So today was the actual anniversary of our wedding. Earl and I celebrated throughout the day after a good night’s sleep here at the Lodge at Turning Stone Casino and Resort.
My first order of business was an 80 minute Arnica Muscle Repair massage at Ska:ná, the spa here at The Lodge. My spa experiences have been limited to the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa at Disneyworld and today’s experience made the House of the Mouse look rather mediocre. My appointment was for 1:30 p.m., but I was urged to get there early so that I could do the traditional Balancing Waters Ritual. This involved a visit to the steam room, a cool shower, a visit to the sauna, another cool shower, a ride through the whirlpool and then a dip in the mineral springs pool. The mineral springs pool was the only co-ed part of that experience and the only place where a bathing suit was mandatory. For the first time in my very brief spa history, I did the rest in all sorts of nakedness. It was kind of cool.
Katherine was my very capable massage therapist today and she worked magic working the knots out of my muscles in various areas of my body. The Arnica Muscle Repair massage is designed to energize the senses, promote circulation and relieve muscle soreness. It did all that. The lingering pain in my left hip from my cycling fall last week was gone by the end of the 80 minute session. I felt absolutely amazing and the most centered I have felt in a long while. I enjoyed a few more of the spas amenities before heading back to the room, where Earl had ordered a light salad from room service for my lunch.
We then walked around the grounds a bit and relaxed before getting all dressed up and heading to Wildflowers, the five diamond restaurant here at The Lodge.
At Wildflowers we were taken care of by a very capable staff that included Michael, Alex and Timmy. Everyone wished us a happy anniversary. There were even personalized menus waiting for us on when we arrived at the table!
The dinner was magnificent. It was kind of cool eating in a restaurant where everyone there was dressed for the occasion. We don’t do that often enough. I told Earl that I was lucky to be a guy that’s comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt or in a suit. He agreed.
Near the end of our meal, Room Service was working behind the scenes to leave a smaller version of our wedding cake in the room so that it was waiting for us.
It was delicious but we decided we liked the original wedding cake better. We then did some gambling in the casino where I promptly lost some of the money allotted for that sort of thing before I announced I was headed back to the room. Earl gave me the cute bear eyes, asking if I minded if he played some blackjack. Of course I don’t mind at all, so that’s where he is right now. The longer he’s gone, the better chance that daddy is going to get a new pair of shoes. w00t!
