My Hotel Getaway

If you had told me 4 years ago that I should take a night away by myself in a hotel, I would have thought you were crazy and that you obviously knew nothing about me to suggest this. Today, is a whole different ballgame. There is nothing I crave more in the midst of my crazy life than some time to get away alone and do whatever I want. For Mother's Day this year, Rick presented me with this opportunity as my gift. This is the 3rd time over the last 3 years that I have had this opportunity. I love it and HIGHLY recommend it!! It gives me a chance to really regroup in so many ways.

Before I share about my time, I want to share some of my tips. I have learned how to make the most of my time away.

1. I make sure that I book my stay at a hotel that provides a free big breakfast with the cost of my room. Embassy Suites is one of my favorites. This time I stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn and loved it as well.

2. I prefer to stay local. I know the area, and I don't waste any of my precious time driving to a destination.

3. I prefer to stay on a weekend night, either Friday or Sat. By doing this, I can sleep in and not have to worry about missing breakfast. They always serve breakfast later on weekends. This hotel served breakfast until 11:00. I didn't need it that late, but I didn't feel an urgency to rush and get up for it either. I like to have my time as unscheduled as possible.

4. I always call the day of my stay and request an early check-in. This allows me to get there and take a nap in the afternoon. Normal check-in time for this stay was 4:00. They told me I could come at 2:00. When I check in, I request a late check-out the next day. By doing this, I was able to stay until 1:30 the next day instead of 12:00.

5. Since I am taking a nap, I want to make sure that I sleep well that night. I take a Lunesta with me so that I can get the best night's sleep possible. Sleeping away from home is usually hard for me anyway. Having the assurance that I will get good rest eases any anxiety I might have about not sleeping.

6. I always bring several things to do. You never know what you will feel like doing on your time away. I brought my ipod loaded with music and sermons, my journal and Bible, fun reading, challenging reading, and my kids' journals that I write to them in.

Abby had a morning dr. appt. on Friday morning. After completing that with her, I ran home and packed and started my time at 11:30.

The kids playing in the garage as I left

Rick working on our yard and talking on the phone when I left.

I decided to grab some lunch. I went through a drive-thru to get a personal pan pizza.

I am not normally an outdoorsy person, but I just wanted to be somewhere quiet and peaceful. I headed to Fox Run Park. I took my ipod, Bible, and journal.

I sat at this table while I listened to worship music and journaled.

The view from the table

After the park, I had scheduled to meet a friend for coffee. That was actually a nice addition to my time away. I am an extrovert so having some uninterrupted time with a friend to process life was encouraging. We met at Starbucks. I forgot to take a picture.

Then, I checked into my room. I love taking a nap in a hotel bed. It is glorious. The clean smell of the sheets, the darkness of the room, the cool air of the air conditioner, and the assurance that there will be no interruptions are the perfect ingredients for an afternoon nap.

This was my room

After napping, I decided to grab some dinner. I love to get take-out and bring it back to the room.

Panera Bread was the perfect dinner.

Cheddar and Broccoli Soup, Baguette, and Strawberry and Chicken Poppyseed Salad.

Some might frown on this, but while I ate dinner, I watched TV. It was only an hour. It was relaxing for me to have that down time.

I spent the rest of the evening reading from my fun book and my challenging book.

On the left is my fun book, and on the right is my challenging book

The next morning, I woke up and went to breakfast. It was great because they had everything you could possibly want to choose from. I am able to eat enough that I don't need lunch. I was able to sit outside on the patio and listen to a John Piper sermon while I ate. It was so relaxing!!

I spent the rest of my time in the hotel working on the journals. I did some of my own journaling and processing, and then I wrote in the kids' journals. I like to write to them once a year around their bdays. Let's just say I was about 2 years behind. I had some catching up to do.

Once I checked out, I headed back to Fox Run Park. I had worked it out with Rick to return home around 4:00. I wanted to take advantage of every minute I had. So, I ended my time where I started it.

I had a different spot this time

The view at my new table

I was able to spend more time on the kids' journals. I am not completely caught up, but it feels so much more manageable now. Listening to worship music while I journaled helped to drown out the noises of other people at the park.

Before I went home, I made a quick trip to Walmart. Rick is going out of town this week for a work retreat. He needed some items, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to shop without children. Even shopping at Walmart is not so bad after time away and being able to shop alone!!
Getting away was so good for me. I can't wait to do it again. It is way more beneficial than any other gift my family could give me. I am thankful that Rick is willing to sacrifice so that I could have this opportunity.