Our First Night Apart

Well it had to happen eventually. Heather and I spent our first night away from Gray on Saturday night. Heather and I were married Memorial Day Saturday four years ago. The date was May 28th, but we always use the holiday weekend to take a trip to celebrate. This weekend we had planned to enjoy an evening together in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We passed through Canton on the way up and let Granna and Pop keep our little boy while we celebrated "us." Aunt Caryn and Uncle J-Bird were also visiting in Canton, and they helped with the babysitting.

We left Canton about 1:00 pm on Saturday and headed to the Chattanoogan Hotel for a 3:00 couples massage. Once done there we went to the IMAX Theater by the Aquarium for a pretty cool 3D movie. Later that evening, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at Niko's Southside Grill. This restaurant was special to us because we went to the same place for my senior prom ten years ago. Between each and every event on our date Granna sent us text message pictures of our son. We were definitely enjoying each other's company, but a good chunk of our hearts were still in Canton. We had to swing into the gift shop at the Aquarium to pick up a stuffed plush sea turtle for Gray. We did miss him so much, and on Sunday driving home, all we could talk about was him.

We got back to Canton around noon on Sunday. Total time apart was around 23 hours, but it felt much longer. Heather and I had a wonderful time in a beautiful city. It's amazing that in such a short time (63 days to be exact) we felt lost without Gray. Life before Graylon is such a distant memory. Our anniversary was a blast though. Thanks Granna and Pop for babysitting and making our night on the town possible.

Later on Sunday more family members got their first look and meeting with Graylon. My Uncle Joe and Aunt Dianne along with my cousins Gabe, Sean, and Sarah came over from Woodstock to my parents place in Canton to visit and see little Gray. They brought Gray a Snoopy outfit, a puppet, and bath toys. They were so thoughtful; thanks a lot guys.

Sunday night we cooked out at the Lane's. Jon broke out his tailgating specialty, pork tenderloin, in May. It was great impromptu party. Gray shared the spotlight with Baby Henry, and he was glad to do so. The two are a heckuva pair. The Payne's also got to see Graylon again and were amazed at how much he'd grown. The party was a great capper to the weekend.

The weekend was long and a blast. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends around us to share these holiday weekends with. It was also awesome to feel our love for our son grow so much in just one special weekend. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. We love Gray so much, and this weekend magnified that feeling. What a great Memorial Day Weekend!


Heather and I missing Graylon in Chattanooga down by the river.


Sarah, Sean, Gabe and Gray posing and smiling perfectly for the camera.


The entire LaBarbera crew getting there hands on Graylon: Sarah, Joe, Dianne, Gabe, and Sean.