My 'happy place' looks a little like this:
No kids for a few days - I love my kids dearly and would never dream of a life where they're not in it, but I WOULD dream of a couple of days without the fighting, the messes, the interruptions, the battle of bedtime, the fussy eating and the backchat.
No hubby for a few days - Someone has to look after the kids on my imaginary kid-free days right? Why not their loving dad? As above, would never dream of a life without my man, but a few days are completely do-able.
No cleaning - I would have someone to magically clean up after me once I leave a room.
Sleep - I would stay up late, sleep in of a morning and have nanna naps in the afternoon. After almost seven years of motherhood and only getting a lie-in about a handful of times during that whole period, you can guess that sleep would be high on the agenda in my 'happy place'.
Pampering - I would have my nails done, have a pedicure and a facial--I would even brave a massage if I could find someone who wouldn't bend me up like a pretzel in the process.
Shopping - I would spend time meandering through shops without the kids using the shop as their personal playground. If I liked something I would buy it without a thought of the budget.
Time with the Girls - I have a few good friends, who, no matter how long we've been apart, it makes no difference whatsoever. I also have a few who have been there through thick and thin, so I would invite my girlfriends to my 'happy place' to share in the pampering, shopping and fun.
Eating and Drinking - My love of food dictates that any 'happy place' of mine would include food. I would sample delicacies, sip champagne and nibble decadent desserts.
Entertainment - I wouldn't spend my entire time eating and drinking, I would have to while away the hours with some form of entertainment, so I would go to the theatre, go to the cinema and go dancing.
If you read this blog regularly, by now you will have guessed that this past weekend, I visited my 'happy place', otherwise known as a girls' weekend in Sydney.
Day 1 included a trip to the cinema to see a mindless comedy: Get Him to the Greek. My BFF had already seen the quintessential girls' movie: SATC2--not very good planning on her part, but the movie we chose did not include animated characters or dancing/talking guinea pigs so we were happy. We finished off with degustation, which was such an experience that I have to devote a post to it later in the week. All I can say is that I can't believe it has taken me this long to experience this.
Day 2 started with a sunrise walk around the Domain taking pics of the Sydney Opera House. I lived in Sydney for 13 years without ever having taken a photo of the Opera House--can you imagine that? There was a bit of shopping, eating lobster, oysters, prawns and sashimi at the Sydney Fish Markets, nanna nap in the afternoon and catching up with the Girls over cocktails then dancing at a nightclub that we used to frequent.
Day 3 included a recovery swim and spa in the hotel pool, then it was off to Chinatown for Yum Cha. The food was delish and the Chinese tea was just right for re-hydrating us after a few cocktails the night before. Next time, will choose a restaurant with a less complicated ordering system, and we will definitely be enjoying more Yum Cha in Cairns as we were reminded of just how good it really is! We had our nails done for a bargain in Chinatown and then it was back to the hotel for another nanna nap. Some magical elf had cleaned our hotel room in our absence--how cool was that?! When we were fully rested and rejuvenated, we gussied ourselves up and headed out to see the musical, Wicked. The main actresses were so talented and there were lots of little one-liners that made us laugh. If ever you go to the big smoke, I highly recommend catching a show.
Day 4 was our last day and reality was descending upon us very soon, so we spent the morning shopping for compensatory gifts for our families (to make up for leaving them for four days on their own without their maid/chauffeur/chef). We had one last decadent lunch of steamed mussels in tomato, chilli and white wine to start and lobster and crab ravioli as a main--all topped off with a nice glass of pinot noir. We caught our plane and had another glass of wine and read trashy women's mags and attempted the sudoku puzzles--without much luck, considering the consumption of wine.
Then it was back to reality with two little boys running into my arms at the airport and hubby looking exhausted behind them. It was such a fabulous weekend, and we are already planning what we will do for BFF's 40th birthday in 18 months' time, but it was also nice to come home.
So what does your 'happy place' look like? If you have had any big birthdays recently, what did you do to celebrate?
Here is a photo montage of the sights of Sydney. I realise that I didn't take nearly enough pics of us, but oh well...
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