If there was ever a time for me to be embarrassed, this was the time. The story I am about to tell you is nothing that I am proud of, but I do feel that it is important to discuss. For one, I think everyone feels this way at some point or another. For two, if it doesn't apply to you then I will make you feel like a better person than me and that works too. Plus, it ends on kind of a nice, warm Valentine's Day fuzzy.
So let's back up to last Friday, when the story takes place. Because Patrick and I's birthdays are so close together and so close to Valentine's Day, we always opt for taking a weekend for just the two of us to escape and do something fun. Well, Patrick got a gift certificate from the President of the Broadmoor, a super posh hotel in Colorado Springs, for his recent deployment. It was awarded at the perfect time, so that's what we decided to do for our weekend.
The certificate was for a one night stay, so the plan was that we would go up to Idaho Springs, our favorite hot spot--so to speak--to indulge in some hot springs time prior to heading to Colorado Springs. Needless to say, when we arrived at the hotel, we were not in our Sunday best. My hair was knotted and damp from the hot springs and we (I'm sure) stunk of sulfur. We had heard that the Broadmoor was a nice hotel, but we weren't really prepared for how nice it was.
This place was the business. For real. They had a hallway full of photos of famous people that had stayed there--celebrities, athletes, musicians and even presidents. They had valets, bellhops and every luxury you could imagine. We brought nicer clothes just in case, but nothing extravagant. And wouldn't you know, everywhere you wanted to eat there had a dress code--no denim and jackets for the men. I think the only jacket Patrick has is from our wedding.
The hotel was absolutely stunning. Every piece of it. And the people working there were so very nice. The bellhop that helped us to our room asked what the occasion was and we told him it was our birthdays. About ten minutes after he left us in our room, two tins of chocolates and fancy nuts were delivered to us with a note from the president wishing us a happy birthday. It was legit.
The beauty and the luxury of the place really threw me, however. For whatever reason, I felt extremely out of place. So much so that I didn't really want to stay there. I mean, I loved it and it was just magical, but I had this very Pretty Woman "well color me happy there's a sofa in here for two" moment. I mean, I'm from poor folk ville. For real. I'd never encountered such pristine company or quarters before.
Patrick and I did have fun at the hotel, though. As you can see, we opted for an impromptu couple photo shoot of silly poses (Patrick just loved that, it was his idea!). I always enjoy Patrick's company, but I couldn't shake this feeling that everybody I walked by--staff or guest--was giving me the "they must be here on gift certificate" side-eye.
Our checkout time was noon, but my mom had made brunch reservations for us at the hotel at 12:30. She said we just had to indulge in the brunch--an outrageous buffet of any breakfast food you could possibly imagine. "We should just leave our bags at the front desk while we eat brunch," Patrick suggests. Well, here's the thing. We didn't really pack "luggage". Not knowing the extent of the castle-like ambiance we were to encounter and knowing we would only be there for one night, we just threw some necessities in a couple of reusable cloth totes and hit the road.
Suddenly, I had something that could only be described as a snobby, anxiety attack wrapped in a temper-tantrum. "Are you insane? We are not leaving our unzipped glorified grocery sacks up at the diamond encrusted front desk while we eat brunch!" Ok, that wasn't exactly what I said, but it was pretty close. Patrick obliged my ridiculous request and we put the bags in the car while we waited for our brunch reservation.
While waiting for brunch, Patrick was really quiet. I decided to apologize for my childlike behavior regarding the bags. "It's not that," he explains. "I never took you for a person that cared what other people thought of you. I mean, you're totally contradicting yourself right now. You wear what you want, say what you want, do what you want regardless of what people think and all of a sudden, you care. What if I walked up to that guy right there and tell him that we are here on a gift certificate that I got for going to war? Do you think he'll think less of us? You belong here just as much as anyone else."
I was absolutely floored and, for once, speechless. Patrick was absolutely right. To boot, we spent our Friday night consoling Kaden, who has been bullied mercilessly by some upperclassmen for wearing camo everyday to school, telling him that he should be proud of who he is. I felt like a snob. Here I was concerned about being judged by everyone there and I was the one judging. I felt like a sham. A hypocrite. And completely ungrateful.
Without warning, tears started flowing. It should be noted that I am not a crier in the slightest. All of the cheesy lesson learning parts of movies started blowing up in my mind like fireworks--"Remember who you are," Mufasa, "I got money to spend here!", Pretty Woman, "I don't belong anywhere," Hermy from Rudolf. I was so embarrassed, ashamed and really pissed that I had ruined our brunch. We were seated at our table for brunch. A brunch filled with all the delicacies one could possibly conjure and my appetite was shot. I wasn't causing a scene or anything, but I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Halfway through our brunch, sitting in silence, Patrick asks me if I am going to talk to him. "I don't want to talk, I don't want to eat, I just want to go home," I whisper with my voice trembling. "Let's go get some air," he suggests.
And so we did. And, as usual, Patrick completely turned my frown upside down. He said all the right things, rubbed my back, calmed me down and kissed my hand (much like comforting a small child). Snow started lightly falling around the gorgeous lake out front. I wiped away my tears and realized where I was and, more importantly, who I was with. We went back in and I scarfed down my weight in goodies. I was schooled, for sure, and rightfully so. But there's nothing like a perpetual kick in the ass to give you some perspective. It was beautiful. I definitely chose the right man in which to live my life. Even if I'm not perfect.
Leather Pants-Lip Service, thrifted; Embellished Collar Blouse-Kohl's; Sequined Heels-Target; Earrings-gifted by M.I.L.
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