Knock, knock.

This is an attempt at a self-portrait. The white glow at the bottom is the glare off the bright white comforter on the bed. The other glow is my smile; I had just checked in and unpacked all my loot.
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Who's there?
In-room dining.
Who?
Room service?
Um... I'm in the tub.
Okay, call when you are done, and I will bring it right up to you.

So I continued soaking in my aromatic bath, alternating my knees and my chest above the water line. (At 5'10" tall and with a 36" inseam, I can count on only one hand the number of times that my knee caps and my collar bone have been underwater at the same time in a bathtub. I've gotten used to the see-saw method of bathing. But I digress...) I continued soaking. Wondering what awaited me from room service. I hadn't ordered anything, but my husband had sent me a bouquet of flowers just an hour or so before, so I figured he was up to something else.

A little while later, I was greeted by a white-gloved attendant with a bottle of red wine and half a dozen strawberries dipped in both dark and white chocolate. Yum, yum. Nope, not sent by my husband; they were a gift from the hotel, part of my overnight spa package, I suppose. Nice touch.



Notice that I ate one of the strawberries before I thought to pull out my camera... Yeah! More to eat and drink. As if I didn't have enough to do...
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At 6:30 pm, I sauntered downstairs to the spa.
Oversized, extra heavy, super cozy robe.
Cold, lemon-infused water.
Hot stone massage from the heavy-handed, well-trained massage therapist.
When it was over, she told me to drink lots of water that night.
I disobeyed: I had two exquisitely prepared mojitos at the hotel lobby bar.

Returned to my room where the bed had been turned down,
a robe was laid out on it,
and two tiny squares of chocolate awaited.

What could I do but eat more chocolate?
An hour of reading and journaling.
Watched "What Not to Wear: Wear Are They Now?"
Then drifted off to sleep in a massive, comfortable bed.
I slept in the robe.
Awoke to the sun rising above the golf course that lay just outside my window.
Perfect.



Who doesn't read and journal over breakfast at a beautiful hotel restaurant?


Cinnamon oatmeal with golden raisins and brown sugar: $8
Fresh fruit and berries: $3
Bottomless cup of Starbucks coffee with sugar and soy milk: $3
The waitress, Mary, telling me that, because I had eaten all my breakfast, I was free to go out and play all day: Priceless.
(She really said that! I laughed and said, "Thanks, Mom.")




Oh, what a night.
Not enough time to read all those books and magazines,
or eat all the chocolate I packed.
But oh, what a night nonetheless.