Home, Not-so-Sweet, Home

So we’re back home again.

And we’re not happy about it.

You know how sometimes it feels  good to be home after vacation?

This time? Not so much.

First of all, we had the long drive back through Kansas.

And when we finally made it to the other end, we were knocked over by the heat and humidity!  Can three days of Colorado really spoil us that much?

Yes. It. Can.

Our 15 year old son is feeling the effects the most.

While in Colorado, he was happy!  He smiled often!  He talked with excitement!  He climbed out of bed at a decent hour!  He wanted to go outside and do things!

We hadn’t been home a full hour before he began getting irritable and frustrated.  When I asked him what was wrong, he shrugged his shoulders and claimed:  “It’s too hot here.  You can’t even step outside without breaking a sweat!”

It’s true.  We usually do have very warm summers with high humidity in the St. Louis area, but this summer has been record-breakingly hot!  Our relief comes in the form of upper 90’s, and the occasional cloud cover.

Without rain.

It’s not just the heat that bothers him, however.

It’s the fact that he feels stuck here in this little town, and the fact that his interests are far more extensive than 4-wheeling, hunting, beer-drinking (yes, even at his age….), and sports.

There are only a handful of boys in our county that don’t enjoy those activities, and 2 of them are his brothers.

Hubby and I are definitely feeling some guilt about raising the kids in this quaint little town of 600 that he, himself, grew up in.

But heck, when we were young and starting our family, we felt this place was the best!  After all, it has a great school with small classrooms.  It’s safe enough that we rarely lock our cars, let alone our houses.  Everyone knows each other, and they’re all very involved with the school and the community.

And with me constantly moving and changing schools as a child, the idea of raising my family in one home,  near grandparents,  was very appealing.

Now we realize, all of this is not necessarily a good thing.

Our boys especially, have suffered because of it.  They love to read, write, draw, and play music….

They love to play video games and create their own games and characters.

We bought them incense and paper lanterns for their rooms.  We gave them bamboo plants and Asian scrolls to decorate with.  They’re into calligraphy and mask making.

All very cool interests, but no one to share them with.

This combination makes them feel like the weird ones.  It makes them feel isolated.

It makes us feel sad.

We hoped high school would offer more friendship opportunities, and it has, but not to the extent that he feels a strong connection with any of them.  Besides, living 20 minutes from the high school’s town, doesn’t lend itself easily to going over to your friend’s house.  It takes planning, and drives and trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. “if we’re going there anyway…”

And although we’ve told him many times we’re willing to work it out, he’s too polite and considerate to bother us.

And the school itself, doesn’t offer a wide variety of opportunities.

So what we’re witnessing is an extremely intelligent, artistic kid, who’s being stifled in a field of corn, surrounded by people who are content to never leave the boundaries of their town.

We’re seeing a lack of focus, a lack of interest in school, and slight signs of depression.

This is a kid who scores 100s on standardized tests, who’s IQ is well above the norm, who researches science, and space, and history topics on his own.  He reads to learn, and not necessarily for entertainment…

He should be at the top of his class, yet his grades are only average.

By taking him to Colorado like he asked, we were hoping he would be able to be his own person,

that he would be in his element,

that he would see that there are people and areas out there where he does fit in and feel at home.

And it was a success in that respect.

But we had to return, and the change in him was almost immediate.

My hope is that he can make it through the next few years of high school, with little pushes and encouragement from us, and then escape to a place where he can be himself.

At this point, it may very well be Colorado.

 

Last, But Definitely Not Least!

When our #3 son told us he wanted to go to Colorado, I was a little disappointed.  After all, I’d had my heart set on San Antonio, Texas.  But most parents of teenagers know that if you actually receive some input on what to do, as opposed to a shoulder shrug,  you go for it!

Little did I know that it would turn out to be one of my most favorite vacations.

I’m an active person, so I loved the cool(er) weather, the trails, being outside….

I loved seeing my son in his element – He’d jump out of bed early each morning, eager to explore.  Everywhere we went, he felt the urge to climb to the top… as fast as he could. When one activity was over, he would immediately ask what we were doing next.  He was in heaven, and I was thrilled to have provided that for him.

But the best part?

He was very supportive of me meeting up with one of my favorite, most loyal blog friends.

I suppose I knew Abby lived in Colorado, but when we were planning our vacation, and she let me know she lived there, I was shocked, and then thrilled!

The possibility of meeting up with her was exciting, and I knew we would have to make time in our short trip to meet her.

Through many emails we decided to meet up at Red Rock Canyon – a place she deemed a favorite with her family. I trusted her.

We arrived early.  Mainly because I was so nervous.

She arrived right on time.

Maybe it was the tattoo I’d seen in pictures, or the knowledge that she boxes, or the fact that she’s an extreme crossing guard, that had me a little intimidated…

but when I saw her for the first time, smiling and running towards me, my nerves disappeared immediately.  It truly was like we were long lost friends.  I felt like I knew her so well, and she was the sweet, funny, Abby that drew me to her blog in the first place.

We introduced our family members to each other, and I was thrilled that her older boys decided to come along too!  It just wouldn’t have been the same without all the AbbyNormals!

We started the trails through the canyon almost immediately.  Abby and I took the lead, with hubby and Magnum bringing up the rear.  The kids darted in all directions.

I loved catching up with her, despite having to walk with our heads down, and occasionally yell at the kids:  “Don’t go too far!”, or  “Be careful!”  Or to whine at them “Must you go that high?”

When we took breaks from the sun or the hikes, I jumped on the chance to ask her boys a few questions.  They were so polite, and so sweet, and so handsome!  I had guessed Abby was a great parent, and after seeing them, I knew for sure.

We ended our hike almost three hours later.  Our son was still picking cactus needles out of his hand.  Our daughter bragged that she was bleeding for the third day in a row. My hubby sucked down some Coors beer while in the shade of our van’s door.  And I was stalling in order to keep from having to say goodbye so soon.

Before we parted ways, we mentioned possibly getting together with some of our other mutual blog friends!

As well as this meeting went, I would absolutely jump at the chance to meet with her again, as well as any other interested parties….

And Abby, thank you and your family for bravely meeting up with the ShadowRun’s.  It was an experience I’ll never forget.  If you’re ever near our area, I’d love to have you visit.  I’d even clean my house for you.  🙂

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The Adventure Continues

All week I’ve been looking forward to running in Colorado.

Cool mornings.  No humidity.  Beautiful views. Lighter air.

It was gonna be perfect.

There was just one tiny oversight, however.

It’s kinda hilly here.

I awoke on my own at 6 am, feeling pretty good.  I’d already planned out my route – with a map the front desk gave me.  Seemed easy enough.  Up this street, turn right, up that street.

Key word:  UP 

(I’m from Illinois… flat lands, corn fields… and the hills I am used to are ant hills in comparison).

I made it up it to the top of the first street, and eagerly turned right, thinking I would be on level ground.

Nope.

That street was all uphill too! I made it a few blocks before I had to stop and catch my breath. (I blamed it on the higher altitude).  Then I ran a few more blocks, stopped to breathe, and ran up a few more. I never did get to the top of the ‘hill’!

Thinking I had been gone long enough, I turned around and literally flew back to the hotel.  I was like a runaway train, wondering how I was going to stop at the end.  Needless to say, I got back much faster than it took to get there.

Not quite the run I was picturing, but the morning WAS cool, and the views WERE awesome, and I planned to give it another shot the next day.

This workout was followed by even more ‘workouts’.

First on our list today was Helen Hunt Falls. We piled into the car, drove up the winding roads, and finally reached our destination.  Imagine our disappointment when we saw the Trail Closed sign.  I felt like we were the Griswald’s finally getting to Wally World only to find it closed for repairs.

It didn’t stop us however.  We found other ways to get to the falls – and No, we didn’t have to hold anyone at gunpoint….

He found his way!

Me at the base of the falls.

From there we went to Manitou Springs.

What a cute little town!  Lotsa shops.  Lotsa restaurants. A few springs. And an arcade!

I found my next career! An ice cream truck driver!

I made the kids try a Mediterranean restaurant for lunch. Growing up in Greece, I became very fond of their food, and it smelled so delicious when we walked by!

They’re not very good at hiding their emotions.

I felt a little guilty….until the food came.  They found they actually liked it!

I didn’t gloat in my “rightness”.

From there, we headed to the Cog Railway, the train that would take us to the top of Pikes Peak!

Before heading up, we changed into jeans, and brought our coats – thanks to advice from a local friend of mine.

The change in temperature as we made our way slowly to the top was dramatic.  By the time we got there, I was already bundled up.

On our way up Pikes Peak. The views were stunning!

We were actually hoping it would snow.  It had rained on our ascent, and a few days ago, there was a brief snowfall, but we didn’t have that luck.

Instead, we had almost freezing temperatures with extremely strong winds that made it feel below freezing!  It was exhilarating, but the girl and I headed straight for the gift shop to get out of the cold.

It even LOOKS cold!

Hubby and the boy, braved the cold and went to the observation deck.

The cold wasn’t bothering him a bit. He loved every minute of it!

For the sake of our family photo album, I suffered through the cold long enough for a picture.

Forcing a smile

Another fabulous day was had here in Colorado.

But my favorite part is yet to come….

I get to meet one of my favorite blog friends. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a Rocky Mountain High

The anticipation of seeing the mountains caused us to high tail it out of Kansas as quickly as possible.  We were checked out of our hotel and back on the highway by 7:30 am.

We kept our eyes peeled for the mountains.

We knew not to expect them right away, but we were pleasantly surprised with the change in landscape.  Gone were the flat lands of Kansas.

Every once in a while someone would shout, “I see them!”

Then, “Nevermind, those are just clouds.”

When we finally could see them, it was like an illusion… “Wait. Are those mountains?”… “I think so…” …and then a resounding,  “YES!  Those are the mountains!”

Yes! Those are mountains!

While working our way further west, we decided to go through Denver first.  My hubby is a huge music fan, and has always wanted to see the Red Rock Amphitheater.  Being this close, we had to go.  He was itchin’ to go on stage and help the setup crew, but I let him know I wasn’t interested in spending my first day in Colorado bailing him out of jail.

Dreaming of being on the Red Rock Amphitheater stage.

It did surprise me how many people use the amphitheater as a gym! This guy was being wheel-barrowed down the steps and “hopped” all the way to the bottom.  Crazy!

Wheel-barrowing down the amphitheater steps.

From there, we stopped at a nearby lake for a picnic lunch, then drove down to Colorado Springs, oohing and aahing over the mountains all the way down… the camera steadily clicking away.

Fascinating

 

We dropped our things off at the hotel, (yay!  I’m on the guest end!!…)

then we headed straight to The Garden of the Gods.

Garden of the Gods

My #3 son was totally in his element here!  If you remember, it was his idea to go to Colorado to see the mountains.  The Smoky’s wouldn’t do.  It had to be the Rocky mountains.

He can never seem to get high enough.

Very much in awe of what we were seeing.

Seeing him in this environment… happy, carefree, and loving every minute, made the long-a** drive worth it!

We arrived back at the hotel exhausted, but incredibly happy.

I think we’re falling in love….

 

And We’re Off!

This past week at work has given me more and more reason to look forward to our vacation!

Despite having worked late on Tuesday night, I jumped out of bed at 5:30 Wednesday morning.  I needed to squeeze in a run, pack all my belongings, and threaten the 18 and 20 year old to be good while we’re gone.

The plan was to leave at 8:30am, knowing that it would be 9am before we actually backed out of the driveway.

To my surprise, we slammed the doors of our the in-laws’ packed van at exactly 8:30, backed out of the driveway, and never had to turn back.

Our first stop was at Oklahoma Joe’s in Kansas City.  If you’ve ever driven through Kansas, you know there’s not much to see, but they’ve got great BBQ!

Waiting in line to order.

My meal: Pulled pork and beef brisket combo with a side of spicy slaw and a few nabbed french fries off my son’s plate.

I’m sure glad we enjoyed it, because it was definitely the only excitement of the day.

We did have a few thrills, however… like when my 15 year old took the wheel.  I am NOT a very good passenger I’ve discovered.  I sat in the back with my head down, chompin’ on some gum to ease my anxiety. My hubby is a patient teacher, however, so #3 son got a few more hours of driving to add to the 50 he needs before getting his license.

At least it was a straight road, although a might bit faster than our country roads!

12 hours after we started, we stopped for the night in Colby, KS.

Yes.  Even after driving for that long, we didn’t make it through Kansas.

The silo shaped welcome center for Colby is adorable!

We settled in the cheapest motel we could find, and then treated ourselves to frozen yogurt at a nearby DIY yogurt shop.

Showin’ off his creation.

The kids love that their mom is an ice cream addict.  😉

Despite the long day, the time went fast.  We had a blast making fun of Kansas.  We saw some pretty cool cloud formations and went through a couple spouts of rain while the sun was shining all around the rain cloud.

Tomorrow we’ll finish our trip into Colorado.  We’re excited to see the mountains, but we’ve been warned not to be disappointed at not seeing them immediately after the Colorado border.

hmmph.

They better be worth the wait.

 

It Feels Better to Give

Perhaps you know this about me already, but I love to bake.

Cupcakes to be exact.

I rarely make the same cupcake twice, because most of my enjoyment comes from finding and trying new flavor combinations.

If I have 2 days off in a row, you can almost bet that I’ll be trying a new cupcake.

Because I bake so often, and because my family doesn’t need dozens of cupcakes sitting around the house, I will often bring at least half of them to work.

I mostly share them with the front office staff – the desk agents, the sales office, the managers.  But I’ve been known to bring in some specifically for the housekeeping staff and the kitchen staff. I usually hold one back for Salim as well.

They’re all very complimentary and are excited to try new flavors.  Often I think they’re just being nice, but occasionally I believe what they’re saying.

I call them my guinea pigs.

Yesterday, one of my managers gave me a card.  It was filled with little notes of appreciation for bringing in my cupcakes for all to share.

Each manager had signed it personally, and I was honored that they would take the time to write me a little note of thanks.

Today, I thanked my General Manager for the card.  She looked at me in surprise.  “Oh… they gave it to you already?”

I nodded. A little confused.

She stuttered a little bit and then confessed that she wanted to put ‘a little something in it’ for me.

I immediately told her that wasn’t necessary.  I bake because I enjoy it.  But thank you for the gesture.

At the end of the day, she met me at the time clock with an outstretched hand.  I reluctantly took it, letting her know again that it wasn’t necessary, that I just really enjoy sharing.  But she insisted.  So I thanked her sincerely and headed to my car.

It wasn’t until I was alone that I looked at what she had given me.

I almost felt sick.

70 dollars.

70 DOLLARS!

That’s crazy!

I definitely don’t bring them in with an expectation for something in return.  I’m not providing a service for them. I bring them in because I don’t want them all sitting at home!

I feel awful for taking $70 for them!

I called my hubby immediately.  He seems to think that I should accept it for what it is.  Appreciation for bringing in treats.

But I still feel guilty about it.

Then I began thinking about what our front desk staff did for our favorite taxi driver, Salim.

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I would like to give back to Salim.  He is a very honorable man, who works hard for his family.  He treats our guests extremely well, and we know if we send our guests with him, that he can be trusted to take care of them.

Anytime we call Salim for an airport run, he gives that particular desk agent $5.  There are days that he will give me $20, $30 at a time.  He does this to show his appreciation for calling him first for the run.

He doesn’t know that we would do that anyway.

He has given us sooo much money, yet I know that he’s the one that can use it.  He has five teenage kids, a wife who stays home, and he’s a cab driver, working long hours to pay the bills.

The desk agents jumped at the chance to give back to him.  We started a fund and collected $250 that we used to purchase gas cards.

I presented these to him a few weeks ago.

His reaction brought tears to my eyes.  He literally laid his head down on the counter and was silent for many minutes.

When he raised up, he explained to us that of all the people he has ever helped… family or otherwise, we are the only ones to have given anything back to him.  He was obviously moved and incredibly thankful.  He repeated the words “thanks so much” over and over again in his sweet little accent.

I wonder now if he felt like I do.  It’s nice to be appreciated, but it’s difficult to accept a gift. I wonder if he actually used the cards himself, or if he gave them to someone he felt needed it more.  He’s that type of guy.

My instinct is to take the money she gave me, and purchase tons of cupcake liners and ingredients to make cupcakes for all the employees.

I think that would help ease the guilt I feel for taking money.

What would you all do?

 

 

 

 

Procrastination at its Best

I’ve had some weird scheduling the last couple of weeks.  I’ll work a few days, be off for one, then work a few more, then off again. One day on, one day off… you get the idea.

I’m not sure what I think about it.  It’s difficult to work too many days in a row at the hotel, because it can be draining.  But I find myself not getting much done with scattered days off.  It’s easy to push the work off until the next day off.

Now I find myself on my last day off before vacation. We leave next week, and I have tons to do to get ready for it.

What did I do instead?

Went for a run. (see disclaimer)

Took the motorcycle for a spin.

Caught up on my blogs.

Took my car in for an oil change.

And baked some super awesome snicker doodle cupcakes.

** I’m not sure you could call my run a run really.  I stepped out of my door at 6am and was smothered with heat and humidity.  I managed to make it 2 miles, but at my turn-around point, I declared a truce.  The heat and humidity were too much.  I spent the 2 miles back doing intervals.  Some walking, some jogging, some lunges, some sprints.  I returned home looking like a drowned rat.

The motorcycle run was better.  We left as soon as I was cool enough from my run to put on some jeans.  Once we were on the go, I was very comfortable.  After some pancakes and eggs, we returned home.  The sun was a little hotter at this point, but once again, not bad while we were moving.

Now, let me tell you about the snicker doodle cupcakes…

On second thought, just take a look.

Snicker Doodle Cupcakes

Just a Taste or Full Blown Cinnamon Goodness

Yeah, I shoulda been planning for the trip, and catching up on laundry, and preparing the house for our departure.

But what’s the fun in that?

The Tuesday night before we leave, I’ll probably be rushing around like a  mad woman trying to get everything done.  If it doesn’t get done, I don’t plan to worry about it.  Planning for vacation shouldn’t be stressful.  Besides, I’m sure my 18 and 19 year old, who have decided to stay home,  will take care of it while we’re gone….

I’m sure of it.

But just in case I’m wrong, I’ve taken the day after we return from vacation off as well.

 

 

 

Forced Fun

I never go out anymore.

Having to be happy, outgoing, friendly and bubbly 40 hours a week, with barely a break,  can wear a person out.

Add to that another 12 hours a week on the road, fighting construction and traffic, and you can begin to see why, if I’m not working, I want to be home, on the couch, not talking, not smiling, not energetic.

But this week I went out.

Twice!

Wednesday night the Dave Matthews Band was playing at an outdoor theater in St. Louis.  My hubby loves Dave Matthews and has been covering a few of his songs at some recent gigs.   So when he heard he was in town, we immediately bought tickets.  I was scheduled to work at 6am the day after the concert, but since I managed to switch with a co-worker, I decided to go with him.

After a trip to Bandana’s for some good BBQ, we headed over to the arena. We’d gotten lawn seat tickets, so we grabbed our rental chairs and found a great spot.  I’d heard stories about how fun Dave’s fans can be, but it seemed like people were well behaved.  Then again, the sun was still up at that time.

Brandi Carlile opened for Dave.  We loved her!  She shows up occasionally on our favorite Pandora station, so we’ve heard her before, and thought she put on a great show.

The sun was setting when Dave came out.  Coincidentally, that’s when the doobies came out.  The haze that settled over the crowd was pretty impressive. I’m pretty sure I got high. I mean, I was able to stand through the concert, after standing all day at work.  I even smiled occasionally, and talked a little with the people we were with. I must have been on something.

The concert ended about 11:30pm.  I’d been up since 4am, so I was beginning to wither.  We headed to the car and sat in the exit line for well over an hour.  When we finally got moving, everyone anxiously stepped on the gas, then lurched to a stop.  Too late however.  The car behind me managed to stop, but the 5 cars behind him plowed in to each other. Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam….  I think those sounds will be ingrained in my mind for a while. I doubt anyone was hurt, and I was so thankful I wasn’t involved.  As fun as the concert was, I was ready to be home.

I finally crawled into bed at 2am, 22 hours after waking that day.  I think I was asleep before I hit the pillow.  It was incredibly fun, but I was beat.

I awoke at 7:30am on Thursday, and hit the road running.  Literally.  I went for a run and actually made it the full 4 miles.  Surprised myself even.

Then….. my daughter has been asking me to take her to Alladin at The Muny in Forest Park.  She just finished the County production of the play and wanted to see the ‘professionals’ do it.

So when she woke, I asked her if she would like to go.  We left the house at 4pm to make the 8pm show.  We didn’t have tickets so getting there early was key to getting the free seats.  We brought sandwiches and snacks and picnicked with the ants while waiting in line.

I had to beg and plead to get her to take a pic with me.

.

The show was awesome, and the line getting out of that performance wasn’t nearly as bad, but it was still 1:30am before I crawled into bed.

…. completely worn out once again.

I decided it best to pass on a morning run in favor of sleep, especially since I had to work til 9pm Friday night.

I’m happy that I forced myself to go out and have a good time.  I’m sad that my job is seemingly sucking the fun out of my non-work life.

It’s now Saturday night.  I arrived home from work at 9pm, and I’ve settled comfortably on the couch.  Hubby had 2 gigs this weekend and is now out enjoying a different band with a friend of his.  I’m happy that I’m not dragging him down.

I have yet to tell you all the sequel about how my current hotel job came about and the lessons I’ve learned from it.  I’m stalling because I’m afraid to dwell on things that really can’t be changed at this point.  I’ll be sharing soon though.  I’m in need of some writing therapy.

Til then, I’ll keep focusing on the good times…..

 

 

The Unveiling

It took a while.

Maybe because no one really helped.

And Hubby’s back could only stand it for a couple of hours at a time.

But we finally have hardwood floor in our dining room,

Dining room turned office

our great room,

Great room looking into dining room

and our bedroom.

Master Bedroom

I can say this — because I really did nothing — It was pretty easy to put in.  The toughest parts were in the angled hallway where a lot of cuts were needed, and the closets where the quarters were pretty tight.  Other than that they pretty well just ‘snapped’ together.

We started with the great room first, and noticed that many of the boards were discolored and quite a few of them had some really dark lines.

Dark markings on many boards

We set most of the discolored ones aside, but used a few throughout thinking it would add character.  But soon we noticed more and more of them.  We finally packed them up and returned them to the store and ordered a new shipment.

The difference was amazing!  The new boards were much more consistent and look so much nicer… so we’re a little bummed about that.

Great Room flooring on left. Master Bedroom on right.

We finished the great room with the boards we had and the dining room and bedroom got the new stuff.  I’m happy they are in separate rooms, so it’s not as noticeable, but it would have been nice had they all been that way from the beginning.

I love how clean and open the place feels now…. and as I mentioned before, I don’t mind vacuuming the golden hairs at all with the hose attachment.  But just like washing your car by hand, you notice every new ding, dent and nick. We’ve already gotten a few.  They’re not noticeable from a distance, because of the ‘character’ of the floor, but I notice them.  It’s hard to tell if they’re from the dog or the kids, or even *gasp* hubby or me.  Maybe we’ll just blame the clawless cat.

All in all, we’re pretty happy with the outcome.  We saved a lot by doing it ourselves. (I plan to keep taking some credit, even though hubby did all the work,  because I cleaned up all the sawdust afterwards….).

The flooring is probably middle of the road in quality, but again, since we plan to move out in the near future, we’re hoping it’ll add value to the house.

Now… on to the kitchen flooring.  🙂

 

This Week in Review

Holy Moly what a week.

St. Louis celebrated the 4th all week long.  This meant blocked off roads, aggravated guests trying to figure out how to get to the hotel or where to park….

everyone wanting Arch view rooms to view the fireworks from (umm… we’re a square building… 3 of the 4 sides do not view the Arch… some of you will not get a view.  Sorry.)

Temperatures above 100 degrees all week making A/C units work overtime…

Some of them were not up to the challenge….

and when the hotel is 100% capacity, a room with a broken A/C can be a desk agent’s worst nightmare.  (Oh, the guests weren’t too pleased either – until they got their bill.  $0.  100% Satisfaction after all)

On top of that the Cardinals were in town all week.

Usually what this means is we have a huge turnover everyday.  Lots going out.  Lots coming in.  And the ones coming in are doing so before the ones going out leave. Most of our guests are understanding if the room isn’t ready yet.  They really just want to get a parking space.

But for the agents, this double dose is very hectic.  Basically we are seeing the same arrivals twice in one day. Once to get their parking pass and store their luggage (which the agents usually do), then again later to check in to their rooms and retrieve their luggage.  And in between we’re checking out just as many departures.

Whew.

Five days straight of this can wear a girl out.

It’s fun for the most part, though.  The guests are usually in a good mood, and it’s nice to hear everyday what a wonderful hotel we have.  It means we’re doing our jobs well.

(I won’t mention the a-hole who called corporate on me because I made him park in the garage across the street… where everyone else was parking because our other garage was full…… Proof that you can’t please everyone no matter how hard you try.)  (These things keep me up at night, btw….)

Anyway….

We Hubby got the floors done this week.  I promise to post pics soon and give you our thoughts.  He has repainted the baseboards and is slowly getting those back up, so the place is looking pretty good. He’ll take a break for a while, and then we’ll start the kitchen.

Our daughter’s play was this weekend.  For the past 8 years she has participated in our county’s theatre productions.  It’s a huge commitment, but she absolutely LOVES it!  In fact, she’s given up most sports to be able to spend more time ‘on stage’.  This year’s show was Alladin.  She was a Harem Girl.  😉

Our daughter is in hot pink on the right.

This was her biggest role so far.  They usually give the main roles to the older kids because after 16 years of age they can no longer be in the play.  She is just 13 now, and is really looking forward to being the star.  BTW, the genie in the play was absolutely amazing!  She nailed the character and was so fun to watch.  This was probably one of my most favorite shows they have put on!

The biggest news of the week?

We got rain!

I had to drive home in it…. at 30mph…. without any visibility…

but I was singing all the way!  It’s been way too long!

Rain falling down on our deck table.

My 15 year old son captured this picture on my hubby’s new camera.  I’m thrilled that he’s taken an interest in photography.  He’s always been into art, music, and nature, and photography fits right in with it all.

So a busy week for me. I have one day off tomorrow, then back at it for a couple of days.  We’ll slow down now, what with the All Star Game NOT being in St. Louis.  🙂

**big sigh of relief***