Big Cedar Birthday Getaway
For my thirtieth birthday (and first married birthday!) my sweet husband Sam planned a weekend getaway to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri.
We actually were supposed to be in Paris right now. Let me explain.
When I was 25, I decided that I wanted to go to Europe and visit Paris for my 30th birthday. In my mind, I’d take myself and maybe a friend for this trip. In my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d be going to Paris for the first time with my husband.
But on July 30th, 2021, Sam and I booked our tickets to Paris, France. We were set to leave on February 8th and return on February 22nd. We were SO excited to spend my 30th, his 25th, Valentine’s day and the 1 year anniversary of our engagement in the city of love.
As the months went on, however, we both were hesitant to plan and book much of anything else. We had our flights so we figured once we got through the holidays, we’d start to look at Airbnb’s and book other fun things.
The problem, however, was COVID. Though we had full intentions of making Paris work, we ultimately decided that it would be best if we postponed our trip until COVID and its many variants settled down so we could actually enjoy the city to the fullest.
In lieu of Paris, Sam got me my dream puppy for my birthday, our angel boy Moose. And on top of that, he planned a super romantic weekend getaway to the gorgeous Big Cedar Lodge Resort in Branson, MO. We still plan on going to Paris, maybe even as soon as this fall! But for now, here is the recap of our amazing getaway in arguably the most beautiful mountainous resort south of Colorado.
The trip started where all good road trips start: McDonald’s
To be honest, what I really wanted for my birthday was to sleep in and just relax, with nothing on the to-do list but drink coffee, read, write, maybe watch a movie, and eat good food. And so, as soon as we arrived, we did just that!
Our room was so cozy but my favorite part was the balcony that overlooked the property + lake. It was honestly a little too cold to really enjoy it for a long time, but I still made sure to sit out there in the mornings to do my makeup and enjoy the fresh, crisp mountain air!
I woke up on my birthday to my husband next to me, giving me sweet hugs and saying “Happy Birthday!” We got ready for the day then headed to Truman’s, the cutest little cafe overlooking Table Rock Lake for coffee and breakfast. We each had a sausage egg and cheese biscuit and coffee (vanilla latte for me, americano for him) and shared an almond croissant (it was the almond croissant, for me).
The rest of the day was spent slowly and peacefully, culminating with dinner at the Osage Restaurant located at Top of the Rock. On the menu for me was the house made mushroom Pappardelle pasta and Sam had the brown sugar glazed Salmon with a side of mac and cheese. It was all so divine, I just wish we had bigger stomachs to eat it all!
Sam took this picture of me on the morning of my birthday.
Can I be honest?
I love it. It’s one of the first and only pictures of myself since my wedding that I actually like. There’s something about the simplicity of my outfit and makeup and smile that make me feel like I’m really comfortable with myself, however far from the ideal version of me I wanted to be at this point in my life.
I think I’ll dive more into that in another blog post, but for now I just wanted you to know that I love this picture. I’m sipping my favorite coffee and I’m wearing my favorite joggers and my ring is poppin’ and my nails are fire.
What?! You said I can be honest.
And that’s a wrap! Until next time, Big Cedar. Until next year, birthday!