In Lieu of my regularly scheduled program...

I have decided to blog about my weekend getaway instead of music today.

The more I learn about Milton Hershey, the more I am impressed with him as a man, as a Christian, and as a husband. Ok, I know he never walked on water and that he failed several times before he succeeded, but he never gave up. And when God granted him success he did not hoard it for himself. I will not go into it all here, but I would encourage everyone who reads this humble little blog to read some on Mr. Hershey. He is a man who did a lot of good, and his legacy still helps those (a lot) less fortunate than himself over 60 years after he died in 1945. If you are ever fortunate enough to go to Hershey, PA (which by the way is not an incorporated town) I could not encourage you enough to take the trolley ride that leaves from Chocolate World just outside the amusement park. This was a man who did not build himself the biggest barn, but gave back to his workers, his community, and his neighbor.

My beloved and I hit the road around lunch time on Friday to head to Hershey, PA for a romantic getaway for just the two of us. I had been saving for this trip for almost 18 months, and I have been planning it for the last 6. It's hard not to be disappointed by how short such a trip is when so much effort was put into it. Although I am not happy with how short it was, I am very happy with how great a time we had.

We stopped for lunch at Friendly's and then got into town fairly early. We checked in and found out the trolley rides ended at 2:30 on Friday afternoon so we decided to just catch a matinée. We saw "Vantage Point" with Dennis Quaid and Forest Whitaker (and many others). A pretty good movie that keeps the audience's attention (IMO), and we had the entire theater to ourselves! :-) After the movie we headed back to the Hershey Lodge and just relaxed in the lobby for a little while. When we checked in, I made arrangements for some chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered to the room, at 8. But when I ran our coats upstairs just before dinner I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had been delivered early. Now, those of us who are planners, this can normally be a "nightmare", but because I am married to a woman who is impossible to surprise this was a good thing. That meant I did not have to worry about being back in the room by such-n-such a time. I could just relax and enjoy the afternoon and evening with my beloved.

Eventually we went to the 'Bear's Den' for a light dinner and then headed up stairs where my surprise was a huge success! She had not expected, or suspected, a thing! \o/ And those strawberries were awesome! At one time my beloved jokingly told me that if I ate the piece of chocolate that fell from one of her strawberries that the marriage was over! I laugh because I know it was not a serious threat, but it was a comment on how much she was enjoying them! They really were delectable!

The next morning we slept in all the way until 8AM! LOL We took our time getting ready, and then headed out to a local diner for breakfast. The parking lot was packed, and not a single out of state license plate. It was great. From there we headed over to the Park so we could catch the trolley tour. Now we make it a point to try and go to Hershey Park at least once a year, but we had never taken this tour. This is where I learned a lot more about Milton Hershey's true legacy - the Milton Hershey School. We then did a tour of the Hershey Museum and Chocolate World before going back to the Lodge once more. Our original plan was to lounge around the lobby some more and read, or maybe go and take a quick swim. But when we found out that Chef Carlos Gomez was going to do a quick demonstration of a few appetizers we quickly changed our plans! We enjoyed his creations so much that I had to change our reservations for dinner at the Forbay.

When we went back to the room to relax I passed out and took a short nap (men), but got up in time for dinner. What a fabulous experience. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was just as nice. The only downside was that we both ate too much! For the first time we were stuffed.

Then Sunday came and we had to come back to reality. It's always nice to be home, especially picking up the kids, but I would really have liked to have just one more day for just me and my beloved.
Verse for today:
Luke 12:13-21, ESV
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”