Bedtime Story: Once upon a Murphy bed . . .

Now, where were we?

Oh, yeah . . . I remember.

“Later, after we arrived back in our room, we discovered two handles on the wall near the fireplace. Hmmm . . .”

Now, for the record, we were perfectly content with our accommodations. However, on the following evening, when SHH inquired about the day along the coast and eventually asked about the hotel, we told her that the room was fine and began to describe it. When I mentioned all of the door handles along the wall and then our pulling the bed out of the wall, her response . . .

“A Murphy bed!?”





. . . well, it was pretty funny, to say the least. The idea of sleeping in a bed that could have shut us up in the wall, while a perfectly good bedroom and bath were waiting on the other side of it, is amusing, I will admit. The word “suite” continues to surface in conversation.

So, let’s change the subject for a minute, shall we?

Fast-forward to the next morning. Would searching for the letterbox, “A Place to Embrace,” make my readers feel like our anniversary adventure was more romantic than it sounds at this point?


Being a woman of few words *cough*, let me just say that we followed the instructions in both the title and the clues. The stamped image will trigger sweet memories. ;-)


What a beautiful and fitting spot for such a letterbox.


Now, before I close this entry, I need to tell you the conclusion of the matter concerning our bed.

After being teased greatly by SHH and Triple T in the car, and again by many in the pity party chat room, I wanted an answer to the burning question, “Did we really pay for a bedroom that we never saw?”

So, I called the hotel.

You are not going to believe what we learned! There was a bedroom behind one of those doors -- yes, it gets worse: there were actually two bedrooms behind those doors!! As you might imagine, the hotel clerk was getting a kick out of this.

However!!!! (There is more!) While the suite did contain the option of having more rooms, we had only rented the “studio” portion of the “suite.” (i.e. all we paid for was the Murphy bed and the AWESOME BALCONY VIEW!)

How’s that for a bedtime story! I know; it's a bit anticlimactic. You all wanted me to end the story having paid for the two adjoining rooms, didn't you? *grin*

Making My Day

Yes, I know that I am slow. ;-) For those who have asked to see the pics from my recent trip to the PNW, I have finally found the simplest way to do that, I hope!

Though the trip was a belated 20th anniversary getaway, the first day was reserved for “girls’ day” (as my husband called it) with SHH and Triple T. Pretty cool, eh?

In preparation for that particular day, Liz asked, “What do you want to do?”

I confess, it took me a ridiculously long time to answer that question; in contrast, it took my dear friends no time at all to fashion a day from my response. I had written my thoughts as a free-flowing, “what if I could do anything and everything my heart desired” wish list – you know, something nice and long so they would have plenty from which to choose – at least, that’s what I was thinking! There is no way I can adequately describe all of the surprises that were woven into this adventure – it was as if my list had grown legs and started walking! I guess that’s what comes from handing such a list to an “all or nothing” type! *smile*



Not realizing how closely we had parked to the ocean, I stepped out of the car, took one breath, and . . . oh, what a wonderful smell . . . I turned my head and caught my first glimpse of the Pacific. Yes!


As we grabbed cameras and headed to the beach, I was keenly aware that my senses were being uniquely engaged! The handful of sand I grabbed was so unlike our own in color and texture; even the sound of the waves seemed different than those of the Gulf Coast. One, two, three, four . . . yes, all but one of my senses took in the Pacific Ocean that morning. (We all agreed tasting things would be a bad idea.) Oh, what an introduction! ;-)


All of the wonderful photographs and stories that I had seen and heard from these friends were beginning to unfold again in our many walks on the beach, frequent letterboxing stops, essential driving music, and conversation – what excellent company! We closed the day with a stop for a special WOM box . . . so thoughtful.



[For a better look at the photos click here.]

As I write, I keep thinking of a little song from the movie, Babe:

If I had words to make a day for you
I’d sing you a morning golden and new
I would make this day last for all time
Give you a night deep in moonshine.

To be sure, that was a day made for me. I went to bed feeling exceedingly thankful and so very special!