s not around, helped out in part by the fact that I scored big time at Old Navy’s one day 40% off everything in your bag sale last week.

Brand new clothes for Goodwill prices?

Yes, please.

You’ve already seen this particular outfit from Friday’s post, but there was no shoe shot, so I thought I’d do the full-length version this time, even though it’s a bit on the fuzzy side.

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I bought the tank, shorts, and shoes at that ON sale I just mentioned for a grand total of $17…not too shabby, considering the shorts weren’t even on super-sale (you better believe everything else was). I just couldn’t pass up the chance at cheap polka dot shorts.

I wore this on the flight there and got asked pretty much everywhere I went how far along I was, what I was having, etc., etc.

It didn’t bother me a bit, but it made me realize that you don’t see too many big-time pregnant ladies in the airport.

In fact, one guy eyed my belly nervously before expressing surprise that my doctor was still letting me fly.

I just smiled.

We spent Friday doing a little bit of shopping at the various quaint boutiques within walking distance of the inn, and I wore this uber-comfy maxi that I practically stole from Beall’s for $6 (with a coupon and “free” money).

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I think Shaun regretted it every time he looked below my rib cage (he’s not a big fan of bright colors and crazy patterns), but I didn’t even bother changing when we went to see Casablanca at an old-timey theater about a block away.

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The theater was packed with folks who were just as excited as we were to see such an iconic movie in such a fun setting (velvet curtains, lots of ornate wood carving and decorative details), and I was glad to be wearing something that made sitting through a two-hour movie without a bathroom break (it would have involved some creative crowd surfing to get to the aisle) a little more bearable.

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I’ve already gushed about how fantastic the Mission Inn is, but here I am gazing down 3 stories of spiraling stairs at all the gorgeousness below (I didn’t realize Shaun was taking the pic)…something I did a lot of while we were there.

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Saturday was another relaxed day of eating, exploring, and naps (Shaun even sent me to the Inn’s spa, which was the most luxurious place I’ve ever been), so I opted for a casual combo of a tee with jean cutoffs (Pea in a Pod), and those ankle-cuff sandals that I devoted an entire Wardrobe Wednesday post to a few weeks back.

That night, we drove a few cities over to see Music Man at The Candlelight Pavilion—a dinner theater venue that someone in the airport recommended to me, oddly enough (and with good reason; both the food and the show were quite good).

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Shaun had to run back to the room to grab something, so I fiddled with my phone camera and some fun sun flare shots (ack! my hair’s on fire!) while I waited.

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I wore a $6 GAP/Goodwill dress with $3 MIA/Goodwill wedges and a $3 GAP belt from eons ago, and I can’t help but notice two things about this particular get-up:

1) My skin, although never tan, looks particularly pasty in this shot. And although normally I would just say, “That’s about right,” all of my recent traveling has provided me with considerably more sun exposure than I normally get, so this time I’m going to blame the lighting.

and

2) The combos of blues/greens and flora/fauna pattern on my dress give my belly a bit of a globe-of-the-world look.

Which reminds me…

jessica's belly This is not my belly, but it is the belly of my former pastor’s wife, and it not only got her noticed in line at a U2 concert and upgraded to a front row seat but also got the photo of it signed by Bono himself (as you can see in the pic).

Pretty crazy, right?

And finally, I wore yet another $6 dress (apparently that was the magic dress number) from Old Navy for the plane ride home…

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I added the turquoise ribbon because it had a tear in the fabric (part of the reason why it was so cheap). In fact, I brought my glue gun with me and did it at the hotel, and I’m sure that the airport guys who searched my bag were holding that gun up with raised eyebrows (I was too chicken to put it in my carry-on lest they consider it a potential weapon—“Hold still so I can burn you! My cord doesn’t reach that far!”—and confiscate it).

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A girl in the elevator told me she liked my hair and asked me how I could do it myself just using a mirror. And I told her the truth—which is that I have to do it entirely from feel because if I look in the mirror, I get totally messed up.

So, there you have it—a weekend’s worth of clothes for a weekend’s worth of absolute bliss.

Seriously, it really wouldn’t have mattered what I wore one bit because this last getaway was the most relaxing, enjoyable, absolutely magical time spent yet with the man I love.

I will be hanging onto remnants of it for weeks to come, I think, as we attempt to crank out quite a few house projects and just generally make it through the rest of a busy summer before the twins come.

Heck, I think I’ll be be reminiscing about it when I’m 90.

It was that good.

And so is God.

All the time.

Smile 

15 Comments

  1. What an amazing place to stay! I’d love to visit there for sure. All of your pics were beautiful. Can only imagine in person. All of your outfits are too cute. I was trying to decide which was my fave …. but I can’t. I do like the print on that maxi that you said your hubby prob didn’t care for……haha! So glad you were able to get away for one last trip before the girls come.

  2. You are glowing… check out your tan in the hair photo. So glad the babies are growing well. Love the blue dress best and the ribbon makes all the difference – glue gun and all. You are blessed to have alone time with your hubby – enjoy the memories. Lovely post Abbie.

  3. I love your oufits. You are such a cute pregnant lady!

    Also, when I saw the picture of your little girl yesterday I seriously did think she was deathly ill. When I saw what happened and read your comment about having to explain that she didn’t have some plague I started snorting.

  4. Are you just that much faster a shopper than I am? I just cannot fathom how you have time to find all these cute outfits with your kids, your job, your blog, etc. How do you do it?

    1. Well, my kids are always with me when i’m shopping (except on very rare occasions), so I guess i’m kind of multitasking there. : )

  5. Love all the outfits. Glad you had a great time! I have the blue dress. I haven’t worn it yet but looking forward to wearing it for our anniversary getaway.

  6. New here! This post is really sweet, the Inn looks gorgeous and your clothes are adorable. I find your blog such a pleasure to read.

  7. Enjoyed all your fun travel wear, and the fact that so many of the items were super inexpensive. You are a beautiful, pregnant woman…inside and out. God IS good…all the time.

  8. Loved your post today girl. God IS good all the time. We are so richly blessed. Blessings on you and Shaun as you prep for the girls arrival.

I love hearing from you guys!