Yesterday I celebrated my 40th birthday. It was to be a low-key event spent with my two girls and hubby. To kick things off, we took the girls to The Fairmont Olympic Hotel located in downtown Seattle to see the Teddy Bear Suite. {Just because it was my birthday, I didn't want the day to be all about me and instead wanted to do something the entire family would enjoy.}
We thought surprising the girls with a trip to the Teddy Bear Suite would be a grand treat and instead the girls were less than impressed. While many other children there embraced the room, my girls did not.
My heart sank. You know that scene in Tarantino's Kill Bill when David Carradine gets hit with the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique by Uma Thurman he clutches his chest in disbelief and then slowly descends to the grown in agony. Well, my trip to the Teddy Bear Suite felt a little like that. I was almost in tears. I wanted to scream at my girls, "Today is my birthday and you're supposed to be enjoying this festive event!!"
The girls finally loosened up a little bit to take a picture with dad and enormous teddy.
Who wouldn't want to set their peepers on a bathroom like this, huh?
We finally left the suite passing by the Nutcrackers before getting on the elevator. Good-bye Teddy Bear Suite That Only Comes But Once A Year And So Everyone Should Enjoy It While It Lasts.
We moved on to the lobby where there were plenty more decorations.
The Georgian Room. {This is where they serve the posh Georgian Holiday Tea} I took Sammy here when she was about 4 years old. It was so much fun.
A view of the lobby. At the bottom center of this image you can almost see the gingerbread city of Paris.
Before exiting the building we stopped at the cozy fireplace where Santa is checking the naughty/nice list.
The girls wanted nothing to do with posing for a picture with me and Santa so I had to go it alone. After this photo, we went home.
And what did I learn from this experience? My husband said it best, "Maya, you have an image in your head about how you want things to be and when they're not exactly the way you imagined it, you get very upset." He's right. I do. I do want everything to be picture perfect and I feel crushed when it isn't. I wanted my girls to walk into that room and gush, "OH MOMMY! WE LOVE IT SO MUCH! THANK YOU!" And when they didn't I made a pouting face {did I mention that I turned 40?}. I shouldn't have behaved that way and I certainly shouldn't have been upset.
I started off by saying that yesterday wasn't about me and yet it didn't turn out that way. Shame on me. But hurray for me for learning a lesson. My kids {and husband} continue to teach me something every day.
In the end I enjoyed a wonderful birthday. I even got cake with a bottle of extra cold milk from Icon Grill.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about the cookie decorating party that I attended earlier today. Have a good night.
I can understand that, I get that sometimes from someone else too, you want them to love something just as much and nothing....it's crushing. Sorry. I do hope you had a wonderful day anyways, I would love to go and see all the Christmas decorations there too! WOw, how beautiful, as it is, the tree just went up and we just started to shop.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Maya. I took my kids and husband to the teddy bear suite and non of them were impressed.
ReplyDeletereshma