27 hours of freedom

I'm talking 27 hours of freedom from the Cuties. 

Not pure freedom, mind you, as i was tied to a pump every 3 hours AND my mind strayed to them about every 3 minutes (it was very hard for me to go...even the morning we were scheduled to leave i was looking for an excuse to stay with them!) but it was freedom nonetheless.

I cannot thank my parents enough (and my grandma!) for taking the girls for us. 

Once I accepted my 27-hours of freedom we found that it was a wonderfully rejuvenating time to:

• just be husband and wife again...
• find my identity NOT as a mama... 
• be able to read my One Year Bible passage and actually delve into the passages, not just quickly skim them to check it off my list (might have been the highlight, really)...
• run WITHOUT a baby jogger (so much easier!)...
• the list goes on and on...

We "escaped" to the Old Edwards Spa & Inn in Highlands, NC. During our 5th anniversary/babymoon getaway, we'd stopped in the Inn and drooled over admired the ground. Never did I think that we'd have the opportunity to revisit as a guest.

Here is our visit in pictures*:

everywhere you looked, you were reminded that the Inn was to be a refuge from the noisy day-to-day happenings. QUIET ZONES abounded.

they even had a nap room! yes! a nap room!

i found the Pastoral themed room the last hour of our visit

and decided that a 20-minute power nap was in order

delightful

our room was rustically themed ^ but it was very nice!

it even came complete with a framed Bible verse!

The Old Edwards Inn was definitely an oasis from Atlanta.

everything was carried out to the nth detail from the flowers

to the Women's Locker Room in the Spa

(no need to bring a hair straightener, hairdryer, brush, deodorant or even toothpaste/toothbrush--

they had it all!)

to the Butler's Pantry

complete with:

complimentary and available any time of day!

Lots and lots of plush places to sit

Upon arrival, we checked in, got situated, and then donned our workout clothes--we were headed straight to the fitness center. 

I did a spur-of-the-moment speed workout on a treadmill (which was very fun but made me realize that i'll be in sad shape for the Peachtree. bummer). 

After that we headed to the pool. It started to rain almost immediately upon entering but that made it more fun for us--no one was in the pool so we had it all to ourselves! It was a great cool down after a hard run. 

The pool and its grounds were gorgeous. I think that was my favorite spot on the Old Edwards Inn property.

the welcoming gate leading you to the pool

back to our room (with a nice balcony view--furthest to right)

for a quick rest and for J to complete his weekend work.

We dined at Madison's for dinner and breakfast.

For dinner we had the most intensely menu-informed waiter.
It was humorous and much appreciated at the same time.
We couldn't have asked for better service! 

we were given the same excellent seat with stunning view both times!

(street view with mountains in background...that you cannot see in this pic)

*I was up and at 'em around 6:15 AM -- so used to getting up around that time that i could not sleep any longer than that (pathetic, i know!). I went on a photo shoot which explains the dawn lighting and the lack of people in the pictures :)

J finally joined me in the land of the living for breakfast

i couldn't believe that i had time to read the New York Times

AND eat breakfast 

(in the form of a chunky sweet potato/carrot veggie smoothie)!

then we explored our his & her locker rooms.

I loved mine! Absolutely impeccable
(AND, I'd hope so because the Old Edwards Spa was just ranked #1 in the nation!)

The luxuriously large showers had 16 (SIXTEEN!) nozzles
+ a rain shower shower head.
Amazing.

not to mention the mineral spa

the steam sauna

the dry sauna

and the refreshing peppermint scented towels to revive you post spa treatment

Post spa, we strolled through town looking for souvenirs to take home to the girlies

We found a bookstore (with 3 board books. FAIL.)
We found a kids clothing store (nothing under $50. FAIL.)
& we found a toy store...where this is all we found:

it made us homesick so we ate a quick lunch (topped off with a dove bar from the pantry, of course!) and jumped into the car. J wanted to explore a few hiking/waterfall trails but we only got out for the Dry Falls waterfall...where they warned us that waterfalls are dangerous:

but they are also gorgeous!

(^this photo^ = taken by J)

We returned home to two happy babies--we learned Cutie Cakes slept for 13 (THIRTEEN!) hours at night and that Cutie Face took 2 (TWO!) naps. We were shocked by their mad sleeping skills but pleased the Cuties were decent enough to incur love, not loathing :)

Many thanks again to J for this great gift and to my parents for allowing J's plan to take off. We are better parents and spouses because you allowed us to get away!