Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Getaway

Ed and Mary enjoy a romantic dinner for two at The Pasta House.

Not many married couples enjoy the pleasure of having the same birthday, but Ed and I have the distinctly quirky delight of having been born on the same day, September first.  We weren't born in the same year, mind you.  On Wednesday I turned 56 while Ed finally hit the big 50. 

In honor of this special double-birthday occasion, Ed and I decided when we got married that we would make Labor Day weekend memorable each year, since our birthdays will always fall on or right before that holiday. 

Our little condo in Pinetop

This year we had a romantic getaway, spending Friday night at the WorldMark resort right here on our mountain, in nearby Pinetop.  It was dreamy to have a whole night and an entire morning to ourselves, to luxuriate in each others' company. 

The view from the patio of our condo

Last night we went to dinner at The Pasta House.  The food was delicious, the waiters were entertaining, the atmosphere was fun, and the uninterrupted conversation with my husband was delightful.

[By the way, this is the same restaurant where some of you may recall I had dinner with Orlando Bloom just 17 months ago, in March 2009.  To read that story, click below:]

Our living room for the night.

After dinner we rented some DVDs and returned to our condo.  We enjoyed a quiet evening together, drinking sparkling cider from champagne glasses (thanks, Wyndie and Charla!) and nibbling on cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies and each other!

Since it was just the two of us and just for one night, we chose to try a studio-sized condo.  After the kids have moved on and Ed and I begin traveling alone together, we won't need the 2-bedroom condos any longer.  Reserving a 1-bedroom or studio unit will save us WorldMark credits and give us more vacation time.  However, I'd never even seen the inside of a studio unit before and wondered if we would like it.

The dining area

It was much roomier and nicer than we expected.  Even so, we decided to go with the 1-bedroom in the future.  For one thing, the Murphy bed (the kind that unfolds from the wall) was only a double-bed, and we've been spoiled by our king-size bed.

The abbreviated kitchen

Also, the kitchen was nice but limited.  The stove consisted of two burners and no oven, although there was a convection oven and microwave.  There was no dishwasher, either, though that's no big deal since we don't have one here at home.  My favorite features of our WorldMark resorts are the full kitchen and laundry room in each condo.  Those are real money-savers, so in the future we'll be sure to book 1-bedroom units for the two of us.

This morning we went out to breakfast at Hilltop Restaurant, and then we returned to the resort and enjoyed holding hands and walking around the pine-covered properties.  It was so cool and green and peaceful.  Ed and I talked about how blessed we are to live in a place so beautiful that people pay to come here and vacation with their families.  Ed calls it "Elk Country."  To him, that's just one step away from heaven!

It's amazing how refreshed I feel after just one night of indulgence.  I think I can get used to this new tradition!

1 comment:

Grandma Honey said...

You go girl! You go ahead and get use to this because you deserve it. What a romantic getaway for you 2 honeymooners.

Makes me want to take a trip soon :))