Bed & Breakfast

Goal: Send my parents on a weekend getaway
Goal Achieved: April 05, 2013
Location: The Richards House : Dubuque, IA
Photo provided by website

My parents have been such a blessing to Andrey and me. As entrepreneurs, Dre and I spend a lot of time working. It truly gives us peace of mind that Maksim is with family instead of a daycare. With everything that has happened, my family is always there for each other - and we're so lucky to have close bonds.

For my parents' 35th wedding anniversary, we decided to send them on a weekend getaway - somewhere different, somewhere unique, something far from the norm. When we mentioned an all-expense-paid  escape to a Victorian B&B, they were excited.

All photos below were taken by my mom.
I edited them.

We sent them to The Richards House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Dubuque, Iowa. The house is undergoing major reconstruction on the outside. I love that my mother got a picture of what the house looked like before the reconstruction. You can view a little piece of the update to the top right side of the house.

At first it looks a little scary, but if you look closely, there's something absolutely charming and romantic about the old house, any old house for that matter, that I absolutely adore. I love the old wooden panels. I love the look of decrepitness. I love the look of abandonment. I love that my mind wanders to the past, the history, and the people that lived and experienced what the house has to offer. I love that the house can be made new. I love that someday I'd be part of that history. It really is a beautiful thing that I can't begin to describe. It's breathtaking.

Side view of the house in all of its majestic glory.

There are a few saying, "Never judge a book by its cover" and "Beauty is in the inside." How absolutely true it is in such a significant way. The inside of this house is spectacular. My parents stayed in the Library Suite.

Image Provided by Website
The Library Suite

The Library Suite
Old Fashioned Tub in the middle of the room

The Library Suite
Books dating back to the 1800's

When I was in middle school, an old member of my church passed away and donated old books. One of those books was a romance novel published in the 1800's. I don't remember the title but my imagination ran wild. All I remember was how beautiful, innocent, and pure the story was. The men were chivalrous. At that time, I was also reading the Anne of Green Gables series - so needless to say, I fell in love with the era.

I digressed, they stayed at the Library Suite, which was the best room of the house. I booked it because of the books - I'm drawn by them. So when my mom called me and told me that the books in their room were old and published in the 1800's, I was green with envy. I would have pounced on them immediately. Someday.

The main living room with a grand piano.

Window/Reading Nook

Beautiful lamp

Flower arrangement

Cool old fashioned lamps

My parents at breakfast.
Mom will probably lecture me about this pic of her.
lol

Desserts / Pastries

We pause here and talk about the food at this B&B place. According to my dad, the food was SUPER! According to my mom, the food was REALLY GOOD! So much so that mom bought the recipe book. So I've never tried a B&B, but now I need to know. I must know! Hopefully we'll hit this place for our anniversary as well.

Breakfast with other guests in the house.
There was a married couple, and some other romantics.

Michelle (owner) and Mom.

The picture above is Michelle and my mom. Michelle is the owner/inn keeper of the Richard House with her husband. She cooks breakfast and etc. Rave reviews from my parents. The said that owners were such wonderful and personable people. And it shows. Mom couldn't help but take a picture with Michelle.

As modern as I appear to look, I do appreciate different styles. I'd love to go visit someday. It looks like a wonderful experience. In fact, it's added to my Life Goal List - check it out.