Fourteen YEARS ago today, Ernesto and I tied the knot! I can't believe it. How could I be married that long already? It doesn't seem that long ago. Our 10 year anniversary video was a nice recap of our fun together...for the first 10 years. But the last four years with our babies have been really special. No, I didn't throw together another video, but I will (maybe for our 15th)! Heck, it will probably take me a year to sort through all of the pictures.
Of course, all I need to do is look at our wedding pictures to know that it was in fact, 14 years ago. We look like children.
We are not together today because the 3 boys in my life are still out in San Diego. (flying home tomorrow morning) I will be celebrating myself with shopping, eating Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato, doing some gardening, blogging, going on a run with my music BLARING and watching tv. And you know what? This may change because I don't have ANY responsibilities today!! Oh and I love you mi amor!
We celebrated our anniversary a week early with a little getaway in Palm Springs. (Yes, we needed a getaway from our vacation in San Diego.)
Los ninos stayed with los abuelos and mami y papi had a couple days free. It is only a two hour drive from San Diego, so an easy weekend trip. You know you are getting close when there are hundreds of white windmills.
The destination was inspired by Instagram. Once I saw a few pictures of the resort Parker Palm Springs, I was on a mission. Luckily, when I went to the Parker website, I learned that it is a Le Meridian resort and part of the Starwood hotel group. YES! We could stay using our American Express points! Free!
"Jonathan Adler-designed Palm Springs landmark with a legendary pool scene, sprawling spa and sexy bistro" - Jetsetter
It is a luxurious mid-century resort in the middle of the dessert. With winding dirt paths surrounded by tall plants, there were surprises around every corner.
If you want to lounge around and relax, this is the right place!
I guess the pools here are legendary for filling up quickly. Celebrity spotting abound. During busy season/weekends you need to reserve your chair (by throwing down your towel) at the crack of dawn.
Do you want to take a look at the inside, starting with the most beautiful doors ever. Orange and brass!! Ugh!
The lobby was soooooo awesome, I wanted to take everything home with me. 
Ooooh those chairs and that rug!
That sofa! I kept waiting for Don Draper to walk though the door.
That chandelier!
Those pillows! (out of Moroccan wedding blankets)
That chair! That belly! Yes, its starting to stick out now!
The Parker has 144 rooms, a handful of villas and a four bedroom house. (above)
Our room was just half the size of this room (below), but the decor was the same and felt so fresh. The bathroom was a pink, black and white marble...and I loved it!? Definitely vintage, but they made it modern.
This was the view out our plantation shutters. An oasis!
This place is awesome! Once in our room, we looked at eachother and laughed. FREEDOM! We almost didn't know what to do...but we quickly figured it out. (wink, wink)
We strolled over to this "legendary" pool and did not have any trouble getting a chair...nor did I spot any celebrities. Wah wah. (we were there mid-week)
I ordered one of their homemade lemonades (with free refills) and caught up on the latest celebrity gossip.
Who in the hell are these people? Im so out of the loop. Reading this quickly made my sleepy and I dozed off poolside...something I have not done in years. YEARS! What a treat.
Even though the Parker has a couple really nice restaurants, that night we drove into the cute little downtown area for dinner. We were craving something Asian. Ernesto found a Vietnamese place with a tasty menu and great reviews. It was closed on Mondays. UGH! We instead dined at Thai Smile and it was pretty satisfying. We treated ourselves to desert at Great Shakes. Oh my! A milkshake with their homemade salted caramel hit the spot!
Something really interesting about Palm Springs is that none of the buildings are more than two stories. I was LOVING all the mid century architecture and I wanted to take one of the tours around the city, but alas, there wasn't enough time.
Palm Spring has hundreds of golf courses and Ernesto didn't want to miss out on that. He made a tee time before 7am so the heat would be bearable. It was over 100 degrees during the day!
When he returned at 11am, I was enjoying my $25 bowl of fruit & granola/honey and my $8 individual pot of coffee at the outdoor patio of Norma's, one of the onsite restaurants.
Overpriced for what I had? Sure, but it was the experience I was paying for, and it was fabulous! It made me feel special sitting there, and that was worth it!
Ernesto said he would take me on my own private tour of homes. He got a preview of them while golfing and said I was going to LOVE them. He knows me well. Look at these beauties. Oh those doors! The yellow ones kill me!
What a great little getaway! Have you guys been to Palm Springs? Im sure there is more to do there besides lounging at the Parker, but that was exactly what we needed. Our trip up the coast [the week before] was awesome too, but not so relaxing. We were on the move the whole time!
I still have some San Diego pictures to share, so come back for more Espinoza overload!!
My good friend from college recently inked a deal to have his photos hung in many of the Parker hotels. Did you see any of the Gray Malin works while you were there? I have 2 of his pieces hanging in my apartment :) http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/Desert-Guide/June-2015/Gray-Malin-Photos-Bring-out-Playfulness-of-Parker-Palm-Springs/
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! I know we didn't have any of his work in OUR room, but I took a look at that article. His work is AWESOME! There was sooooo much to look at in this resort, that I can't remember if I saw any.
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! I know we didn't have any of his work in OUR room, but I took a look at that article. His work is AWESOME! There was sooooo much to look at in this resort, that I can't remember if I saw any.
ReplyDelete