American Whitney

Today has been a mixed bag for me. I’ve been sick, and last night as I drifted off, I realized that today would have been the day that Jerad and I were supposed to go to Glen Ivy to celebrate my birthday and his half birthday. Usually we would go closer to the actual date, but because of school, he wanted to move it up a little.

In some ways I wish I’d kept my appointments- because I could sure use a massage.

I admit, I’m doing much better than most people expect of me. Which makes me feel guilty. As though I should still be wracked with sadness. All I know is that isn’t what Jerad would want for me. Granted, he’d feel bad that I’m not writing much in the way of fiction- but I think he’d be proud of the writing that I’ve done here on my blog.

Also today, the Oldest Kidlet is sick. He climbed into my bed today and said he was going to throw up. I told him he wasn’t, since he didn’t seem like he was ill. But we came down, and he threw up on the carpet. And has thrown up twice since then. I guess I was wrong.

I had just written a paragraph about how the hardest part was telling my son he couldn’t go to school- he really really loves school. No, the hardest part of the day thus far has been cleaning up vanilla flavored vomit (thank you flavored milk alternative) while the Little Kidlet pretended that he needed his shirt off (because the Oldest one threw up on his, and now the Little Guy wasn’t getting any attention).

Thank goodness my brother-in-law is here, so that he could run out to the store for some Gatorade.

At least the vomit is keeping me from dwelling on what today might have been.*

*A sentence I never thought I’d type.

Yes, I know that grammatically it should be “Return to Glen Ivy,” but as my previous post about Glen Ivy was titled “The Spa Day Strikes Back,” I couldn’t resist continuing the Star Wars theme.

As I mentioned six months ago, I go to Glen Ivy twice a year with my best friend. This was our third trip to Glen Ivy together, and our third trip using the cabanas. For us, the cabanas are a must. Not only do you have your cabana to keep your things, and the concierge service, but they keep an eye on your appointment times. No need to track down watches or clocks. You simply get to unwind.

Since our last trip, they replaced the cabana furniture, and I must say I really enjoy the new decor. In the Date Palm cabana, the lounge’s cushion is now a deep rust – very close to the color of their famous clay! The new rug is a great touch, too. I didn’t get to look at all the changes in the other cabanas, but I very much like the new look. (Also, the cushioned lounge was so comfortable that Jerad and I often wondered if we were simply going to fall asleep!)

The cabana staff were Marcus (who we’d met on our first trip) and Ryan. Both possessed the remarkable skill of appearing just when they were needed, without seeming to hover. And both were quite adept at problem solving- but more on that later.

This trip, the only service I had was a 50 minute Swedish massage “Under the Oaks” – which is their outdoor massage area, shaded underneath oak trees and palms. The massage was excellent, and it never fails to amaze me how mentioning that I’m a writer and a stay at home mother of two little kids immediately tells the massage therapists exactly where I need attention. I’m very glad that the weather complied- if it’s too hot, they move the appointments indoor.

I enjoyed my previous massage indoors (as well as other massages I’ve had indoors), but there’s something thoroughly relaxing about the fresh air combined with the actual sounds of nature. The wind through the trees, the sounds of leaves falling. Just wonderful.

We made use of the cabana deck’s salt pool early, which turned out to be good since one of the other groups in the cabanas was a baby shower in the cabana closest to the pool.

I cannot recommend their restaurant, Cafe Sol, enough. The food is light and fresh- and even heavier fare like pizzas or pasta are so fresh that they hardly feel heavy at all. I had the Shrimp Calzone, Jerad had a Lasagna Bread Bowl. Both were delicious. The only downside to our meal was that it was so delicious, that some local bees decided they wanted to eat them as well.

Yes, bees. Carnivorous bees. While it sounds like a bad horror movie, they did have some sweat bees nearby- which liked to eat chicken and apparently my shrimp. They’re not an aggressive bee at all, but when they proved to be extremely interested in my calzone, Ryan made sure that we got a table downstairs at the restaurant where we could enjoy our meal in peace. Many thanks to Ryan for his quick thinking! Also, I can now say that I survived carnivorous bees.

When Jerad had another treatment, I got to use the time for writing. And got a fair amount of work done!

It was a great time. Carnivorous bees aside, the only downside of our trip is that how quiet the cabanas can be depends on the other guests. Next to us, we had the baby shower- who seemed intent on their day at the cabanas be like a day at a Las Vegas Cabana. With music, food and fun. Loud music. Ryan did his best to keep the baby shower quiet, but the women were intent on having their music and ignored him. So please, if you plan on renting the cabana- remember that this is a spa. Not poolside at the Palms. People come for peace and quiet. (Again, I in no way fault Glen Ivy. Ryan did all that he could to reign in the women- but they were simply rude and clearly misunderstood what a spa is about)

At the end of the night, Marcus asked us which we preferred, the summer or winter at Glen Ivy. I admit, I don’t have a preference- each time of year has its charms. It’s warm during the summer, which allows one to take in Club Mud or enjoy a massage “Under the Oaks” – both experiences I enjoy. However, it’s blissfully quiet during the winter, which allows for true relaxation and reflection.

I’m already counting the days until January, when we’ll be back enjoying some R&R at Glen Ivy!

If you can’t guess from the title, I went to a spa for the second time. Namely, Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Corona. I went for the first time during the middle of the summer, and had a lovely lovely time. But six months later, it was clear that I needed some R&R, so I went back.

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