The Honeymoon, part 2

Cabin in the woods
(click image for larger view)

So, after spending Sunday night at home, unpacking our overnight bags, and re-packing for a 3 day get away to the woods, on Monday morning, we headed off to White Pines State Park and Inn, (that's a clickable link) with a cooler full of snacks and booze!!

(after we stopped at the County building and dropped off our paperwork!)

I had been to White Pines many times in the past, so I had suggested it as an inexpensive, and lovely, get away for us.

My ex husband and I had come every Memorial day for several years, checking in on the afternoon of the holiday, and staying, when everyone else left.
We would often have the entire park to ourselves at that time of year, after the picnickers packed up and went home.

My family had also been fans of the place, my parents having made it a regular get away spot, as well, over the years.

It is special to me for many reasons.

I had not been there for many years, and I wanted to pay one more visit before moving out of state...and I had NO qualms about taking my new husband there, after having been there so much with someone else.

There was no emotional attachment to it in that regard. I just love the PLACE, and know that I will miss knowing it's so close by, once I move away.

From here, the park and inn are about a 2 hour drive, through the ever-more-lovely countryside of NON suburbia. Outside of the concrete and congestion of the Chicago area, this state is filled with beautiful, hilly, rural countryside.

We had reserved a "sweetheart" cabin.
The main amenity difference in the sweetheart is that the little refrigerator had a bottle of cheap champagne in it, and a couple of single serve bottles of orange juice, and a couple of cans of soft drinks.

Otherwise, the cabins are so small, they can't really add much to them. And, unfortunately, since it was July, the fireplace was turned off.

There was supposed to be a fruit basket, too, but when D asked at the front desk about it, they said that the website needed updating, and there was no longer a fruit basket included in the sweetheart cabin's price. Our only extra amenity was the "stocked mini fridge."

Stocked. Right.

He said yes, you should update your website, and we should get a fruit basket, because we understood, based on looking at your website from our living room in OKLAHOMA, that we were paying for one.

The desk manager did not agree. She just sort of made a "gosh, I'm sorry" face, and shrugged her shoulders. (I have since checked the website, and NOW they have removed the basket from the list of sweetheart cabin amenities, and have ADDED an extra page to the site called "special touches," where you may PURCHASE extra amenities for your already extra-priced cabin!)

That was the first dark spot in our stay.

Then, there were the flies in the restaurant during our first meal there, right after the conversation with the front desk.

I had felt a deep sense of dread at that point..."he's going to HATE IT HERE! What have I done??" I could see disappointment and displeasure all over my new husband's face.

I agreed that these two things were bad....but I had hoped that the whole place had not gone "downhill" since my last visit. I held my breath for a while, so to speak...hoping things would improve.

D eventually relaxed, and we found that those were the only two problems.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. (And the flies were gone at all of our other meals at the restaurant.)

We hiked in the woods every day, and we spent lots of time just sitting outside the cabin, enjoying the PERFECT weather, and smelling the fresh, piney air.

We sat outside by the fire pit one night, and listened to the woods. We were pretty sure that we heard an owl at one point.

We also got to see some kid throw up all over the sidewalk across the way from us. Lovely.

Too many smores.

So, part 1 of the honeymoon was "bright lights, big city," and part 2 was 3 days in the peaceful country, in a lovely little cabin in the woods.

Then, we headed home Wednesday after lunch, and spent Thursday at home.

Unfortunately, there is a good deal of favoritism in my workplace, and there is another manager of my rank who has more seniority than anyone else, AND she works special hours.

She is off every Friday.

One of the other managers had also asked for the week of my wedding off. She has more seniority than I have.

As a result, I HAD TO CUT MY HONEYMOON SHORT, and go back to work on Friday after the wedding.

D decided to leave that day, when I went back to work, instead of staying through the weekend, and giving us 3 more nights together.

I never quite understood why he did that, but there must have been a reason.

When he arrived home, he found out that his dad's health was failing, and he spent the next couple of weeks helping out with those details.

He has two brothers, and they did nothing to help.
It was all placed on D's shoulders, as the youngest, and the only one still living in the same state as mom and dad.

His dad, ultimately, had to go into a nursing home. The definitive diagnosis was late onset Alzheimer's disease.

The brothers both finally came to visit dad in the home some time in November.

I try to keep my mouth shut about it (though D will be reading this, and I HAVE made my opinion known to him previously), but this, to me, was too little, too late.

I do not understand family dynamics that are not....well...dynamic! Families should pull together in times of crisis. We should "have eachother's backs," not leave it all up to one person.

Anyway, while things did not end very happily for us, we did have a wonderful few days together for our wedding and short honeymoon.

It was three full months before we were able to see one another again.

Maybe some day, we can take a "second" honeymoon, and go to one of the places we have been dreaming of...and then, not have to say goodbye when the trip is over.