Weekend Retreat

This weekend marked the date of the second annual retreat for 4 Horsemen Investments, the charity that Tom started while a student at UPS. Last year they started a tradition of taking the students involved with the charity (as well as the advisers such as Tom) off the UPS campus for a weekend for some brainstorming and of course, some relaxation. Tom asked me if I wanted to tag along this time, and I had some hesitations so I sent him out the door on Friday morning.

He was prepared for a guys’ weekend as you can tell by his attire -- complete with an extra pair of tennis shoes and a football in tow.

After he left the house that morning and I headed off to class, I started to recall the sheer beauty of the place that I helped the guys pick out on VRBO.com and I regretted my decision of not coming along. How could I possibly want to spend a weekend in a house full of guys you ask? Well, namely because of this:

So, I was sucked in and darted home at the end of class and wound up enjoying a spaghetti and garlic bread with the guys for dinner a few hours later. This home is a beautiful lake house on Lake Sawyer which is in Black Diamond, WA (near Maple Valley and Covnington, WA if anyone is familiar).  There’s a gorgeous view of the lake from the master suite (which, since I was the only girl on the trip, I got to claim as our room because it had the Jacuzzi tub!).

The guys weren't quite sure what to do with such a nice place, but I settled in quite nicely :).

Ryan started to feel more at home as soon as he realized that the scrub brushes in such a fancy home weren't some high-end Williams-Sonoma variety but were none other than the $2 ones from IKEA with suction cups on the bottom.

I can't believe I get to spend the weekend here--it's just stunning! And, I thought the jacuzzi was nice, but today I get to check out the rest of the spa-like master bath complete with an insane walk-in shower with more shower heads and handles than I think I will know how to operate!

While it means that Tom and I won’t be in attendance at the UW game today against USC, we will be watching from the comfort of this glorious living room and perhaps preparing game-style food in the outdoor kitchen (complete with sink, mini fridge and storage cabinet).

Until game time arrives, I’m sitting and  watching the rain pour down outside, excited that I can snuggle up by any of the four fire places in the house, read a book and drink some chai! Thanks 4H for letting me be a part of this weekend!