give me the good news first

so i have some good news and some bad news...which do you want first?

the good news?

okay...here we go.

back in december shawn did something that was very uncomfortable for him and that very uncomfortable for him thing resulted in some serious relaxation for me yesterday.

the uncomfortable thing? a concert in someone's home that was attend by a family with 3 small children (one that played a toy guitar all through his performance and followed him into the restroom) and the parents' parents. now, if you ever have the notion to ask an artist to do such an event, please just don't. i know its seems like a good living-room-sing-a-long could be great fun...and it can be, provided that its your own living room and you actually know the people who attend. in all other circumstances, there is no great fun to be had in a in home concert.

anyway, shawn loves our local radio station and did the event for them for that one reason alone. he did it as a favor, but the radio station generously gave us a gift certificate to a nice resturant and also a gift certificate to a local spa.

and SO yesterday, all of that hard work and awkwardness, landed me 5 hours at the high end spa ummelina.

ahhh...thanks, babe.

when i booked it, shawn said jokingly, 'hey what about me?' (he knew the minute i saw that gift ceritifcate his spa days were over) i smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and reminded him that i am the one carrying our baby for 9 months and hence, the one who really needs a day being pampered. i offered him the chance to carry the baby the last trimester but he politely declined.

plus, the pregnancy package was exactly the same amount as the gift certificate. it was meant to be.

now, i have had many massages in my life...but i had never had a day at a spa.

until yesterday.

i arrived at ummelina (www.ummelina.com) at my check in time and was immediately ushered into the changing room where i exchanged my tired pregnancy clothes for a thick terry cloth robe..(side note: its funny how you would never wander around in just a robe in front of anyone who isn't your spouse normally, but somehow in a spa everyone is walking around nonchalantly in robes and it feels completely normal) after i finished changing i rang a little chime and my escort returned and walked me to the sanctuary room. i sat in a great soft chair, was served pregnancy safe tea, had my feet washed and was offered my choice of aroma therapy. i sat there silently for almost a half an hour, sipping tea and smelling a lavendar blend called 'calm' while i looked out the window at seattle bustling on by... it occurred to me then, for the first of many times during the day, how hard it is for me to be still and quiet and doing nothing. i tried to calm my insides to match my surroundings. candles were lit everywhere...it was beautiful. i closed my eyes, breathed deep, and thought about the baby's movements....

my first treatment was the pregnancy massage. molly came and walked me to a room to shower before my massage. now, anyone who knows me, knows there is little i enjoy more than a shower or bath. i always tell shawn that in our next house i am going to have an extra shower head installed so imagine my delight when i walked into THE BEST shower i have ever seen! There were 12 shower heads on the sides of the shower she called 'massaging jets', one regular hand held shower head with amazing water pressure, and one shower head above that was huge and felt like gentle rain falling. i could have stayed in there all day if there had been somewhere to sit. there wasn't, though, and my pregnancy legs gave out after 20 or so minutes and got dressed and headed to the massage room. molly was waiting there and again offered me my choice of aromatherapy...this time i chose a citrus blend called uplifting. that was the first time i thought gratefullly of my hubby who had requested that i think of him often while i was relaxing and remember what he went through to give me such a great day... i thought of him because he loves citrus smells...and what i thought was something along the lines of 'here's to you babe!'

my thought didn't have long to linger because for the next hour and half, as i laid on a bed specially designed for pregnant women (complete with hole for belly so i could lay on my belly--- never knew how much i missed being able to do that!), molly worked magic on my tired and sore body. i have many massages, but this one was almost unearthly good in comparison. i have never been able to afford more than 40 minutes on a massage table, so the sheer length of time was unbelievable. she worked out the kinks in my back and shoulders and neck and feet. when it was over, if i hadn't been almost deliriously happy and sleepy, i might have kissed her. she walked me back to the sanctuary, where i drank lots of water and felt much more relaxed and still gazing out the windows at seattle than i had a couple of hours earlier.

the facial was next, and although refreshing, definitely my least favorite part of the day. i had to lay on my back with my head down on the incline table...baby mac was not happy about that position...and wiggled around the whole time and pressed so hard against my side and ribs that it was all i could think about. the room wasn't so dim and i had steam blowing in my face the whole time...BUT i will say that when i left, my skin had never looked so alive.

after the facial, more tea in the sanctuary. and then the final part of the day...pedicure and manicure. the bed was comfortable and the lights were dim as the estitician massaged my arms and legs and then hands and feet. she trimmed, and scrubbed, and filed, and painted. by the time she was done i was fast asleep.

i woke up, went to the sanctuary to sip some more and drink in the calm before i made my way to the front desk, handed them my gift certificate, and found my way hazily back to the garage i had parked the car in.

i don't think i ever really woke up. i sipped water all night, felt the toxins leaving my body, and dreamily went about my way.

that's the good news...the bad news? i will probably never do it again. i am too cheap. *grin*

other (much worse) bad news? shawn left yesterday after only 3 days at home...that's 3 of the 5 days i actually get to see him this month, now over. i didn't sleep so good last night with him away. and when i woke up this morning and the reality that he was in somewhere in texas connected with me (this didn't take long) i felt grumpiness come over me like a fog.

i guess the moral of this silly story is that even a whole day at the spa and sunshine the next, is not near enough good to outweigh the bad of not having the one you love close enough to snuggle...

sad, huh?

now do you wish you'd asked for the bad news first?

more later friends...