When it’s been raining in Seattle for six months straight, and you and two friends all have a birthday within one month…you plan a trip to Palm Springs!
A couple of months ago a good friend, Sheena sent a text out a text saying something along the lines of “I NEED SUN, let’s go somewhere” (that might be paraphrased.) A week later Sheena, myself, and another friend Des had our trip booked to sunny Palm Springs. It was still three months until we were set to leave, but as each grey day dragged on it felt like years! Yes I know I’ being dramatic, but have you seen Seattle these days??
Infertility has a sense of humor
As I shared in my last post, we’ve been having a tough time with infertility. For those of you who have gone through or are currently going through this, you know how unpredictable your appointments can be. So right off on schedule, we needed to go into the office Friday morning before my flight. This month they found a cyst on an ovary and we have had to do multiple ultrasounds to keep a close eye on it. I had an ultrasound on Thursday and amazingly they said we could actually try an IUI the next day!
Originally I was told there wasn’t any way my follicles would mature, but one did! I have already done the meds for this month so we decided to go ahead and try. But that made for a little bit of a crazy morning. I brought all of my stuff for the trip with me to the IUI and then left straight from there to the airport. I wonder if flying after an IUI helps your chances, hmmm something else that needs to be studied. What I do know is, getting away for a weekend in the sun with the girls was exactly what I needed.
Chasing the sun
The second we landed in Palm Springs, I knew this was going to be a great weekend. The sky was crystal clear and cloud free. As you walk through the airport you pass through a courtyard in which people are lounging in the grass reading, talking, even napping. I put on my sunglasses and said, “Oh yes, I have arrived.” We checked in at The Ace Hotel and Swim Club and made our way straight to the pool. With frozen drinks in hand and our toes in the pool the weekend began.
The Ace was the perfect setting and we lovingly referred to it as our “Hippie Commune.” The room’s walls are covered with canvas to give it a tent vibe. And they come stocked with essentials like a record player, luscious robes, and a walking stick (of course!). Every detail is planned to give you the feeling you came straight from Woodstock. This simplicity gave it such a laid back vibe it was easy to mingle and meet all sorts of people.
Girlfriends
Our weekend was filled with sunshine, belly laughs, silly videos, girl talk, and only one small cactus injury. I’m very proud to say, we even stayed out until two in the morning, TWO nights in a row. *I’ll just wait for the applause now*
There is something so special about time away with the girls. I always think it’s interesting that “Guy Time” isn’t really quite the same. For women, this time is so life giving. We need time like this in our crazy lives as mothers, wives, students, bosses, employees, and friends to let it all go for a couple of days. We need to allow ourselves to relax and recharge our batteries, guilt free I might add!
When we started the trip I was SURE I wouldn’t be able to leave my stress at home. But you know what? Little by little, I was able to push it to the back of my mind and BREATHE. I could breathe without the feeling of a cinder block on my shoulders. I know we don’t always have the time or the means to jump on a plane to Palm Springs, but I’m going to make it a priority to allow myself some quality, carefree time with the people in my life. I may have broken a few of the post IUI rules this round (you know, basically the no fun allowed rules!), but I feel healthier than I have in a long time.
