Back From The Blue Mountains

Spa weekend was absolutely fantastic! I have never been pampered like that in my life. The drive from Maryland to Pennsylvania was about three hours, but the destination was definitely worth it. Our weekend was spent at Eagle Rock Spa situated in the Blue Mountains of Hazleton, PA. It was much colder up in the mountains, so it took us sometime adjusting to the fresh mountain air. We heard they had about four inches of snow the weekend before, so we were there at a perfect time - no snow. First on our itinerary was lunch so we headed straight to the restaurant and had light lunch (photo R). We thought it would not be wise to fill up since the whole afternoon is dedicated to spa massages and other treatments.

After lunch, we checked in at The Lodge and proceeded to The Spa after we got our things situated in our room. We were ecstatic to find a fireplace in our room. Just like little girls, we screamed, jumped and peeked through every door and cupboard.

Although at the spa, we tried to act completely adult-like and mature-like but we still had childish grins all over our faces (at least, I know I did =)). Our spa package started with a one hour, relaxing and soothing hot stone massage. As the massage therapist started with the hot stones on my shoulders and back, I was in a daze and felt completely relaxed. The hot stone treatment melted the stress away. An hour of hot stone massage, and the thought of work and chores vanished for the time being. Below is  The Spa atop a hill hidden by the now leafless trees.

In between our treatments, we gathered in our white robes at the Meditation Room where we rested on soft, fluffy, giant-sized couches while relaxing music played on the background. Time was of no essence there, and for a day I thought time froze.

Next was our hot stone facial massage, and oh my gosh, this one felt amazing. I had no idea what the heck was going on as I drifted with every warm towel and every soft brush that touched my face. Inhaling the aromatic scent of mint was bliss as it opened my sinuses and cooled my lungs. Every out breath was of toxic stress never to come back again, and for every in breath was of peace and rejuvenation. Lastly, I settled for my hot stone pedicure. My feet were massaged and treated with a mint scrubbed. I never get pedicures, and when asked what nail color I wanted, I chose deep purple. It reminded me of ube.

After the whole afternoon of relaxing massage, we settled for heavy dinner. For starters, we had a bruschetta with basil and tomatoes. I ordered the grilled Salmon which I absolutely loved and devoured. For dessert, I settled for a champagne and chocolate cake (photos below).

 

 

What best way to end the day by chatting with R and drinking tea in our room. We chatted until we dozed off, while the crackling fire kept us warm the whole night.

Stuff I Didn't Post (In Bullets)

1. For Halloween, I was at "Hershey's at the Dark". I did a wee bit of shopping and of course, ate sweets at Hershey's Chocolate World. For the first time, I ate a chocolate covered double chocolate cake with Hershey's signature hot cocoa. I was in heaven and was on a sugar high for a few hours =).
   
2. I was summoned for jury duty on the 2nd of this month. I made it all the way to the court room for a civil case but didn't make the final eight...lol. I enjoyed the experience, but I was a bit nervous about being chosen for a murder case.
   
3. I have started wrapping Christmas presents, and I am almost done with my shopping list. I'm not spending too much on presents this year but just simple gifts for family and friends.
4. I saw "A Christmas Carol" in 3D and it was absolutely amazing. I want to see it again.
5. My car just got the 30,000 mileage manufacturer's maintenance requirement. Big bill, but I am glad my car's still in great shape.
   

Meet Pinky

I wanted to write a much longer post, but I think that this photo and a little narrative would sufficiently explain my successful project. I have to say that the experience and the process was quite challenging and very stressful,  but in the end, absolutely rewarding. More than a year after I wrote my bucket list, I actually made part of number four into a reality. Until today, I still couldn't believe I'm finally the owner of a house I referred to as 'pinky.'

I met 'pinky' about three months ago, and it caught my eye because of it's workable size and the beautiful view from the living room, which I'll take a photo of at a later time. I referred to this house 'pinky' because there's a part of the house that's painted pink. Also, at that time, I was visiting so many houses and this house really stood out in my mind because of that striking pink color. From then on, I fought and stressed to make 'pinky' my home. So when I stated that I won't be home for Christmas, it was a misstatement because I will be in my own home for the holidays. Although I will stress that I will miss Hawaii this year.

Next month, I will be moving to my house, and since I have started to pack my belongings, I can't help but think how I'll miss my apartment (photos below) which has been my home for the passed two years. This apartment has seen one of the worse experiences in my life, the break-up, but it also laid witness to how I stood up, moved on, and succeeded. I will definitely miss this apartment.

Lastly, dreams absolutely do come true no matter what!

Success!

Big project was a success, and I'll be posting a longer update soon. I got the decision on Tuesday afternoon and I was ecstatic. So ecstatic that I went inside my car, locked it, rolled up the windows and screamed to my delight. When I heard the news, the first people I called were my parents, who were anxiously waiting for my call. It was a day of answered prayers. I can't describe this wonderful feeling, but until now, I still can't believe I did it.

I'm ready for the holidays!

Finding Kayni

Find the couple

 

Find the hidden bird

 

Find Kayni =)

I haven't exactly been hiding; I've just been busy. As I have mentioned before, one of my big projects this year is concluding on November 10, so all of my energy and time has been dedicated to it. Today was sort of a breather but actually a day of waiting if all paper work for my project went through and are in good shape. To tell you the truth, waiting is harder because it's like relinquishing my power and putting the decision in the hands of others. Hopefully, I'll hear the decision tomorrow.

For now, I'll relax and wait. Happy weekend everyone!