A MUCH needed day at the spa.

Yesterday was my 4 year anniversary and Noah and I decided that instead of paying to stay in a hotel for our anniversary, we'd rather enjoy the day together without the baby. We decided to go to the Grove Park Inn Spa for the day! It's the hotel we stayed at for our honeymoon, 1st and second anniversary.

So, I had a REALLY bad night with Barclay the night before we went. So bad that I almost couldn't physically get out of bed. I was beyond exhausted and the thought of all the things I had to do to get ready and take the baby to Noah's Mom's house seemed to counteract the idea of a spa day.
Non the less, I got out of bed, spent more than an hour packing (yes I did pack a whole suitcase full of things Barclay might "need" that day). Noah was having major issues with a contract that was supposed to close that day and so I was on my own. I was also trying to nurse and pump at the same time, trying to get every last drop I could. Not really a good feeling.
So we finally get loaded up in the truck and I'm crying already. Because I'm so tired and so frustrated. It was a stark contrast to how our other anniversary mornings have been.
We dropped off Barclay with Noah's Mom who was so sweet to take him for half the day (my mom took him the other half)...Thank you Mom's! I was ridiculously sad to leave the little guy, especially when it seemed like I was leaving him for a man who was going to be on the phone all day long working out real estate glitches.
I have to say it was THE MOST FRUSTRATING MORNING. We finally get to the spa and spend 30 minutes in the parking lot while Noah tries desperately to resolve all the constant issues that arose. (by the way, the contract was supposed to close the next day and they had to make a switch last minute).
I wasn't necessarily mad at Noah, I was more frustrated for him. Here we were standing outside a spa...just standing there doing business that should have been able to wait till tomorrow. I could feel poor Noah's frustration grow as I cry harder (laying on the top of a trash can) and his clients keep calling.
Finally he told his clients, "I'm shutting my phone off" and we were free. We had to wait 5 minutes for my tear stained face to clear up and the puffiness to go down before heading into the spa.
During the registration, I only cried once when they asked me about my baby...Pretty I good I thought.

By the way, the best thing about SPAs is that you can't have your cell phone on! A blessing straight from GOD!

The minute we walked in, I just melted. The smells, the sounds, everything reminded me of 4 years ago when I was a newly wed. All the stress instantly went away and Noah and I turned back into the love birds I know we are...deep deep down.

To say this day was needed is a HUGE understatement. Going into the day I would say our marriage was at a 4...maybe and coming out I felt like it was a 9 (because I know it'll never be perfect).
We kissed a lot! We snuggled a lot! We napped. We ate. We TALKED and not just about the baby or problems. We talked about goals and dreams. We kissed even more! I felt swoony around him again.

We then when our separate ways for our treatments (since as I previous posted, I refuse to get massaged next to Noah and his loud utterings of delight).

I signed up for a mountain honey wrap. I didn't quite know what it was, but it was safe for nursing moms and it only had a 30 minute massage period since I'm not a fan of massages too much. My mom joked with me before hand that she would rather do anything but be wrapped in honey.

OK, please don't be jealous, but I'm going to recount this AMAZING experience in it's entirety.

First I meet my MALE masseuse. He was the only one left when we booked. I was a little freaked out, but I had to get over it. He asked me if I was nursing and I said yes, so he started asking me about my baby. I just cried a little bit.
He took me into a round soothing room. First of all I had STRIP and get under a sheet. Gulp! I was not aware of this part at all. Doesn't everyone get treatments in swim suits? So I'm laying on a table and suddenly become quite aware that my boobs have not been relieved in quite some time....6 hours to be exact. He was really nice and put some towels under me to help cushion the pressure. Much better. The then took a brush and brushed my skin lightly to exfoliate. I was thrilled! I am always asking Noah to itch my back. Since I've had Barclay I've become very itchy. Probably because I never apply lotion because I never have time! Then he rubbed me down with honey and corn meal. It smelled sooo yummy and I love being rubbed! Hate being massaged, love being rubbed. At this point, I didn't care who was rubbing me, I just relaxed into a place I'd not gone for a while. One without spit up, crying, nursing, etc. Then I had to get up and shower off while he prepared for the next step. Of course the shower was covered and of course he never saw me naked, but I have to say...this was just AWKWARD! I guess I didn't hear him tell me to tell him when I got all the honey off...so I just waited and waited for him to tell me to come out. Seriously 10 minutes later! He asked if I was done yet. I was like...yeah forever ago. After that awkward moment had passed, I climbed on the table to be rubbed again with Shea butter and rose oil. My skin was drinking it up and I was completely relaxed. He then wrapped me in a sheetlike thing and left me with heat lamps on me and hot stones placed in strange places that actually felt good. He rubbed my scalp and my face and my feet. My favorite place that I had no idea I like rubbed was my stomach. Throughout the whole thing, all my self consciousness melted away. I found myself thanking the Lord and my body as he rubbed every part. For example, "thank you for my strong calfs! They got me through many big hills in Korea." or "thank you for my soft belly, it housed a baby". By the time he was done, I was soft and relaxed and tried to get his address so I could write him a thank you note!
Noah and I laughed when we were scheduling these because the lady said that mine was "nourishing" about 50 times. But truly, there is no other word for it. Even though it was a male, I felt like I had been loved on by my mother, or sister, or husband. I just felt completely...nourished.
Thank you Noah for that wonderful treat!

Then we got all cleaned up. I put on MAKE UP and brushed and blow dried my hair and we met upstairs for dinner. I always want to get dressed up but find myself always running late and never having the time to look pretty. I felt beautiful, Noah complimented me all night long, I even had an older lady come up to me at dinner to tell me how pretty I looked. It was the love showing through!
Noah and I got to our dinner reservation a little early so we sat at the bar and ordered cocktails, all the while laughing about 4 years ago when I tried at that exact place to order a cocktail (I was 19) and how miserably that failed:-) We drank our drinks and kissed and sharing our anniversary letters. His made me cry it was so sweet. I haven't felt so loved and special in a long time. Then I dragged him out in front of the live band and we danced. Pretty soon others joined us. Then we had a lovely dinner with wine. No dessert though since not only were our tummys full, so were my ...you know whats...so we hurried back to our car to pick up Barclay from my Mom's house. I pumped 8 oz in like 25 minutes! Yikes!

I have to say, this day meant the world to me. I've feel so caught up in Barclay and his daily ups and downs that I feel like I never have the energy or stamina to maintain a good relationship with Noah. Especially since our relationship has always taken a lot of hard compromising! I felt truly encouraged and am looking forward to many MANY more years with Noah.

We ended our day when I fell in a hole while trying to see my Mom's new goats...hehe.