The Recipe for a Perfect Getaway

Start with a fabulous resort

Mix in one fancy New Year's Eve party

Add in a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your perspective) dose of delicious food. And then add some more just for good measure.

Stir in a museum (because I'm a nerd and my boyfriend is awesome)

Fold in some adventure

Sprinkle in sparkly snow. Because sparkles.

Add a few relaxing hours at a spa

And don't forget the most important ingredient of all - someone amazing with whom to enjoy the food and the fun and the adventure. And to kiss. A lot.

Bake it all for about three days and enjoy the perfect weekend getaway.

Brandon and I decided to celebrate the beginning of 2016 in the way I pretty much want to celebrate everything - by traveling. This time, I got to explore the Bend area, an area of Oregon that was entirely new to me.

The Resort: We stayed at the lovely Sunriver Resort. The resort offers a bit of everything. Lodging options varied from my cozy, fireplace-warmed room with a snowy view to entire houses perfect for families. There were onsite restaurants, a spa, and access to everything you need to enjoy the outdoor recreation that the Bend area offers year round.

Not only did I get to check out one of the lodge rooms, thanks to a frozen water pipe which led to a non-working shower, I spent the last night in one of the lodge suites. Termed a suite, the two-story room was more like a small condo.

When I could manage to pull myself away from the fireplace, which let's be honest was a bit of a challenge given that the temperature was barely above 0 degrees Saturday morning, I could not help but marvel at the beauty of the resort under layers of snow or squeal like a child because twinkle lights were everywhere.

The Party: One reason we chose to stay at Sunriver was because of the New Year's Eve party. The idea was that staying at the resort would be convenient and provide easy access to the party.

What I had not considered was that, although, yes, the party was quite close to the room, that distance was primarily covered in snow. Snow which I had to traverse in 4-inch stilettos. The bruise on my knee from slipping and falling in the snow lasted at least 2 weeks. Thankfully, the memories - the photo booth, the silly party favors, the band, the champagne toast and kiss at midnight - will last much, much longer.

The Food: Fair warning. The below photos will both make you hungry and perhaps make you wonder how we had time to do anything except eat.

The Museum: We spent a cold afternoon perusing the High Desert Museum. The museum's exhibits varied from regional art to the history of the Northwest Coast American Indians to animals found in the high desert. Amid all of this, we spent most of the afternoon looking for the porcupines. Brandon had told me about the giant porcupines that he remembered from his childhood. More than once, he shared how cool they were and how much I would like seeing them because they were, after all, giant porcupines. After making a full round of the museum, which included plenty of time outdoors in a place that was literally freezing, we wondered how we could have missed them. How does one miss giant porcupines? After asking the kind lady at the front desk, for the second time, where they were located, we again traipsed through the snow. To see this:

Fortunately, there were plenty of other things to see.

The Adventure:

The Spa: Before braving the icy drive home, we stored up as much relaxation as possible with a morning at the spa. A massage, some time in the hot tub as the snow fell outside, and post-massage hot tea and chocolates was a pretty perfect end to a wonderful weekend.