After much agonizing thought, I made the decision to go to Vegas. It's just 24 hours, right? How bad could it be?
Everything was in place. Sister-in-law all set for the kids, checked out flights on-line and found a cheap one, all set with a place to stay (with Doug, of course!). Now I was just waiting to see if Doug could change his flight. He was set to fly out at 6:22pm, which made no sense if I was coming. He then had to be in conferences by 8am then next morning. What is the point of arriving in Vegas at 8:30pm? I mean, really, even though it is Vegas, I am not 22 anymore. Our idea of Vegas now, was an afternoon site-seeing, a nice dinner, a show and some gambling after, settling into bed no later than midnight!
The bad news: Doug could not change is flight = I cannot go to Vegas. I was sooooooo disappointed.
The good news: Doug made all the arrangements for us to go to Calistoga for an overnight for my birthday! YEAH!!
We left on Monday morning around 11am to drive over to Susan's to drop off the kids. I was most worried about how Alyssa would cope, as she does not really like other people. Things did not start off well when Susan held Alyssa while I ran to the car to get some items. I came back to Alyssa screaming at the top of her lungs. Not to mention the 3 tantrums that Jimmy had when we arrived and Paige wasn't exactly at her best either. I looked at Susan and told her it wasn't too late to back out of this. She laughed, said everyone will be fine and she shooed us out the door to enjoy our time.
I cried as we drove away...
However, as we entered Napa, I began to relax. We passed the outlet stores, "oooohhh, let's go shopping!" Yes, Doug actually likes to shop. After an hour of shopping we got back on the road. We arrived at Indian Springs. I am telling you right now...DO NOT stay anywhere else in Calistoga! This place is amazing. Check out the website. They have an olympic size swimming pool that is naturally heated by the geyser to 90 degrees! And it is open until midnight. We checked in to our cottage, settled our stuff and went for a walk downtown. Scouted out all the restaurants and settled on a little Italian place to eat. It was yummy. And the best parts...it was quiet, I got to eat a hot meal without interruptions and Doug and I actually had a conversation and could finish our sentences!
We headed back to our cottage and were immediately in our swimsuits and sprinting across the property to the pool! It was a cold but beautiful night. The pool has so much steam coming off the top of it. Eight feet deep, I stood at the edge and dove right in. I came up with a big "aaaaahhhhh", grabbed two noodles and we floated around the pool and talked. After that, we were asleep by 10pm.
The next morning, Doug woke up at 6am, put the swimsuit right back on and headed to the pool. I decided to stay in bed longer. Staying cozy and warm under the big down comforter, read a book and relished in the quiet. No crying baby, no one moaning for pancakes, no fighting, no yelling. It was heavenly.
We walked back downtown for breakfast and then had our spa treatments at 10am. I hopped into the pool for 20 minutes prior to our mudbaths follow by a massage. I seriously think I need a massage like once a week now. It is my new pleasure. OK, maybe once a month...I don't know if it fits in our budget. ;-)
After our treatments we packed up and headed out. We stopped in St. Helena for lunch and I had the yummiest roasted crab on the planet. We arrived back at Susan's at 3pm on Tuesday. Paige & Jimmy ran up and gave us huge hugs and then ran off to play some more. When Alyssa realized I was back, she saw me and let out the biggest squeal of joy. I picked her up and she rested that precious head on my shoulder and I could feel her whole body relax. All was right in her world again.
We all survived 24 hours away from each other. While Alyssa was not happy about it, she did pretty well and didn't give Aunt Susan too much grief. Paige and Jimmy had a blast running around playing with their cousins and having a sleepover with their sleeping bags. Paige has been asking when she can go back. But I think I have to say, I am most proud of myself. I was actually able to let go and relax. While I missed the kids, for the first time, I did not have that physical aching pain in my heart being away from them.
I cried as we drove away...
However, as we entered Napa, I began to relax. We passed the outlet stores, "oooohhh, let's go shopping!" Yes, Doug actually likes to shop. After an hour of shopping we got back on the road. We arrived at Indian Springs. I am telling you right now...DO NOT stay anywhere else in Calistoga! This place is amazing. Check out the website. They have an olympic size swimming pool that is naturally heated by the geyser to 90 degrees! And it is open until midnight. We checked in to our cottage, settled our stuff and went for a walk downtown. Scouted out all the restaurants and settled on a little Italian place to eat. It was yummy. And the best parts...it was quiet, I got to eat a hot meal without interruptions and Doug and I actually had a conversation and could finish our sentences!
We headed back to our cottage and were immediately in our swimsuits and sprinting across the property to the pool! It was a cold but beautiful night. The pool has so much steam coming off the top of it. Eight feet deep, I stood at the edge and dove right in. I came up with a big "aaaaahhhhh", grabbed two noodles and we floated around the pool and talked. After that, we were asleep by 10pm.
The next morning, Doug woke up at 6am, put the swimsuit right back on and headed to the pool. I decided to stay in bed longer. Staying cozy and warm under the big down comforter, read a book and relished in the quiet. No crying baby, no one moaning for pancakes, no fighting, no yelling. It was heavenly.
We walked back downtown for breakfast and then had our spa treatments at 10am. I hopped into the pool for 20 minutes prior to our mudbaths follow by a massage. I seriously think I need a massage like once a week now. It is my new pleasure. OK, maybe once a month...I don't know if it fits in our budget. ;-)
After our treatments we packed up and headed out. We stopped in St. Helena for lunch and I had the yummiest roasted crab on the planet. We arrived back at Susan's at 3pm on Tuesday. Paige & Jimmy ran up and gave us huge hugs and then ran off to play some more. When Alyssa realized I was back, she saw me and let out the biggest squeal of joy. I picked her up and she rested that precious head on my shoulder and I could feel her whole body relax. All was right in her world again.
We all survived 24 hours away from each other. While Alyssa was not happy about it, she did pretty well and didn't give Aunt Susan too much grief. Paige and Jimmy had a blast running around playing with their cousins and having a sleepover with their sleeping bags. Paige has been asking when she can go back. But I think I have to say, I am most proud of myself. I was actually able to let go and relax. While I missed the kids, for the first time, I did not have that physical aching pain in my heart being away from them.
This is a wonderful post!! And I'm so glad you had fun!
ReplyDelete