Hobnobbing With The Rich Folk

I totally felt like a poser this weekend.  I am not good at pretending to be something that I am not.  And let's just clear this up right now.  I am not rich.  I am a kindergarten teacher and my husband is an electrician.  We aren't rich.  But this weekend....we went hobnobbing with them.

 The boys were gone on a little trip this weekend...Tucker was with our church youth group and my parents took the little two on a trip to the mountains.  Having the boys all away from home at the same time.....for even a night.....is a very, very rare occurance.  So...we seized the opportunity and planned a little trip for ourselves.  Our own little "couple's retreat".

  One of the benefits of teaching in Alabama is that we are allowed to stay at the Robert Trent Golf Course Resorts at a very discounted price.  The resorts are a part of our teacher retirement system, so staying for a discount is one of our perks.  (Alert to my Bama teacher friends.....if you aren't using this discount...you are missing a treat!)

 So anyway....we decided to head toward the bay area of Alabama to The Grand Marriot Resort in Point Clear.  This resort is listed in the top 100 resorts in the Nation...and that ranking doesn't surprise me one bit.

Oh.

My.

Word.

It was gorgeous! 

We would never be able to afford to stay in this luxury resort if it weren't for our discount.  The rest of the folks staying there seemed right at home in such luxury and probably didn't even think twice about the price tag attached to the resort.  Our first clue that we may be out of our league was when we pulled our dirty, black 2005 Ford Freestyle into the parking lot.  There was a Mercedes BMW on one side and a Lexus on the other.

While I was there, I learned some things about these rich folks. 

I learned that their food isn't spiced with McCormick seasonings.  They use fresh herbs from the Chef's herb garden.  The price of the food on the menu indicates that freshly grown herbs are pricey.

I learned that a meal is served with lots of silverware, lots of glasses, and cloth tablecloths and napkins.  And that all the ladies sitting around me looked way more high falootin than me.  I tried to determine what it was about them that made them look richer than me. The jewelry?  The fancier clothes?  The doodied up hair?  Their overall aire? I never quite pinpointed it...but there was an obvious separation. 

I learned that resorts don't really have 'yards' and regular grass.  They have 'gardens' and pathways and pools.

And for a pool to be acceptable...it should have waterfalls and landscaping and fountains.

I also realized that no one else carried a camera around.  I never saw another camera during the whole weekend.  Bradley and I walked around amazed at how lovely everything was....taking pictures of everything, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for the rich folks.  They walked by these lush grounds and hardly gave them any notice, because it wasn't unusal for them.

I took pictures of every stinkin' corner of the property because I was so dumbfounded by the beauty of it.  That made me stick out like a sore thumb, I am sure.

Rich people don't take pictures of forks, and plates and glasses.

They don't gawk at the gardens.

They don't stand at stare at the amazing pools.

They don't balk at the prices on the menus.

But.......

Rich people also don't chase seagulls on the beach like this.......

Or pretend that they have been arrested and are locked up in the little jail cell in the museum........

Rich ladies certainly do not swim in their sundress in the hot tub because they forgot their swimsuit but couldn't bear the thought of passing up a hot tub with a waterfall.  They are too 'uppity' to do this......

Rich folks would never take a photo of themselves kissing on the beach at sunset because they never want to forget the moment.......

Rich people wouldn't do those things.  It wouldn't be proper.

But I'm not rich.....or proper.

I'm just plain ole me.

I spent the weekend rubbing elbows with the rich folks.  I slept in the same place they slept.  I ate in the same restaurant they ate in.  I walked in the gardens they walked in. 

But I guarantee you.....

I am the one that had the most fun.