living the resort life

so yeah - the day after the bean and MIL took off for texas, the hub and i headed out for an adventure of our own.  he'd been invited by a client on one of their annual appreciation weekends out in colorado springs at the broadmoor resort.  neither of us had ever been there, so we were excited for what would also turn into a nice weekend-long date...something we hadn't done in a VERY long time.

i finally got rid of a souvenir i'd been hanging onto for a week:

airplane selfie!

then we sat there for what seemed like forever, looking out the window at this:

and then something odd - neither of us had ever seen a car drive right up to an airplane before.  it was a commercial flight, so i couldn't imagine what sort of VIP it could have been delivering.

the flight was easy and uneventful, just like we like it.  and before we knew it, we were there.

after retrieving our luggage, we found our way to the resort's booth to check in and receive our shuttle tickets.  yeah, the place has its own designated spot in the airport.  fancy schmancy.

colorado is very green, yo.  we don't have this much green in drought-ridden cali.  and whenever you do spot green, you figure that either they've busted out the spray paint, or deserve to be smacked upside the head for using up precious water.

our first glimpse of the broadmoor resort:

we managed to arrive just in time to catch the tail end of the luncheon buffet that was laid out in one of the restaurants for us.  after an early morning and delays at the airport, we were pretty stinking hungry.

check-in was easy breezy, and in no time we were happily settling in to our fabulous room.

check this out, though - i pulled open a drawer in the bathroom and found this:

and when i pushed the power button and looked up...

that's right, people.  there was a TV IN THE MIRROR.  freaking genius, man.  i so want one of those in my house!  because who doesn't get bored as hell standing around drying one's hair, or brushing one's teeth?  so handy, right?  i thought so.  of course, the hub just rolled his eyes at me.  typical.

if you've read any of my previous posts about client outings like this, you'll know they usually entail some sweet perks - usually in the form of at least one visit to the spa.  and with a 4:00 massage appointment for each of us, we had time to stroll the grounds a bit before checking in.

i know i'm not supposed to take pictures in a spa, but i had to sneak a couple.  i made sure no one else was around, of course.  duh.

in case you needed instructions on how to spa:

i liked the comfy sandals i was given to wear.  yeah, baby.

here's where i spent the next 50 minutes, which went by in the blink of an eye.

and then i sat here for a few minutes afterwards to soak in a bit more relaxation.

the hub had just walked out of the men's locker room when i emerged, bleary-eyed and relaxed to the max.  we still had time before our group dinner, so we did a little more exploring.  the resort is really just gorgeous.

there's a library, where you can borrow a book to read in one of the many open lounges.

on a balcony overlooking the entry to our building, where we'd been dropped off by the shuttle earlier.  i bet it's like disneyland around christmastime, when they light up the trees and decorate the entire place.

as we strolled down the walkways and between the buildings, we found shops and a cafe to grab a snack.  the hub chose something with fruit in it, while i went straight to the donut covered in oreo crumbs.

i sat outside at this fountain and ate my donut while the hub explored in one of the shops.

they had some really cool merchandise in there - very much the hub's style.  he wanted to buy the whole store and decorate the cigar lounge (and our house) with their wares.  we both liked the antique flags - this one was made by mary todd lincoln's cousin.

the shop was a cool mix of old and new, with fun pieces like antique megaphones, trophies, and golf clubs along with cufflinks made from old typewriter keys and pendants from antique door keys.

we finally tore ourselves out of there to take in more of the beauty of our surroundings.

back in our room, we did a quick change for dinner.

i'd seen the list of attendees in our handy-dandy travel wallet, but it hadn't occurred to me that that list was really long - the area set up for us was pretty large.

as always, there was an open bar.  and since it happened to be national tequila day, i decided to go for a margarita.  i mean, you gotta celebrate, right?

dinner was phenomenal.  we sat with a few of the hub's co-workers and their spouses, chatting and laughing and munching.  the buffet that was set out for us was really extensive, from sushi to grilled veggies with carving stations offering prime rib and lamb and turkey and pans of chafing dishes full of several different kinds of chicken and tons of sides, plus dessert.  we stuffed ourselves silly and enjoyed the cool weather, and then found ourselves at one of the oxygen bars.  after experiencing altitude issues up in the mountains the week before, i figured it couldn't hurt.

after parting ways with our companions, we opted out of the bowling and games and bars and decided to go back upstairs to get some sleep.  it'd been a long day and our plans for the next morning involved getting up early-ish.  when we got to our room, we found that housekeeping had paid us a visit with turndown service.

holy moly, that bed was comfy.  and the pillows satisfied even my picky husband.  and man, that was the best night's sleep either of us had had in a really long time.  like the mirror in the bathroom, i want that bed in my house!