Truth, Please

My birthday comes up every year at such a time where I usually feel a bit run down after the busyness of the holidays and the need to get away and relax comes a calling. That’s what I get for being born in January 😆. So for my 34th birthday I started making plans months ahead on what we can do with family. Dinner plans with the whole family was planned along with a family trip to Sunriver with my immediate family.

So with plans in motion the excitement was building. And yes I do like to plan ahead, sometimes 3-6 months in advance especially for birthdays or family events.

Also for those who are in a blended family know that no plans are 100% written in stone because there may be some change that may ultimately push yours aside…. And let’s be honest there will always be something that comes up or at least I’m waiting for the day where I can say everything went according to plan 🤪.

And as it did in our case when we received an email from my bonus kid’s mother that their youngest is doing volleyball with the first volleyball tournament occurring on my birthday. And it was shared that if my husband is supportive of his child then he would take her to her first tournament.

While my husband has always been supportive of his kids and their sports I knew from past year birthday experiences we had to tread carefully before making any final decisions.

So I asked my husband his opinion and he did say we can go to Sunriver but knew himself that he would feel guilty for missing his youngest’ tournament. While I knew the guilty feelings stemmed from prior years guilt trips from past individuals, however it was still there despite being there for his kids. Now I knew that I wanted to go to Sunriver on my birthday as I had been working so hard the prior months and felt this trip was MUCH needed to get away and do some major self-care. And with that we both came to an agreement; I will be going to Sunriver while he stayed behind to attend the tournament and support our youngest for the both of us. Little did I know the many surprises that would bestow upon me when I would arrive at the Sunriver Resort…

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The first surprise was hearing the week of my departure day, January 7, that there was a winter storm warning on almost every route I’d have to drive through to get to Sunriver. There was even a thought to cancel the trip because of all the warnings. But the need for self-care screamed louder than even the fear of driving through hazardous road conditions. So I chose a route that took an extra 45 minutes longer but would put me less at risk of driving through ice and snow. The entire travel time was 4 hours and 25 minutes as I stopped midway in Eugene for a nice pick-me-up since my travel buddy slept more than half the time 🤪. Now I do have to say the Eugene route to get to Sunriver is the scenic route and boy was the scenery just gorgeous! Totally recommend driving the scenic route at least once as it is definitely worth it.

Arriving at Sunriver my daughts, sister, and I watched the sunset together. It was mesmerizing! Oh yea, my sister also drove out to Sunriver to hang out with us for a couple days. Ultimately I stayed at the Sunriver Resort for three nights, using the third night free deal. I just love deals! 😁

The Sunriver Resort also has a couple restaurants at the lodge that you can walk to from your own hotel room but the first night we decided to go to a pizza place. 🍕 Daught’s suggestion. So The Fold restaurant was chosen from The Village at Sunriver, just less than a mile drive. While the pizza was more juicier than I’d like but we still devoured it.

We returned back to our hotel room for a nice girl time filled with face masks and watching shows together.

With the next morning being my birthday I was looking forward to a stressless day eating delicious food and relaxing. And thank goodness everything always goes according to plan. 👍🏼

After waking up on my birthday I was presented with a tear-jerker video my daughts had made for me along with a surprise gift bag ordered by my husband that the hotel staff sent my way.

While getting ready for a birthday breakfast the peace and relaxation was a little short lived when I received a call from my husband. Apparently after bringing our youngest to her first all-day volleyball tournament it was shared she did not have the proper athletic shoes or attire. Even though my husband asked his daughter’s mother to pack the volleyball attire and shoes for the game, days before the kid’s pickup for the weekend, it seems it was dismissed. My husband messaged to have her bring the athletic shoes but was told he had to make do and did not show for the tournament.

At that point I had a choice to make; either chalk it off as an annoyance on my birthday or let it go and do exactly what I set out to do on my birthday: eat a delicious breakfast and relax on my birthday. Now while this small inconsideration wasn’t a nice gift on my birthday but my husband was able to purchase the proper athletic gear to ensure our youngest wasn’t going to get injured. And as for me, after years of practice I let it go and enjoyed my birthday to the fullest! 🙌🏼

So off to breakfast at the McKay Cottage Restaurant which was highly recommended by my sister. When I was previously in Bend, 6 months prior during my daughts birthday getaway, I attempted to go to this restaurant and it was extremely busy at all times with generally an hour or two wait time so we did not end up eating there at that time. So this time my sister drove out there half an hour earlier and put our name on the list so that when me and daughts got there we were seated almost right away. I ordered a croissant French toast and it was sooo good! Definitely understood what the craze was about.

The rest of the day was filled with taking a walk at The Village of Sunriver with buying a few journals, a few sweatshirts in Bend, playing in the snow, and taking a walk near our lodging. One of my favorites was driving out to the middle of nowhere and screaming at the top of our lungs. There’s something freeing about screaming and letting go of all the stress that I seemed to be holding onto.

After being back at our hotel I received a call from the front desk reminding me of an appointment that I was scheduled for. Apparently my husband sneaked a surprise facial for me for my birthday… awwwww isn’t he so darling! Even after attempting to persuade my husband in canceling my appointment, to save money and all, he ultimately won convincing me that I need to be pampered. 🥰

Arriving at Sage Springs spa I was instantly met with the serene peaceful music you hear at every spa that puts you in a state of relaxation. I was brought back to the ladies section of the spa and it was shared the hot tub and sauna was clothes optional since it was ladies only. And yes I did consider going nude since there was practically no one there and I’ve never done it before😝. Before being led to my facial appointment I was put in a relaxation room where fruit water was provided and comfortable chairs to lay in while you get to contemplate life 🤔. Shortly I was called in for my facial and it was beyond relaxing. 💆🏽‍♀️ Even now I remember how carefully my face was nourished and taken care of while also receiving a neck massage. It was bliss!

After my facial and massage I went back to the womens side of the spa and took advantage of the hot tub and had a nice soak. 🧖🏽‍♀️The best part was that no one else was there and I had the whole place to myself!

While I did not want to do anything after the most relaxing facial I’ve ever received I found myself getting ready for my birthday dinner which at this time we enjoyed at The Owl’s Nest found at the lodge of Sunriver. The meal was amazing and my sister and daughts sang happy birthday to me. 🥰

And with that my birthday ended beautifully; with my stomach deliciously filled, my body in a very relaxed state, and being loved on by so many.

The next day we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise.

Later that morning we went back to Bend and explored again. We also ate at The Victorian Cafe which I HIGHLY recommend getting the crab benedict. My mouth is literally watering right now just thinking about that delicious meal!

Finally we ended our Sunriver trip by heading to The Cove located at the resort which is an indoor pool with a lazy river, slides, pools, hot tubs, and a restaurant at the resort. This was more for my daughts as she absolutely loves swimming but seeing her so happy made it all worth it for me!

So all in all I highly recommend going to Sunriver if you want to getaway, get pampered at a spa, bask in beautiful scenery around you, have many activities available around you, and just plain enjoy life!