So Nice We Did It Twice! ~ The Elms Hotel and Spa in Kansas City ~ Our 10th Anniversary!

Three years ago my husband surprised me with a trip to Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. I absolutely loved every second of it sooo…. a few weeks ago he surprised me again with … well … a trip to Kansas City to celebrate our TENTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Woohoo! If you missed the previous post from 2013 you can read all about our amazing trip here: The Perfect Place to Celebrate Our Anniversary ~ Kansas City and The Elms Hotel and Spa … and now to this years trip. So nice we did it twice!

November 11, 2016, was my 10th wedding anniversary!

Wow huh?

I’m not gonna lie to you, it has not been an easy 10 years, but thanks be unto God we made it! TEN YEARS!!! *faint* *revive* *faint again*

Just like in 2013, my husband surprised me with a trip to Kansas City, Missouri and a stay at The Elms Hotel and Spa! We absolutely love Kansas City and visit at least once a year now, and for our anniversary we HAD to head back to The Elms because it’s an amazing property with rich history and we figure if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

But first Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (formally known as Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Que) and a trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art par usual.

Like I said we hit up KC on the regular so we have our Joe’s BBQ approach down pat. No more waiting in the ridiculously long line. We always call for pick up, grab our food and leave. And as always it is mind bendingly delicous! Nelson Atkins was ok but we’d just been there last year and most of the exhibits were exactly the same so that was a bit of a disappointment.

Next stop was our room at The Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs Missouri, about 30 minutes outside Kansas City.

Last time we had a signature suite but this time we went with a classic room because we rarely used the front room of our suite on our last trip. The classic room was just as beautifully appointed as the suite BUT I did miss the robes, slippers, and larger bathroom. I made full use of the Keurig and drank up all their coffee though lol!

Classic Room at The Elms Hotel

That bathroom was teeny tiny.

One thing I noticed on both trips to The Elms … it’s a humid hotel. The air is heavy. Last time both hubby and I felt it but didn’t think much of it … maybe it’s because the hotel is supposedly haunted lol? This time I realized it’s probably because it’s sitting on top of an underground lap pool and spa with saunas, hot tub etc. AND it’s in Excelsior Springs home of natural mineral springs that people have visited for over a century. Either way, the air is heavy … not muggy enough to ruin my blowdried natural hair, but muggy enough that you can feel.

One thing I noticed on both trips to The Elms … it’s a humid hotel. The air is heavy. Last time both hubby and I felt if but didn’t think much of it … maybe it’s because the hotel is supposedly haunted lol? But this time I realized it’s probably because it’s sitting on top of an underground lap pool, an underground spa with saunas, hot tub etc. AND it’s in Excelsior Springs home of mineral springs that people have visited for over a century. Either way the air is heavy … not muggy enough to ruin my blowdried hair but muggy enough that you can feel it.

Moving right along …

That night (our actual anniversary 11/11/16) we went to another favorite spot, Country Club Plaza, and had dinner at Seasons 52. Best part of our meals were the drinks and dessert. The food (I had salmon, he had steak) was good but not amazing. But the desserts were ASTONISHING, and I had a drink with basil in it. Huh? What? So good.

Ironically and totally unplanned I wore the same dress I wore 3 years ago on our trip to Kansas City. Hubby picked it from my dinner outfits from my recent cruise so I went with it. It is one of my favorite dresses from Arden B. (purse: Akwati Style // shoes: Vince Camuto // necklace: Saressa Designs btw)

After dinner, we did some latin dancing at VooDoo at Harrah’s Casino and it was PACKED! A great mix of classic dances and current stuff, we had a blast!

This is us after 10 years! We made it! LOL

We skipped the ghost tour at The Elms this trip but did eat downstairs in the restaurant for breakfast the following morning and were soo dissappointed unlike last time. We had the buffet so next time we go (’cause we love The Elms, there will be a next time lol), no breakfast buffet for us, just ordering off the menu.

After breakfast we went downstairs to The Grotto (their interpretation of a Roman bath featuring a dry sauna, steam sauna, hot tub, cold plunge shower, steam shower, exfoliation bar and iced peppermint cloth refreshing station) and loved it (although it was SUPER crowded this time which took away from some of our satisfaction). I had a massage this time and it was ok. Funny story: the mpg player kept stopping during my massage and saying “replace battery” and finally the masseuse just took the battery out and we were left in silence for the remainder of the service … so yeah, not the most relaxing experience, plus I should have gotten a deep pressure massage in hindsight. Next time I’m trying a hydrotherapy bath.

That night we ate a 3-course 5-star meal at The American. Located on the upper floor of Hallmark’s Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, you literally gasp when you walk in because the original architecture, sweeping views of downtown, and overall ambiance is breathtaking makes you feel like you’ve ventured back in time.

dress: gift but I’ve seen one like it on Venus.com in warmer months // necklace: Aldo.

The American was established in 1974 and unfortunately is stopping dining service in December 2016. They will still host private events. When I tell you the food was MIND BLOWING I am not lying. Whoever was in the kitchen knew their way around flavor and textures. Every bite was unexpected and beyond expectations. The only negative was the portion size LOL! I *get* upscale dining but I’m 6’1″ … after the appetizer I joked with hubby that we may need to go to IHOP after this #becausesteaktipsandeggs #hungrini #abaseandabout BWAHAH!!

Anyhoo, the trip was over the next day which was WAY too short.

We checked out and grabbed breakfast at The Corner Restaurant, a gluten-free diner lover’s heaven.

We revisited Country Club Plaza and peruse several shops, like the Tesla store.

and just like that is was time to head back home while watching the supermoon to our east (it was HUGE!).

Here are a few video clips from Snapchat that weekend!

Just like last time, our trip to Kansas City and The Elms was heavenly yet too short (only 2-nights this time). Marriage is not easy, it’s a full-time ministry, but we made it to this amazing milestone together, and I’m so happy hubby planned this great trip for us to celebrate!