Luxurious

Aaron and I had the most perfect anniversary getaway this weekend, thanks to the generosity of my big sisters! (I've always loved being from a big family. You can't beat the love and support!) My very wise oldest sister, having majored in marriage and family science and mastered the subject with her own adorable family, knew just what Aaron and I needed. So she set everything up and told us where to be when. The Victorian Bed & Breakfast was just as romantic and luxurious as it was cracked up to be. I couldn't stop gushing, just ask Aaron. The giant king-sized bed with the down-topped mattress and down duvet was ridiculously comfortable. And the sheets were so incredibly soft--I didn't realize sheets could feel that nice. The jacuzzi was luxuriously relaxing. And that combined with the soothing sound of the babbling brook just outside our window--WOW. Plus the fireplace right there in the bedroom, which we had to turn on to offset that open window, of course. The weather was nice and chilly, making it seem that much cozier and snuggly inside. And the town, Manitou Springs, felt so quaint and far removed from the daily hubbub of the Denver suburbs. Oh yeah, we also enjoyed the luxury of being able to study our scriptures together in the morning, without those darling children clamoring for breakfast, NOW! Everything was just so posh and novel that we hardly wanted to leave! And that's what made it such a perfect getaway.
It made me think. Our double bed at home is adequately big and plenty comfortable. Our sheets aren't the finest but they're fine. And our shower-tub combo filled with the kids' bath toys gets the job done. And that's just how a home should be--modest and comfortable and practical. If we had every luxury at home, we wouldn't revel in the luxury nearly as much when we flitted off for a romantic getaway!
After a delicious breakfast, we reluctantly checked out of the B&B and window shopped in Manitou Springs, popping inside interesting stores when we got too chilly. We went into an art gallery where we got to talk to the sculptor himself about his work. It was very educational--we learned about the process of casting and coloring bronze, an alloy made up primarily of copper. You create the different colors via various chemical reactions at various temperatures. Highly interesting. Speaking of interesting, the potable mineral water that bubbles up from the underground springs tastes pretty interesting. And it's fizzy. That's interesting. We filled a water bottle with mineral water to let the kids taste it and Xander pronounced it "too icky for me." Hearing that assessment, Elodie was unwilling to even taste it. I guess you can't blame her. "Here, this tastes nasty, do you want some?" Anyhow, my favorite parts about Manitou Springs were the cute bridges that crossed here and there over the little stream and the gorgeous mountainous rock-faces that were right there in town behind the storefronts. After enjoying Manitou, we headed up to the Air Force Academy where Aaron got nostalgic about his boyhood dreams of being in the military. That was a fun reminder of our first date, when Aaron realized that the Lord was guiding him down a different path than he had planned. What an awesome journey it's been for us. Spending all day together, Aaron and I remembered just how much we like each other! It was so much fun, to say the least! This was our first getaway together, and let me tell you, it won't be our last!