The Chance Family: The BIG 3-0 at Carmel Valley Ranch

This is 3-0!

My 30th birthday has come and gone and I have to admit, I don't feel much different! I was completely spoiled for my birthday and couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in the next decade!

Kyle threw me a surprise birthday at SUR! in the Barnyard the day before my actual birthday. I was completely surprised and so shocked to see all of my friends. Many who were leaving the next morning for international trips! I'm such a lucky girl! We had a great evening! I literally told Kyle, "The only thing that would make this better is going to a hotel and getting sleep"!

On the 14th, I woke up to a sweet voice saying, "Happy Birthday, Mommy". We had donuts, eggs and bacon and sang Happy Birthday. I opened all of my gifts and thought I was starting my day by going to run with Stroller Warriors. Kyle handed me a card and said that he didn't get me anything since we are going on a trip next month. I didn't think anything of it and opened the card. Inside were some sweet words and "We are going to Carmel Valley Ranch. Massage at 4pm and Dinner at 7:45pm" Seriously, this man knows the way to my heart.

I've talked about the American Express Platinum card in my previous post on our Babymoon. It is SERIOUSLY such a great deal. Annual fee is waived for military and the benefits are amazing. When you book at one of the FINE Hotels on their Travel Rewards site, you get the following perks:

Early check in at 12noon
Late check out at 4pm
Breakfast for 2 (a $60 value)
Room Upgrade
Free WIFI
$100 Resort Credit (for spa or golf)

The rates are sometimes a little bit higher, but the benefits totally outweigh the extra cost.

We arrived to Carmel Valley Ranch and it was warm, sunny and so perfect! We checked in and were upgraded to an amazing suite with a bathtub on the patio. While we waited for our room to be available, we had lunch by the pool. I had salmon tacos and Kyle had a salmon salad.

We checked into our room and lounged a bit before heading to the pool and spa. CVR does everything well. They have golf carts that transport you all around the property. They are super service-oriented. We lounged by the pool and I had my massage, too. It was excellent and a great way to spend my birthday. I was even greeted with a mini cupcake with a candle after my service was over. After soaking up the sun for a bit longer, we headed back to get ready for dinner. We had dinner on property at The Valley Kitchen. Dinner was delicious! Kyle ordered a steak and I had the pork. Both were delicious and wonderfully presented. They also served us their yummy "Carmel Valley Road" Ice Cream for my birthday and it was some of the yummiest ice cream I have EVER had!

My entree! So yummy!

We couldn't pass up the daily offering of S'mores out by the pool, so we stopped there on our way home as well to have another sweet treat! So yummy.

I think I was out to the world before 10pm. I was abruptly woken up at 4am when I realized I needed to pump and I was also freezing! CVR has A/C where our house does not, so needless to say, I was cold! We slept in till about 7am and the ordered a yummy breakfast from room service.

After breakfast, Kyle headed back home to check on the kids and I headed down to the "River Ranch" to do a workout class. It was so great! After the class, I had a coffee and did some work while I enjoyed the fire pits. CVR is truly such a beautiful place.

We headed to the pool to soak up every last minute of our time at CVR! My friend Jessica joined me for the afternoon and we dubbed it our new favorite place and are already scheming a way to get back!