Ready to go, parked at the lovely Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort where we stayed for our babymoon, ready to head to my parents' place to grab a bite for lunch and pick up Molly, we weren't in the car more than 3 minutes before I burst into tears. Our amazingly memorable babymoon was over. Our lives that we've loved and grown accustomed to are two months away from completely changing. I was overcome by the grief of a fantastic vacation coming to an end and the onset of letting go of a life I've loved. Yes, it may sound dramatic. I am dramatic...and a very emotional gal. And while I don't want to downplay the anticipation of meeting my little, growing baby, I will honestly confess there is a level of grief I have over the oncoming changes and having to surrender all that I've been content with and loved about my life with Matt and Molly.
Graciously comforting me as I shed tears and grasped for breath, my hubby encouraged me to think of all the things about our babymoon that I was thankful for. Instead of focusing on our getaway coming to an end and aching over starting the week, my mindset was encouraged to fondly remember all that we'd been blessed by the past 5 days, with thanksgiving. So in honor of keeping with that theme, I thought I'd give you, in list format, some details about our babymoon that I am so thankful for, because it truly was a huge gift! (You can click on the images to enlarge and use your arrow keys to scroll side to side or up and down.)
I'm thankful for...
- Early voting and no lines! Before heading out of town last Wednesday, we voted and didn't have to wait at all. I quadruple checked my ballot before submitting it, wanting to make sure I was voting for my select choices.
- Coming up with a clear focal point. Doctors say one of the things to bring to the hospital for your labor and delivery is a focal point: an object or picture for inspiration. On our drive to San Antonio, we read through all the info given to us at our childbirth class last week and we practiced breathing techniques again. It was also very clear what should be my focal point that could help bring inspiration and calmness: a picture of Molly and my stuffed animal Molly! Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but that puppy seriously helps me; if Matt could sneak that dog into the hospital, he totally would, 'cause he knows full well she has a way of relaxing me.
- An awesome
gift basket made with lots of love! We dropped Moos off at my folks' place for her weekend of play with 3 other puppies. Awaiting us was an amazing gift basket put together by my Momma. It had crackers, cheese, fruit, a non-alcoholic white zinfandel (which helped curb my craving for the real thing), homemade brownies and chocolate covered strawberries, two silver wine glasses used by my parents on their wedding day, beautiful flowers, and a generous gift card to The County Line. Our babymoon was also an early anniversary celebration for us (we'll celebrate 6 years in December), and this was such a special anniversary gift to receive...what a surprise! On Thursday, we sat by the pool all afternoon munching on our goodies and toasting to 6 wonderful years and a baby on the way.
- A king-sized bed! Ha! Having made our reservations through Priceline, we called to confirm we could receive a king-sized bed (we couldn't select the size we wanted online), and were told we'd have two double beds unless we paid a lot more money. Yes, it sounds funny, but we were just gonna manage and leave it that way. So we were pleasantly surprised to discover upon our arrival that we'd been given a king-sized bed at no extra cost.
- The quietness and peacefulness of the remote location of our hotel, as well as being some of the only on
es there. Because it was the off-season, we were practically the only ones there and it was quite pleasant.
- Our games of ping-pong by the pool. I hardly ever play, but Matt has played lots. Little did I realize he was sparing me his real moves until I got a little prideful in how I was doing and got one of his fancy spins. We had a blast playing together.
- Rest and relaxation! Spending a day by the pool, or in bed watching college football, or just sleeping in, walking along the nature trails, watching movies, or reading to each other...we were sure to soak up all the r&r we could get.
- Being with each other 24/7. It was "heaven", and so good for us to get away from our current task-oriented mindset we have at home that has recently left us a bit stressed out and more prone to bickering. But we were able to thoroughly enjoy each other, laughing a lot and getting to let down.
- Great food...like fresh omelets, The County Line homemade bread and bar-b-que, chocolate covered strawberries, and sticky bun French toast...oh ya, baby!
- Receiving an unexpected $150 off our hotel incidentals. The hotel was offering $150 off our hotel expenses if we'd be willing to take a 90 minute personal tour of their new vacation club down the road. While the tour was great, don't get me started on the split personality of our guide! When we said "no" to the $34k expense, he became quite rude and wanted to know why we didn't have room in our budget for such a thing and asked how we'd ever be able to go on the vacations we told him were our dream spots. It was a shocking personality shift, but so worth the $150 discount!
- The wonder and magic of Sea World and the $10 we found on the ground walking into the park that paid for the fish we fed to the dolphins. We practically had the whole park to ourselves and
Matt was able to go to the front of the lines for the two roller coaster rides that had him grinning like a little boy! We LOVED feedin
g and petting the dolphins (they are the sweetest things); watching Shamu (it never loses its wonder); walking hand-in-hand on a lovely day;
and seeing a cute Dalmatian that travels with The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale Horses hitch.
- A perfect table right by the river at The County Line on the River Walk. Af
ter a day of resting and watching
college football, we got cleaned up and headed out for an early dinner on the beautiful River Walk. The food was scrumptious and then we enjoyed a leisurely riverboat tour before heading back to the hotel and watching the incredible TX vs. TX Tech game. Incredible not because TX lost but because it was a dern good game!
- Getting some cute pictures of Mac and Julie emailed to us of their costumes! Aren't they cute as The Super Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi?
- An extra hour of sleep because of the clock rollin' back! Woohoo!
- Having a few hours to visit with my Daddy and Mommy. We enjoyed their company while devouring some infamous Longhorn Cafe burgers. It was fun (and weird) seeing my childhood crib set up in one of their bedrooms...Polka's a comin'! And Miss Molly had an awesome play-fest with all the puppies...she has since crashed and burned because it took so much energy to play.
- Polka's crazy moves that Matt finally caught with his very own eyes! We've had a hard time getting Matt to see the waves and strange moves of my belly that Polka makes, but the past few days he was able to see Polka in action. It makes us giggle! So far, Polka is a gentle rumbler; the kicks aren't hard--more like a wave, but the little one likes to move more and more.
- Shepherding a Child's Heart. We're into the 3rd chapter of this wonderful book and each chapter has golden nuggets we're pondering. It's already seriously challenging me and shaking up my own views of parenting that come quite naturally to me. More on this later, but it's been very good...and stretching!
- Knowing that this isn't the last time we'll get away!
- Being a team together through this new adventure we're on.
- A splendid babymoon/6 year anniversary getaway!
- A hubby that reminds me to be thankful and helps me every step of the way!
