Day 228 - 154.8 --- Getaway Report

I had a FABULOUS weekend. For you mamma's reading this--I highly recommend getting away for a couple of days by yourself, if you can spare the time away from family. Two nights was just right. I was ready to come home Sunday, as I was missing the kids (oh yeah, and my husband too). But I feel quite relaxed and refreshed and ready to face My Life.

This post is long.... so take it in bites, if you need to ;-)

The flights down were easy and relaxed. I read, ate some Twizzlers on the plane (for some strange reason I have to eat Twizzlers when I fly...weird, I know), and had a healthy lunch at the Cincinnati airport. My girlfriend LeAnne picked me up and we had 4 hours until our dinner reservations, and I asked if we could go to the gym. So we did, and I ran 4 miles on the treadmill in 45 minutes. I hadn't gotten a run in on Thursday like I'd hoped, so the Friday run finished out my running week at 16 miles.

Friday night LeAnne, her husband Jim, and I went to PF Changs, and I ate what I wanted but not so much that I was over full. I did eat an LA Lite before bed, because I still crave chocolate daily and those are my fix.

Saturday I got to sleep in until 8 a.m. (!!!) and LeAnne whisked me off to Starbucks in my PJs and a sweater, for a Latte and a low fat cinnamon coffee cake (which I only ate half of, because I also had a banana). We left her house around 10 a.m. and got to Eureka Springs in time for Lunch at the Crescent Hotel. Eureka Springs is a quaint tourist town with lots of shops and some fabulous spas. There was a biker gathering AND a Corvette convention in town at the same time, so traffic was nuts. Luckily we just parked at the Hotel where our spa appointment was and then took the Trolley around town.

Lunch was a healthy spinach and berry salad, no bread thank you very much, and then we walked and shopped for a couple of hours. I got a great winter scarf at the Life is Good store and some pretty earrings at a local artists' store.

Our spa appointment was at 3 p.m. We had adjoining rooms, which was neat because we got to talk after our services were done. First was a mud wrap, which I'd never had before. The masseuse started my massaging my neck and shoulders, then did a dry exfoliation with gloves with bumpy things on them. Then she rubbed warm mud all over me--my back, arms, legs, and even my tummy! Then she wrapped me up in a sheets and towels and massaged my feet and my head/neck. She finished up and it was time for me to shower in our private bathroom. The mud was hard to get off, even though it didn't dry like a facial mud mask does, but after I was clean I had the softest skin ever.

Once I was done, then I scurried back into the massage bed and wrapped up in the warm sheet and blanket (the bed was heated by the way, so it was like a cocoon). The bathroom was in my part of the rooms, and I got to say hi to LeAnne and warn her she'd be rubbing off the mud for a while.

Then it was time for our massage. I will tell you, I was feeling quite decadent and spoiled at this point! The masseuse was really good, and I fell asleep a little right at the end, so you know it was a good massage. I was in another world--completely and utterly relaxed, in that meditative state that I've only truly reached a couple times in my life.

It. was. heaven.

When the massage was over, she had me sit up and she dropped blue oil on my spine (it's an Aveda salon so they do aromatherapy stuff) and told me that she had never massaged anyone with a back as loose as mine. I had some tightness in my shoulders, but my back had no knots and was very relaxed. She asked me what I do for a living, and I said, "Don't tell my husband I'm that relaxed. Because I work with him and I don't want him knowing how easy I've got it!"

But it made me realize that my 30 hour a week job without the pressures of office politics and all the bullshit that comes with that, have transformed me in many ways. Not the least of which is a noteworthy back from an experienced masseuse.

We were both wet noodles after our treatments, and enjoyed the hour drive back home in the scenic hills of Northwest Arkansas (I had no idea it was so mountainous and beautiful there). That night we got BBQ carryout and I ate about half my dinner, stopping when I was full. Had another LA Lite in bed while reading my book, and was asleep by 10 p.m.

Sunday morning Jim and LeAnne took me for a drive around Bentonville, and I got to see Walmart HQ (Jim works for their market research department) and the towns that have grown as a result of Walmart. Jim has some pretty funny stories about Sam Walton that they share at the company's twice a month Saturday meetings, like when he was traveling in a Northern state and rented a car in January--he rented a convertible, whose plastic windows were all frozen up, because he got a good deal. Apparently the man lived his life like he preached--and was a cheap skate even though he was a gazillionaire.

Then it was time to fly home, and I knew I'd miss my friends but was ready to see my family again. The flights from Arkansas to Cincinnati to Evansville were flawless, and I enjoyed the travel home. I even bought a Runner's World magazine at the airport, my first. It's totally geeky, but I've never felt "worthy" of buying RW because I never saw myself as much of a runner. Well not anymore! It was a great magazine and had quite a bit for even a novice runner like me to enjoy. There was a lot of marathon coverage, esp. the NYC marathon and the men's Olympic trials, and it made me have thoughts that maybe, someday, even I could run a marathon....

When I got home, I was so happy to see the kids and my husband. I gave them their gifts (of course I had to buy them something to bribe my way back into their hearts), and then we headed out to our Church Picnic. It was so hot, even at 5:30 p.m. I wore a skort and little navy top, and got so many compliments on how I looked, which was nice.

This morning the scale read close to what it was when I left, so I didn't do much damage. The worst thing I ate was a cinnamon scone from Starbucks Sunday morning. I didn't approach this trip like I have those of the past--like an excuse to eat like crazy and "treat" myself. Instead I treated myself with respect and care. I didn't notice being treated any differently by others, by I did catch several men checking me out--and that has NEVER happened.

Today it's back to reality, which is okay. I've got 10 more pounds to lose and a 1/2 marathon to train for and a lovely job and a beautiful family to take care of. It's a wonderful life!