I didn't want to write anything about this before it became an actuality because I was certain something would go wrong and moreover, superstitiously, that I would by writing about how much I was looking forward to it, curse it. But we are on vacation (well, a minibreak) at the loveliest resort, having the loveliest time and I'm blogging after the most perfect day imaginable. We needed this so badly, with Alan's new-job-stress, my usual job stress, house-moving stress, all the terrible things that have happened this summer - I had of course made things more difficult by fretting and stressing about where to go, how much to spend, which choices were worth the extra money and which ones were just more costly, not more rewarding. So I worried and over-analyzed myself into a state worse than I was before, trying to plan something pleasant - sadly typical of me.

Since we only had 4 days, that omitted a lot of possible destinations because we didn't want to spend an entire day getting there and an entire day getting back. A friend of mine told me about vrbo.com where you can rent cabins, private homes, condos, etc. from one end of the spectrum to another, just about anywhere. But that didn't really appeal to me for this particular trip: paying a couple thousand bucks to do all the same chores and errands I do all the time anyway (buy groceries, lug them home, cook, load and unload the dishwasher, make beds, etc.) - there are times in my life when I wouldn't even think twice about that, and I'd just be happy to be in a different, pleasant setting, but I didn't think that was what either of us needed this time around.

I suggested Barnsley Gardens, remembering that The Boss had gone there and enjoyed it thoroughly. After some back-and-forth during which we nearly called things off more than once (they didn't have the precise room we wanted, the great rate we were first quoted was no longer available between the time I called to inquire and after we confirmed time off work, blah blah blah) we finally booked our stay. It is lovely and posh and beyond wonderful, people. We have a gorgeous room with a huge cast-iron clawfoot tub, a wood burning fireplace (and they provide a big stack of wood just outside your door), a four-poster bed with a tremendously thick down comforter and enough overstuffed feather pillows to satisfy even me...I cannot tell you how much I am loving this place.

The weather has been gorgeous and today was the most perfect day of my life. So far, anyway. We slept late, lunched at one of the restaurants at the resort (great food - I had mimosas and a sammich of smoked turkey, gouda, bacon and tomato on ciabatta bread), then walked around the wooded lanes and lovely grounds surrounding our cottage. The day before, we'd ordered a picnic basket of fruit, cheeses, crackers and French bread to be delivered today, so later in the afternoon we picnicked in the ruins of the circa 1850s manor. The weather was perfect: a week earlier it would have been hot and humid, a week later too chilly - today, it could not have been more wonderful if it were scripted. We lingered over our picnic, went back to the cottage where Alan surfed the intarweb and I napped, then returned to the Woodlands Grill for a fantabulous dinner, capped for me with a snort of lovely single-malt MacAllen.

Now we're relaxing in our room, waiting for it to get cool enough to start a fire, and despite all the awfulness of this year and the stress of late, I could not be happier.