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Staunton entertains in the offseason Date published: 2/17/2007
BY JENNIFER STROBEL We had survived Christmas, which, for all its professed delights, seemed like a logistical marathon to me. "Hey, husband," I said one night in January 2006. "How about we take off for a bed-and-breakfast, just us two?" Maybe those weren't my exact words, but they're close enough to the message I was sure would please him. I thought he'd see that I viewed him as something more than an errand machine. I thought he'd catch the romance in my tone. I thought he'd be pleased. But as the book claims, "Women are from Venus and men are from Mars." "Too expensive," he said. End of discussion. My Venus mind filed the little exchange in the over-active "hurt feelings" segment of my brain. His Mars mind forgot about it. During the course of the year, it surfaced in little ways: a bit of whining, an occasional you-don't-care Venus flare-up. Mostly, though, our budget, my laziness about traveling and my husband's radio announcer schedule superceded such frivolity. He's allowed only a narrow window of vacation--spring, fall and Christmas are out. Who wants to go in midwinter? Turns out, we do. Nearly a year after the first conversation, Brian-from-Mars became Brian-online-planning-a-little-trip. I'm ordinarily our family's one-person entertainment committee, but I decided to take a break and let him handle everything. I envisioned a quick over-night, somewhere close enough to get home fast if our sons needed us. They're 20 and 13, competent and trustworthy, but still We didn't actually discuss all that, however, and, with no input from me, Brian booked two nights at Shenandoah Valley Inn in downtown Staunton, a compact city of about 23,000. Not the woodsy country retreat I'd envisioned. And farther away. Two hours. And two nights. "You don't seem excited," he told me. "Oh. Sure. I'm excited," I said noncommittally as I plowed through yet another year's Christmas logistics.
Then came New Year's, a Monday. We'd managed another holiday season. The coast was clear for our getaway. That night, when I went online for a map to Staunton, I refrained from checking out the inn. I wanted to be surprised. ON OUR WAY
Date published: 2/17/2007
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