plan on it.

Let's get real, friends. I am a planner. Not spontaneous or impulsive. I am your typical OCD, Type A, don't do well in impromptu situations, kind of a gal. I get extremely anxious at times and can burst into tears at the drop of a pin when I am overwhelmed. That's not to say that I am not down with surprises. I just have to be somewhat "prepared" for the surprise (ie. don't plan a surprise trip to the mountains and expect me to "know" to pack gloves and thermals.  Because if you say "surprise trip," I hear tropics, and this cat is packing bikinis and shorts). I do think that a little out of the ordinary is good for the soul, but I like to put the extra in extraordinary. A.K.A, plan it in advance. For instance, this past weekend I needed something different. It's been a low kind of a week and I just wanted to get away without traveling to east buddah. SO, without John's knowledge, I planned a short weekend trip to Fort Payne, Alabama to go antique shopping, take a museum tour, grab a delicious lunch, and then head up 35, taking in the breathtaking views, en route to Mentone, where I had an elegant dinner and a stay at the Mentone Springs Hotel planned. On Sunday, the plan was to eat breakfast, tour the town and then head home down the scenic drive of Little River Canyon, taking in nature at her best. Sounds divine, right?

John didn't seem to think so.

I believe that as I was telling him these amazingly planned out plans he was off in space thinking, "work, work, work, and more work." I.WAS.BUMMED. There is one thing worse than not planning ahead and that is planning ahead and having the plans (all that hard work) fall through. What do you mean we can't go?! WHAAA? So, in my stubbornness I told John that if he wanted to stay back and get some work done this weekend he could, but I was still going to make the trek to Fort Payne and Mentone. I don't think that he really heard my emphasis on needed to get out of dodge. Long story short, I didn't get my way. John had his own sneaky plans to keep me in Birmingham with him—a lot of SURPRISES up his sleeve. Not one of them planned by me, of course.

Don't worry, I didn't have any emotional breakdowns...I did surprisingly well living in the moment. I think that a few of my walls fell down and it was liberating (WOW, I never thought those words would leave my mouth)!

So now, I will rant and rave about my sweet husband and give you a taste of my special, relaxing weekend at home...

Friday at 2:03 p.m. I received a text from John that said, "don't cook and be ready by 5:55." This is one of those ie. "no nos" in Lauren land. But, since I was stuck in Birmingham for the weekend, I thought, "why not?!" Not a minute after 5:55, we hopped in the car and showed up at the one and only, Hot and Hot Fish Club. DELISH and such a special treat.

Saturday morning, John let me sleep in and when I awoke, he told me to bundle up. We started the day by walking down to O'Henry's for breakfast and coffee.

This time together was very gratifying—morning one-on-one conversations with your spouse are so sweet and the perfect way to start the day. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Up next...my Saturday surprise. SPA DAY! John had called Halcyon on Friday and made an appointment for my first ever facial (loved) and massage.

The fact that John knew that I needed a little pampering meant more than just the gesture. It was also the perfect way to keep me occupied while he got a little bit of work done. He's a catch, if I do say so myself. The best part of my spa day? The facial technician. Turns out, she and I have a lot in common—same church, know a few of the same people, and have gone through similar trials. She blessed me beyond belief! Thank you Lord, for the spiritual, emotional, and physical rejuvenation! It was much needed.

Proof: greasy, rat nest hair. Gotta love scalp massages.

Up next...a trip to the ZOO! So random, but so fun. I am ashamed to say that in the 5 years that I have lived in Birmingham I have never visited the zoo. But, I always talk about it. Did I already mention that I have an intuitive husband? HA. To think that I never thought he was listening... To sum it up, we had an absolute blast. We were both ooh'ing, ahh'ing and skipping around like little kids. Oh, and we're both still talking about Johnny the elephant.

The day ended perfectly with a movie and takeout. Nothing better than a little couch time.

The moral of the story: HAPPY WIFE = HAPPY LIFE. No, not really. Well, maybe...

I'm blessed.