New 52

My ever thoughtful husband knows just how to celebrate me. He planned a surprise vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas for my birthday celebration - even taking into account that my real birthday weekend I would be totally overwhelmed with K-1 RACE starting - so off we went on August 12 just like the gangsters!

Have you ever started your day with Starbucks breakfast? I discovered this little bag of deliciousness as a (former) teacher who doesn't drink coffee but receives plenty of Starbucks gift cards.

We made some delicious stops along the way - 9 times out of 10 Team McGuire would pick a hole in the wall joint over fast food and this sure was a good stop!

Juanita's is worth the drive

I'm willing to go out on a limb and say it is the best brittle anywhere in the world

This stop was recommended by Caleb's bosses - and we picked up some goodness for them too

melt in your mouth good - I highly recommend you making a stop, or you could order some online

With our current goal to get to every state in the USA, I loved the map and put a pin in for our home

We stopped in Hope to see the birthplace of Bill Clinton

I wonder if anyone as conservative as us has ever made this stop

Then we were off to Hot Springs...

We stayed in The Arlington

a wonderfully historic hotel

I imagined us back in the glory days

Caleb a gangster, and I was his lady

originally opened in 1875

the current hotel opened in 1924

Caleb was most impressed that his favorite President visited

What better way to get a lay of the land, then to see an aerial view?!

We loved adding Arkansas to our list

Our tokens for the travel up

Made my tummy flip flop

my handsome hubby

It is a beautiful town

The Arlington from above

We went out for dinner on the town

and enjoyed music and dancing at The Arlington

Some of the Hot Springs

We loved walking down Bath House row

and seeing the Bath Houses that were built over the natural Hot Springs

Caleb sound some of his favs in the Wax Museum

We loved shopping

and found some unbelievable thrones

This little town has so much personality

And so many delicious places to stop

unbelievable

But the highlight of the trip, was taking a bath in a bath house. No cameras allowed, but I did get a picture of our scrubs for proof. I'm quite sure Caleb was envisioning something different when he signed us up for this adventure. I went off to the woman's side and him to the men's. Once in the bath house, you strip down and wrap yourself in a sheet. Then meet your bather, that's right you have a bather. I tried to imagine her like a doctor, although there are quite different qualifications. You get into the naturally warm tub full of water and it does wonders to your skin. The whole ordeal was quite a process - you drink warm water in the tub to get your insides ready for the temperature of the water, then drink ice cold water in the sauna, and get wrapped in warm cloth while your face is covered with a cool one, you end the journey with a cold shower. I came out of the bath house feeling so relaxed, like I had just finished a day long massage - Caleb on the other hand left probably more tense than when we went it - he seemed a little horrified. It was something I won't soon forget1