Thankful to be home

Recently, Entrepreneur and I ran away for a few days of R&R to the Ozark hill country of Branson. We had some RCI points to use up before the end of the year so we wanted to try a new resort we’d not been to yet. I anticipated a few days of relaxation sitting on a balcony reading a book, walking the grounds in the Autumn splendor, and not getting up before the stroke of 8am.

That was not to be the case.

Our point value through the exchange company for the resort was only enough for a studio room, so it was small. We requested a building with an elevator so we could be on the top floor….where it’s quieter. We also requested a building close to the activity center to take advantage of the pool and other activities since spending time in a studio is not that comfortable. If we couldn’t be close to the activity center, we requested a building that overlooked the creek on the property.

We got 2 out of 4, which I suppose is not bad since this was not our home-base timeshare resort. True, we did get a building with an elevator…..about a mile from the activity center. True, we were on a top floor…right next to a lovely, elderly couple who were so hard of hearing we knew exactly what television station they were watching—beginning at 6:30am. True, we were in a building by the creek, but our studio faced the parking lot without any hint of a balcony.

With those adjustments out of the way, we moved in to begin our little vacay. The room was larger than i expected for a studio and it was obvious there hadn’t been a lot of updating done in the past decade. With only a mini-frig and 2-burner cooktop in the tiny kitchenette, our plans to eat in most meals went right out the window. Not a problem since we have lots of favorite eateries in town and discovered a couple new ones.

But……the two creature comforts that would have made the rest tolerable were seriously AWOL. I’m sure the bed might have been fine for someone needing a board FIRM mattress. I had visions of sinking into a cloud of comfort, but my pressure points were screaming by the second day. By the third day I scheduled a massage with a local spa just to relieve the pain.

And forget about long, leisurely showers. Someone thought it a good idea to install a power washer shower head that had NO adjustments. It was like peeling the first layer of skin off each time I took a shower. I was definitely sufficiently exfoliated after each very short shower.

We did get a nice, long walk to the campground and marina on property one afternoon.

And I had some success with shopping when I found some nice, black leather/sherpa-lined gloves for $17.  I bought two pair!

The entire town is already decked out for Christmas and it is spectacular. All the theaters are running Christmas and holiday shows. The productions seem to go all out this time of year.

The bright spot was when we went to our favorite theatre in Branson called Sight and Sound Theatre. This is the jewell of the Ozarks and productions rival live stage plays in major market cities…even Broadway. We saw The Miracle of Christmas and it didn’t disappoint.  It was definitely the high point of the trip.

While the trip was not one of our best times, it was good to get away…even for a few days. But it’s always nice to be back home. In a comfortable bed. With a spa-like shower of my very own! And since we are now in Thankful Season, I should really focus on the positives instead of the negatives.

Linking up today with Brian’s Home for Thankful Thursday.