Wedding Blog

Season 1: Prologue 

Season 2: Growth

Most people think I’m a girly girl. Some would venture to call me high maintenance. I’d disagree. Case in point: Before Friday I’d never stepped foot in a spa before. I’d never received a massage, a facial or even a manicure ever in my life. Once, a group of girlfriends and I went to a cheap nail salon for pedicures, but that was over 5 years ago. I hadn’t pampered myself since. On Friday, I got the works! Mr. Eggplant planned the following schedule for my day at the spa:

The Claremont Spa’s Head to Toe Package
9:45am - Arrive and tour of facilities
10:00-10:50am - Therapeutic massage
11:00-11:50am - Therapeutic facial
12:00-1:50pm - Lunch and use of spa and gym facilities
2:00-2:50pm - Manicure
3:00-3:50pm - Pedicure

Talk about pampering a girl!

My massage was amazing. I really enjoyed my facial also. But the best surprise came as I was enjoying lunch at Paragon, a restaurant inside the Claremont Resort.

I finished a delicious portabella mushroom sandwich and mixed green salad. Lunch included a delicious dessert of my choice so I ordered bread pudding. As I was taking a bite, I received a text message on my cell phone: You’ve got mail! Rebecca at Claremont Spa has something for you. At that moment, a pretty, polished woman in a black suit walked towards me. She handed me second small white mailbox, identical to the first. I opened the box and inside was another envelope sealed with a gold sticker and the following items:

- The receipt from my first date with Mr. Eggplant
- Ticket stubs to all the movies Mr. Eggplant and I ever watched together
- Ticket stubs to all the concerts, sporting events, and shows we’ve been to
- A stack of business cards from restaurants we’ve dined at together

Along with the ticket stubs and business cards, Mr. Eggplant left this picture on my digital camera which he also placed inside the second mailbox. (By this time, I was tearing up….. well, because of all of the dust from those old movie tickets and receipts, of course. :))

When I opened the second envelope, the note inside read:

Hi Honey. If things are going to plan, you’re probably settling into your “comfort” zone. I hope you like this treatment. I picked “Head to Toe” because, well, you’ve never had a spa treatment before and I should start you off with the best…

…I think the second season of our relationship was a period of growth. I can’t pinpoint the exact moments, conversations, or words that support this label, but we undoubtedly grew a lot. You had to get used to my pride, insecurities, and non-gentleman-like behavior and I had to cope with your… well, princess-tendencies. In the end, I think we both clung onto God more than ever, and He eventually brought out a peaceful understanding in both of us. His grace really did abound… I think the more accurate thing to say is that we never stopped growing… My biggest lesson from God during this time was that I needed to really lead in humility. And thank you for sticking by my side during all of this…

… At this time I want to give you tangible examples of how the world has grown during the time of our relationship: Britney went from “Baby One More Time” to “Having a Baby, One More Time”; YouTube quickly became a $1.6B company; the iPod mini turned into an iPod Nano; thanks to Al Gore, Sustainability is the new AIDS; the Federal Interest Rate rose from ~4% to 5.5%; my waist grew two sizes; and of course, the Mets became a serious playoff contender. [Mr. Eggplant is a serious Met’s fan–he’s originally from NJ.]

I hope you enjoy the rest of your lunch and spa session. Save room for tonight’s dinner…

Grace and Peace, Mr. Eggplant

By the time I had finished my therapeutic massage, relaxing facial, and read the latest note from Mr. Eggplant, I had turned into a pile of squishy mush. I wiped my tears and gathered myself together to enjoy the rest of the afternoon spa activities.

To be continued…