Items #12, 13 & 26 – Go On A Once In A Lifetime Trip, Go Somewhere I’ve Never Been Before & Take a Nap

40 Things for 40 Years in 40 Weeks: Items #12,13 & 26 (Bucket List & Things I Never Do) – Go On A Once In A Lifetime Trip, Go Somewhere I’ve Never Been Before & Take a Nap… Just Because.

I originally had a different plan to complete my "Once In a Lifetime Trip" list item but when my intended travel partner had some unforeseen circumstances arise that hindered her ability to join me - I decided to rework my plan. The question was, where could I go on my own and not feel like I stood out because I was alone. Miraval Resort in Arizona immediately came to mind. And thus, I booked my trip to the land that Oprah put on the map. After all, if it's good enough for Oprah it was definitely good enough for me!

The great thing about Miraval was I was not only going to be as busy or as not busy as I wanted but it also satisfied a couple of other items that I had on my list. For those of you that aren't familiar with Miraval, it's been open for 22 years and it is an all consuming health and wellness retreat. You book your sleeping room and then you receive a "credit" to put towards activities, fitness classes, seminars and spa treatments. It's located in Tucson at the base of the Catalina Mountains and it is on over 400 acres.

Having been through some of the most challenging months my husband and I have experienced to date as parents recently, the thought of seeing the sun in February when Seattle is inundated with rain and getting to go to a child free place for 4 days of relaxation, peace and quiet quickly became a very appealing idea. I also realized that I had not been on a non-work related trip completely by myself since I took a road trip through California at the age of 22. And I had not had an adults only trip that was more than a weekend away since our "Baby Moon" before Larry arrived SEVEN years ago. IT WAS TIME.

Miraval offered so many things to choose from and I found it difficult to narrow down the choices. I wanted to have a nice balance of spa time, trying some new activities but also non-scheduled time as well. Our lives are so scheduled in our every day life already - why overbook? The activities that I chose were a trail ride on horseback, the zip line, aerial yoga and a 2 hour sunset hike through the desert behind the property. I also booked an 80 minute massage the day I arrived and a facial and scalp treatment the night before I left.

Upon arrival, you immediately feel relaxed… pampered… and hopeful. I noticed was that I was able to breathe… really breathe. With nothing scheduled until later that first evening, I decided to hit up list item #26 - take a nap just because. This is something I rarely do at home or have time for. Even when our kids were infants I almost always used their nap times to catch up around the house. Other kid-free luxuries that occurred on this trip were: I slept in one morning… like really slept in. I took pictures with my nice digital camera for the first time in a long time and even used a macro lens that my brother-in-law Miguel gave me a while back but I hadn't found the time to play with (it's awesome by the way Miguel! Thank you!). I shopped in the gift shop with no time limit and not reprimanding a child to stop touching things. I got eat slowly and taste my food, take my time, and take in what was going on around me. I sat by the pool uninterrupted taking in the sun and reading a book. Now this is a vacation!

I was also able to satisfy list item #13 on this trip and go somewhere I had never been before. Although I had been to Scottsdale and Phoenix before, I had not been to Tucson. I learned so much about the desert and the climate. I learned about more varieties of cactus than I ever knew existed and really got to appreciate their beauty. I came across so many people from Washington that have migrated there… including meeting for dinner one night with one Washingtonian friend that I always have so many laughs with.

My favorite activity that I participated in was the Zipline. It was the most fun group of participants. There I met Jan and Janice - two friends that had met in college and had known one another for 45 years. They invited me to join them at lunch one day after we had all gone through the experience of ziplining together and they reminded me of my sorority sisters that I travel with annually. There was Vannay - she was 69 years old and she had just completed a retreat for yoga certification before she arrived. She flew down that zipline despite her fears like a graceful ballerina. There were the two Eds - Ed Senior who was in his 70s and had brought his 5 adult children to Miraval for the weekend and Ed Junior who was in his 50s and flew down the zipline with no fears, upside down. Lastly there was my partner Ashley who's mother signed her up for the activity to conquer her fear of heights while she herself went to the SPA for a massage. Shame on you Ashley's mom.

Although they say that you will likely have an "Aha Moment" at Miraval… I can't say there was one moment in particular but there were several key things that stood out in my mind as I departed.

I breathed.

I listened.

I observed.

I learned.

I was humbled.

I was grateful.

I was relaxed.

Thank you to the awesome staff - Steve, Kim K., Shelia, Ang, Matt, Dave, Jaime, Melissa, Carolyn, … and the others whose names I didn't catch for the awesome service, great conversation and enthusiasm to take pictures of me so I could document my trip with more than just selfies.

Thank you Miraval. I'll be back again someday.

And so that completes items # 12,13 & 26 on my list. 29 items checked off the list and 11 to go. Stay tuned for more as I am in the home stretch… #40for40in40