Happy birthday to me (recap)

OK, it's taken me a few days to get the house and the kids buckled down enough to share the details of my birthday get-away with Tom.

On Monday, the 13th, a limo picked us up at the house (I had no knowledge of any of this). We said good-bye to the kids who were set up with a really fun nanny, and took off without looking back (well, almost).



On the way, Tom finally revealed that we were going to the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls (if you watched Twin Peaks, it was the stand-in for the Great Northern Lodge). I've been there on several occasions for a meal or treatments in the spa, but I'd never stayed at the Lodge and have always wanted to.

Tom had reserved one of the best rooms they had to offer, complete with a huge bathtub and a view overlooking the river. We opened a lovely bottle of wine in the room, which we sipped as we got dressed for dinner.



That night we had a semi-private table in the dining room. Tom had ordered a dozen roses to be waiting at the table, and had crafted one of the best birthday greetings ever, based on a Shakespeare sonnet:

" 'When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field
Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now,
Will be a tattered weed of small worth held...'
                 NOT!"

After dinner, we headed up to the bar for a night cap, then settled in for a blissfully child-free night.

The next morning, we woke up to snow falling! We watched the snow as we indulged in a bath in the giant jacuzzi tub, the headed down to the dining room for another great meal. They serve the coffee with a little tray of add-ins, such as whipped cream and shaved chocolate bits. So decadent.

My entire itinerary for the day was in the spa...I had a massage and facial, then a break for lunch, then back to the spa for a sea-salt body scrub and a paraffin foot treatment. By the end of it all I was one big pink noodle. I even got to take a nap(!) before preparing for dinner that evening.

Tom had invited some friends to join us for a birthday dinner at the Lodge that evening; and I was so pleased to see them all! We had a phenomenal meal, overseen by the excellent dining captain and wait staff. We all lingered over the table for about 4 hours before saying good night. It was such a wonderful time. The weather even obliged by offering up a beautiful sunset, in complete contrast to the snow of the morning.





The next morning we read the newspaper while we had breakfast fire-side in the dining room; what a luxury!

A quick trip to the hotel shoppe and some hasty packing, then we were on our way home in the limo again. As we got in, we told the driver to "take the long way"— I was just not ready for it to end quite yet.

It was a fantastic birthday, and many thanks to my wonderful husband for arranging it all and making the day so so special.

Take care all, and thanks to everyone for your kind birthday wishes.