Happy (belated) New Year!

Having had the last week of 2015 off, I’ve learned quite a few things about myself.

First and foremost, I’m really good at being a sloth.  And when it comes to work, housework in particular, I have no problem letting it go.  I didn’t cook, or clean, or even bake the whole time I was off.

In my defense, the kids were all home, and with them comes lots of stuff.  And the kids were all home, so who wants to spend time cooking and cleaning?

Even when Link went back to Ohio, I slothed.  Maybe even more so because while he was here we bowled, and played games, and went to the movies, and after he left the other kids began spending time with their friends, so I no longer had things to keep me busy.  But since all their stuff remained in our itty, bitty house, cleaning was pretty useless.

Instead, I spent hours putting together a puzzle.  Which brings me to another thing I learned about myself.  I can spend hours putting together a puzzle.  Me.  One who normally can’t stand sitting still for any length of time.  But any chance I got, I’d sit on the floor and have to tear myself away an hour or two later.  Usually because things started to hurt.  I’m too old to sit on the floor for that long.

I also learned that I’m not in as good of shape as I thought.  At least not my left butt cheek.  See, when the family went bowling over the holidays, a little itch began to form inside me.  I’ve been pretty happy not bowling over the last few years, and instead, watching my daughter take all the glory.  But that day something sparked in me.  So on New Year’s Day, I convinced my hubby to watch me bowl in a high stakes tournament. I knew I wouldn’t win, but I felt the desire to bowl competitively.  I bowled 5 games, and two days later I’m still feeling it.  Oh well, small price to pay for a day of fun. And not that I needed it, but I have even more reason to be a sloth these next few days.

I return to work Monday after 10 days off.  I’m ready.  This has been a much needed break, and it’s been awesome to reconnect with my family, but I’m ready.

Before I go, I have to thank my hubby for allowing such slothness out of me.  He kept up with the necessary chores such as laundry and dishes and vacuuming, so that I could recharge.  I think he’s ready for me to get back to work as well.

Happy New Year to the best blog friends ever. Here’s wishing you all a happy and healthy 2016!  With a little bit of slothness mixed in…..

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to All

It’s the day after Christmas and my holidays have just begun.

Having worked 8 days straight leading up to the big day, I didn’t really have the chance to appreciate the season.  I’d get up early to wrap a few gifts before beginning my long commute in.  Then I’d pick up another gift or two on my way.  I’d work 10-12 hours, come home and crash, and do it all again the next day.

No time to bake.  No time to enjoy Chip and Amp.  No time.

I finished my final shift at 9pm on Christmas Eve, and arrived home to find Link in my kitchen!  He, too, had worked that day, but his boss had let everyone go home early.  So he got off to an earlier start than expected and arrived “home” a short while before I did. So at 10:00pm on Christmas Eve, our holidays began.

We opened our gifts to each other, saving only the “Santa” gifts for Christmas morning.  Our much smaller living room was stuffed with people, presents and crumpled wrapping paper.  But it was also filled with laughter, chatter, and love.

Link is only home for a few days, so we all took off work to spend time with each other.  We’re planning to bowl and see Star Wars, and just be together.

In fact, I am off work until January 4th.  Hard to believe, I know!  So I will spend the time baking and shopping and singing Christmas songs, and finally getting to enjoy the season.

Merry Christmas to you all from the ShadowRuns!

 

Giving Thanks

So I’m a little late… par for the course when you run a hotel.  Especially one next to  a convention center that is hosting the local high school football championships the day after Thanksgiving.  The players and their friends and family all arrived to check in on Thanksgiving Day.

While the front desk agents checked in our entire hotel, I was in our dining area preparing to serve what would turn out to be Thanksgiving Dinner for all 500 of our guests.

Other than the other 2 managers, our entire staff worked that day.  And work we did.  We all went home that night and crashed, only to come back on Friday and do it all again.  By Saturday, my entire body hurt.  Hosting that many people three nights in a row is physically and mentally demanding.  Add to that, missing family time on one of my favorite holidays of the year, and I was d-o-n-e, done.

I’ve since made up for it, however.  On Sunday, we finally were able to have Thanksgiving dinner as a family.  We were missing Link, so we sat down together to Skype him.  He’ll be home for Christmas, and we’re all looking forward to that.

Since then I’ve also made time to watch Mario bowl.  Once again, she’s on the boys’ high school bowling team, and has proven herself enough to be anchor on the Varsity team.  As a Junior and a girl, this is huge.  The anchor is typically the best bowler on the team and is matched up against the best bowler (a boy) on the other team.  And she is up for the challenge.

She’s averaged 200 since the beginning of season, and has easily kept up with the boys.  She loves the look on their faces when she steps up in the anchor position.  And I love the whispers from the others when they realize how good she is.

She’s taking up where I left off, and it has been fun to watch.  I can’t wait to see where she’ll go from here.

So although I’m late, I’m very thankful.  I’m thankful I have a job I love.  I’m thankful I could find a day to share a meal with my family.  I’m thankful my boys are still in school (I’ve had my doubts…), and I’m thankful my daughter is pursuing her dream of bowling competitively and that I can arrange my off days to watch.

I’m also thankful I’ll have Christmas off.  Everyone will be home on that day.  Ain’t nothin’ better than that.

 

 

Easter Rebellion

I have a confession.  Easter has never been one of my favorite holidays.  NOT because of what it represents, but because the traditions weren’t all that fun for me.

Oh, I enjoyed helping the kids dye eggs, and I loved buying “spring” toys for the upcoming warm weather – sidewalk chalk, bubbles, water balloons, Frisbees….

But with four young kids, the day itself was stressful for me.  Get up early, hide all the eggs and candy.  Drag the kids out of bed so they could hurry up and find it all before having to clean them up for church.  Wrangle everyone into their good Easter clothes, and try to keep them away from the chocolates before heading to church.

Then began the chore of keeping them still for the extra long Easter mass, then standing outside in the wind, or the rain, or the cold, or a mix of the three, until the church Easter egg hunt began.

Inevitably one would win the prize, so we’d have to wait around some more to collect the “big winner” prize.

I know it sounds like I should have enjoyed it.  After all, they did.  I just couldn’t get into the traditions that Easter brings.

Which is what made this year so fun!

I worked my normal 10 hour shift, getting home around 6pm.  While I worked, my hubby and the kids grilled pork steaks, made baked potatoes, baked beans, and green beans, and baked cookies and a cake.

I came home to some pretty awesome smells, grabbed a plate and enjoyed a wonderful meal with my shrunken family.  (Oh, how I miss Link.)

After we’d stuffed ourselves, we all grabbed our phones and sat in front of the TV for a night of games, courtesy of jackbox.tv.  We played Drawful, Fibbage, Word Spud, and You Don’t Know Jack, laughing the entire night.  Such fun!  I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the Easter egg hunts.

So maybe not the traditional Easter celebration, but if it helps me appreciate the specialness of the day, then I’m all for it.

 

Just like that, it’s over

And it wasn’t so bad!  Yeah, I missed Link, but we skyped him in the afternoon and watched him open his gifts.   It was almost like he was here.  Before hanging up, we made plans for next year.  He’s already put in for vacation time, so hopefully it will be honored.  And he may bring his friends home too.  Extra bodies next year will certainly make up for the missing bodies this year.

With only the five of us, the holiday was pretty quiet and laid back.   I stole Frankie’s brilliant idea of putting together a puzzle on Christmas Eve.  You know, Frankie, the mistreated mom on The Middle.  I totally get her.  I chose a fun candy bar wrapper puzzle, and while they groaned a bit when I told the kids of my plan, we were soon addicted.  Within 24 hours we had the puzzle put together.

I wish I had the camera stand we bought Link.  It’s designed to take pics of things on a table top, like a card game… or a puzzle.  Instead, I took a billion blind pictures, and this was the best one.

We also managed to watch a few more “classic” movies.  Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Jerry McGuire.  The kids seem to enjoy watching movies we thought were pretty good back in the day.  (Some of our most favorites are What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Breakfast Club, and Fargo.  And we’re always open for suggestions…)

After the presents were opened and our bellies were stuffed,  we piled into the van to go caroling bowling.  Who knew people go bowling on Christmas?!  Seems lots of us do.

We were asked to get closer. Only Chip and I listened.

The infamous googly eyes made the trip with us.  Doesn’t take much to entertain the boys.

Christmas is once again in the past.  The house is slowly getting back to normal and signs of Christmas coming to a close are everywhere.   The most prominent clues – tons of Christmas clearance sales, and our neighbor’s lawn.  Their Christmas tree has now joined the sagging pumpkins on their front lawn.  Wonder what we’ll see after the New Year’s celebration.

Can’t wait to see if I’m right.

 

 

Could it be?

I’m feelin’ a little somethin’.  A bit of excitement.  A warm fuzzy.  Somethin’.

It started yesterday as I was boxing up a few stocking stuffers for Link.  I’m still extremely sad that he won’t be with us on Christmas Day, but as I wrapped his new toothbrush, and some batteries, some candy, and some Ski (that you can only get around here), I began feeling a little better.  He will be able to open the silly gifts that  Santa usually stuffs his stocking with.  I’m hoping it helps him feel like he’s home.  I wonder if he’s as sad as I.  I sincerely hope not.

Normally, I loathe shopping, but when Hubby and I hit the stores, and began finding things we knew the kids would get a kick out of, it became fun.  We weren’t buying just stuff, we were buying for THEM.  I brightened up when I realized the season can be exciting even though the kids are grown.

The biggest kid, by far, is my Hubby.  As I put a few gifts under the tree, I saw this:

And later when I opened the freezer,

He bought himself some googly eyes and is quite giddy over them.  Even Mario got a kick out of them…..

……although she got in trouble for popping a few of them.  “I couldn’t help it,” she explained to him.  “It’s like bubble wrap, once you start, you can’t stop.”

My hubby doesn’t know this, all he sees is my constant eye rolling, but I get a kick outa his childish antics.

I doubt the cat does…

I feel relieved things are turning around for me, and I’m looking forward to spending Christmas with the kids that are home. Now if I can just keep my Scrooge bottled up.

 

 

Spiritless

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  On the outside looking in, anyway.

I’ve got some of the shopping done, but still have plenty to go.  Too much, in fact.  But heck, I got plenty of time.  10 days!

Yesterday, I talked Mario into doing a candlelight house tour in a historic town not far from here.  The old homes were beautifully decorated and fun to see.  It was nice, but wasn’t enough to build excitement for Christmas.

Next up, the high school Christmas concert.  I love going to the kids’ concerts, and this was no exception.  I was a little nervous when Amp asked me to record a few songs on his phone.  Seeing my hesitation he quickly assured me, “It’s fool-proof”  as he walked me through the steps of pulling up his camera and pressing record.  I practiced a few times before letting him leave.   During the concert, I’d find myself deeply entranced in the music, and then I’d suddenly remember the camera and my heart would stop.  I was so afraid I’d miss the songs he wanted or screw up the phone somehow.  But I didn’t, and the concert was fantastic, yet I still don’t feel Christmassy.

Maybe it’s the 50 degree temps with gray skies and rain.  Maybe it’s because I’m feeling a little down about work.  Maybe it’s because Link won’t be home.

Whatever the reason, I’m not quite feeling the season.

I’m hoping to snap out of it this week.  I have more days off than what I’m scheduled to work.  I should finish up my shopping, do some baking, and listen to Christmas songs.  I should plan a fun day with the kids.  I should reflect on what Christmas is all about.  I should….

Sheesh, I hope my Christmas spirit shows up soon.

 

 

 

 

Bigger kids, bigger worries

I was all excited about seeing Link this weekend.  I wanted to see with my own eyes that he is still doing okay.

About an hour into his trip, he texted my hubby that his car was making a weird noise.  After going back and forth on what to do, Link decided he would get back on the road, and try to decipher where it was coming from.  Hubby and I waited in worry to hear back from him, both of us immediately feeling guilty that we’d “made” him come to us.

Link, however, thought nothing of it.  “It was just  a weird noise, but it went away after a while.  No trouble at all!”  **sigh**

With one worry down, we began another.  The contacts Link wears to shape his cornea have exceeded their life.  I’d made an appointment for him to see his eye doctor while he was here, so it seemed like perfect timing.  Not.

Because the shape of his cornea has worsened, he wouldn’t be able to just renew his prescription.  The fitting would need to be changed, and because he wouldn’t be here for follow up visits, the doc didn’t feel comfortable ordering them.  On top of that, he advised Link not to wear his contacts at all, since the ill-fittedness was causing surface irritation.  And since he only has one good eye, (the other has so much scarring he has very little sight) the risk is too great.

He obediently left them out, but it was heartbreaking for Hubby and me.  He couldn’t watch videos, he couldn’t play cards, he couldn’t read his comics or play his DS.  All the things he loves, he couldn’t do.

I stayed up later than usual to talk with him, knowing he wouldn’t want to go to bed early.  It was nice though, talking with him, learning more about his friends and his desires.  But we also talked about his worries with his eyes.  It’s a scary thing.  I encouraged him to do his own research, and to hang tough.  He has an appointment Monday morning with a cornea specialist in Ohio, and hopefully that doc can expedite his new contacts.  At this point, I can only sit back and wait.  It’s up to Link now to ask the right questions, and to explain the urgency of getting new contacts quickly.  He can’t function without them, nor can he wear the ones he has now.

While these worries were in the back of my mind all weekend, it wasn’t all sad.  In fact, Saturday, the entire family got together to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Each kid was in charge of a dish, and if I hadn’t opened a can of corn, we’d have had potatoes and pie for dinner.  Nothing made me happier than hearing the laughter and the ribbing between my boys.

More laughter ensued as we squeezed ourselves onto the two pieces of furniture we have.  Instead of football, we watched a League of Legends tournament.  I needed a lot of explanation, but found the announcers of the game made it quite exciting.

We ended the day with the movie Rain Man.  Definitely a must see movie.  Definitely.

Link left “early” Sunday morning, trying to beat the heavy rains that were on the way.  As we watched him back out of our driveway, Hubby and I agreed that next time, we are going to him.  For the next 7 hours, we worried about his safety, but like the good kid he is, he texted us at each stop to let us know he was ok.

When I got the text that he’d arrived home, I breathed a sigh of relief.  One worry down, many to go.

 

I have no right to complain

Well, the church people have come and gone leaving behind only a few scars.  Our newbies seemed slightly disappointed that we didn’t have all the drama we’d experienced in the past.  I’ve reminded them they’ve got New Year’s Eve to look forward to.  Young drunks out all night.  Should be fun!

As we enter our slow season, I’m already feeling unease.  I volunteered an extra day off this week, knowing that in the future weeks, our young ones will be shorted a day.  I don’t do well with days off.  Especially when it’s flippin’ cold and windy all day.  I like to be productive and busy, and being cooped up in a bitty house can make me crazy.  Although now that I have an oven, I may whip up a few cookies or cupcakes… yeah… that’s what I’ll do.  It’ll feel good to knock a few pins off my boards.

But even at the hotel, I’m feeling a bit unproductive.  No.  Unproductive isn’t the right word  Maybe squashed?  Yes.  Squashed.

I have all these things I want to do to help the front office run smoothly and keep our employees happy.  I’m the go-to person for the desk agents, even the veteran ones.  The managers will often come to me as well.  And while I love that, my feelings are mixed.  It seems I have one manager who’s intent on reminding me of my place.  While he’s not making it obvious, his actions are showing me that maybe he feels threatened?  I don’t know why.  It’s not like my growth will affect him.  He’s already where I want to be.  But I can’t help wonder if it bothers him that nobody goes to HIM for answers.  No offense to him, but he’s new to our hotel chain, and I’ve been there for almost 4 years, so I know a lot.  Plus I trained them all, so it’s natural for them to come to me.

Anyway, I’m realizing my supervisor position isn’t enough to challenge me anymore.  I’m ready to move up the ladder, so I’m excited about this class I’ve been accepted to.  Only 6 of 35 applicants were chosen, and I’m hoping it’ll help my chances of climbing higher.  Although that gives me mixed feelings too, since I may have to leave my hotel.  I LOVE my hotel.  None of the others are as challenging as ours!  I don’t wanna leave!  Ugh.  Well, I’ll climb THAT ladder when I get there.  First things first. And that would be my class.  It starts Thursday.  I hope it’s everything I’m wanting it to be.

In the meantime, I’m happy to have had this Veteran’s Day off.  If I’d been working, I’m not sure I would have given as much thought to the veterans as I was able to today.  How lucky we are to have people fighting for our freedoms.

 

 

 

Laboring Labor Day

Ahhh…  Labor Day…..

A day to relax and celebrate the efforts of our work.

I chose to celebrate by working my tail off to ensure everyone else could relax and celebrate the efforts of their work.

So there I was,  all cheerful and helpful, providing great service to one and all.  A few guests even stopped by to tell me how wonderful I am.

(seriously.  they did.  I’m a bit embarrassed.)

I was feeling pretty good with the way things were going.   Three days of as many guests checking out as coming in can spell a recipe for disaster.  Especially with the checker-inners wanting to come in before the checker-outers were gone.

But our team worked well together and most of our 800 guests went away happy.

I, however, went away with a little sadness each day.  My micro-managing GM got a few jabs in that shouldn’t have hurt my feelings, but did.  I know what she can be like, and most times I stand my ground and fight back when necessary, and let her words roll off my back.  But when she mouthed to me “Get off the phone”, as if I was just chattin’ away with a friend, I got a little bothered.  Our phone guests deserve time too, and yes, I should ask to call back guests that are going to need some time, but if I can finish within a minute or two, and I don’t have someone at the desk staring me down, then I’m going to take care of the issue.

Even though I KNOW I shouldn’t let it bother me, it did.  Why does she have to tell ME how to provide good customer service?  If you ask me, I could teach her a lesson or two.  All the way home I fumed over those four little words.

Couch time was looking even more appealing, if that’s possible.  I grabbed some ice cream and my computer and began my usual website romping.

Trip Advisor is always one of my stops.  Gotta see what people are saying about our hotel.

This was our latest review:

Our visit started off with the GPS having us make turns we couldn’t due to construction. We ended up in Illinois. Frustrated, as we wanted to take an afternoon tour of Busch Stadium, I called the hotel. On the line was ShadowRun who ultimately talked us all the way in to the hotel!! SO helpful!! In building parking – terrific! The breakfast was great as well as the “kick back” 5:30 – 7:30. Location is fantastic for the Gateway Arch as well as Busch Stadium.
We tried to make arrangements to stay there on our return trip, but they were full (imagine that!). But we were so impressed with everything the hotel had to offer and all the VERY NICE employees that we arranged to stay at 4 <of their> Hotels on our return trip.
If you get the chance – STAY HERE – and tell ShadowRun she’s awesome!!

Uh huh.  Yep.  That’s me.  Sometimes phone calls are just as important as the guests in the hotel.  This guest is staying at our hotels all the way home, and it’s because I didn’t “get off the phone”. 

My GM will never make the connection.  But I wanted somebody to know. 

So thanks for listening.

And Happy Labor Day to you all!  Here’s hoping you didn’t have to labor…