Sisters Reunited in Columbus, Ohio

Guess who flew to Columbus, Ohio for work, a couple weekends ago? My sister!!!! Taj and Jax's beloved "Teta"! As the HR Director of BDS Marketing, she was flown out to help assist the HR department of a new company they acquired.  My sister, Petra, mentioned the trip to me randomly over the phone just 2 weeks prior, and when we discovered that we were going to be only a 4 hour drive from Columbus, we of course had to see each other!!!  The last time the boys and I saw her was 6 months ago.  So Petra extended her trip through the weekend, and the little boys and I packed up the car and road-tripped our way over to the Embassy Suites (yippee!) in Columbus, where she was staying! The boys surprised her at the door and she had tears in her eyes.  It was so awesome to see her, it felt like just yesterday that we hung out at the Irvine Embassy Suites right before we flew to NY.  

Right after the hugs and happy tears, we drove over to Easton Mall for lunch.  This mall reminded us of Fashion Island meets Rodeo Drive meets Aspen!  We ate at Brio Tuscan Grille and shopped around until it got dark.

Meet my twin boys, in their new double umbrella stroller (perfect for traveling!) When we are out in public, people actually think they are twins..... Jax is quickly catching up to Taj!

The next morning, we devoured our free breakfast buffet, and then took a dip in the hotel's indoor pool!

After naps, we contemplated whether to go to the Columbus Zoo (rated #1 in the country because of their wildlife preserve), however, since temperatures were in the 30's we got an even better idea from the hotel front desk..... the Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens (a huge indoor greenhouse!) It felt like we were outside, (and in different regions of the world) with the comforts of indoor room temperature and a roof over our heads.

a storybook holiday train giant tree stump

The Arizona room (desert)

The Rain forest room

For dinner, we headed over to German Village, a historic German section of the city (one of the first immigrants to settle in Columbus, Ohio) It reminded my sister and I of "Letna" in Zlin, Czech Republic, where my mother grew up, with all the red brick homes and cobblestone streets.  We ate at the Sausage Haus..... yum yum.  Nothing like good old German sausage, saukraut, mashed potatoes, and apple sauce on a cold night!  Taji loved the saukraut balls!

That last night, after the boys went to bed, my sister and I had some Port and chocolate and did what sisters do best:  Get really silly and immature :)  We "Oldified" and "Fatified" each other on her Ipad with these crazy apps, gossiped, caught up on life, and made future plans.  I feel like the older we get, the closer we get, and the more we appreciate each other!  After breakfast the next morning (Sunday), we played one last time, checked out, and dropped my sister off at the airport.  Our drive home was just as easy and speedy as our drive there (the boys are awesome on road trips..... Natural born travelers!)  Taj would not stop talking about his Teta, and how much fun he had with her.  The best news was that there is a great possibility that she could be sent out to Columbus at least once a year for work.... fingers crossed!  We really enjoyed our time with her, who knew back in June that we would be meeting up in Ohio, of all places?! LOL  We are so excited to see her, Unka B, and Chloe 6 months from now in August...... the countdown is on until the sisters reunite again!