Birthday Escape Recap

My birthday was fantastic! Thank you everyone for all the birthday cards and wishes!

My primary desire was for sunshine and an escape from the reality of continued treatment. After an 8:30am radiation session, where anyone and everyone profusely apologized to me for Tuesday, Todd and I zoomed up to Laguna Beach for a 26 hour escape. I highly recommend the Casa Laguna Inn Bed & Breakfast for a perfect trip that felt like we were somewhere on the French Riviera.

With the sun shining brightly, the sky a clear blue and the air warm and soft, we headed north. I was so excited to leave my radiation treatment behind that I didn't mind wearing my Solaris arm-length oven-mitt in the car. I knew that I was shedding the sleeve for most of the day and figured that would make up for it. We headed to Splashes for lunch. Splashes is the restaurant at the very fancy Surf & Sand Resort. We dined with the ladies who lunch. Rather decadent for a Wednesday afternoon.

Then, we meandered down to our B&B. It was built circa 1920 and is filled with terraces and courtyards and winding vines tipped with bouganvilla. We sat out by the pool with a breathtaking view of the ocean, where classical music softly played in the background. It felt so healing to lounge in the sun, with the occasional dip in the pool. Then, we checked into our room, which was on the top level, with a view of the Pacific I could get accustomed to. We rounded out the afternoon with a walk down to Victoria Beach and some wine and cheese from the B&B happy hour.

Laguna has a free shuttle trolley that transported us a few miles into the center of town. We enjoyed dinner at Hush, a rather modern, California cuisine restaurant. Another exquisite meal. Enjoying food is such an important part of living in the present moment. I'm so glad that my taste buds are returning to normal. Now, I have to admit that we drank a lot of wine and I'm a lightweight. Let's just say that I'm happy that my exit from the trolley in 4-inch heels was not captured on film.

After enjoying a tasty breakfast on the terrace, strolling around town and hitting the beach, we returned to San Diego. And, the birthday buzz screamed to a halt as I headed down to Scripps for my radiation treatment.

My take on radiation thus far: the treatment is fast and they run it like clockwork. But, I'm concerned that I already feel the heat and tightness in my skin. Wow, what will it be like come September? I'm slathering on the aloe and plan on purchasing some calendula cream because it is supposed to be good at preventing the serious skin damage that can occur. My poor boob has just endured some serious abuse this year.

I cannot wait for September 15th: the last day of radiation: two days before we leave for Australia. Talk about a welcome escape!