Perfect 10 for my 10/10/10

My Second Birthday

I love celebrating birthdays, my own and the birthdays of my friends and loved ones.  No matter how old I get, my birthday is still something that I anticipate with great excitement.  You would think I would have outgrown this by now, but I haven't, and I totally blame my mother!  (Sorry, Mom!)  My mother is a master at making birthdays seem exciting and special.  No matter what our circumstances were over the years, she always made sure that my brother and I were spoiled rotten on our birthdays and I know that there were times when this was no small feat.  These days Brad has taken on the role of ensuring that I am spoiled on my birthday, or birthday week as I like to think of it, and it turns out that he is great at it!  This year, my birthday held special significance for me.  First, because I am expecting a child of my own, and second, because it fell on 10/10/10, October 10th, 2010, which isn't so much significant as it is just plain cool.  So, to celebrate this year, Brad took me to Highlands, North Carolina, where we stayed at the Old Edwards Inn and Spa.  The Old Edwards Inn was rated the Conde Nast Traveler's #1 Hotel Spa of the Year, and for good reason, it is absolutely breathtaking!  


Entrance to Old Edwards Inn



The Inn

The Lodge



The Pool

Highlands is about two and a half hours from Atlanta.  We drove up on Saturday morning and arrived too early for check-in, so we wandered around the quaint, little town for a while before having lunch and eventually checking in.  After we checked in, I left Brad to his own devices and headed to the spa for an amazing prenatal massage.  The spa was incredible and I probably could have spent the entire weekend there, but I eventually convinced myself to leave to rejoin Brad, who was hanging out by the pool.  I guess Peanut really likes massages and hanging out by the pool because later that evening I got the best birthday present I could ever have asked for, I felt him move for the very first time!  He actually moved three times over the course of about fifteen minutes.  It was pretty amazing!!!  We finished off the evening with a great dinner at Madison's and wins by both Florida State and LSU, so all-in-all, it really was a perfect day! 

Dinner at Madison's.  Can You See My Baby Bump?

On Sunday, we grabbed some breakfast and then walked around Highlands a little more.  We spent the afternoon driving around, looking at waterfalls and other scenic destinations.  We finished off the day with some barbecue from the Rib Shack.  The entire weekend was so wonderful and relaxing, a perfect 10!  It is a trip I will always remember and the best part of all is definitely the amazing gift that Brad and I have already been given, our Little Peanut.

Dry Falls