YEARNING FOR PURITY: July 2009

Friday, July 24, 2009

I'LL BE BACK! (THINK ARNOLD SCHWARTZENAGER)

To my faithful tiny following (if I actually have one :? Things have been quite busy as of late and thus, I haven't been posting as much as I would have liked. I WILL be back with a new post in the next few days! Thank you to any of those who actually read my blog, as humble as it is, and we'll talk soon! :)

Monday, July 13, 2009

TRAVEL ABOUT--A HAMPTON INN EXPERIENCE

This post is from my travel blog (not yet up and running).

I believe that we can profit from other’s experiences in travel, and I believe that tourist amenities can profit from feedback—both positive and negative.

That said…

DH and I stayed at the Hampton Inn this past Friday night. Our room was a Jacuzzi suite.

The hallway and room were free from any smoke or stale smell.

The first room had a nice-sized Jacuzzi and food-prep. bar, which included a sink, small refrigerator, microwave, and coffee pot. These came in handy for storing the cold items that we brought, cooking our microwaveable foods, and brewing a hot drink.

A basket was well stocked with both regular and decaf. coffee, but as we don’t drink coffee, I brewed myself a nice cup of Calli tea.

This ante-room afforded a chair, comfortable couch, a nicely sized desk, and a large TV.

The second room contained a VERY comfortable pillow-top bed, a chest of drawers, straight-backed chair, a second TV, and a closet with full-length mirror.

Inside the closet were stored an iron and full-sized ironing board—much better than the table-top variety.

THE BATHROOM

The bathroom was stocked with nice towels, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and make-up remover cloths. It also contained a wall-mounted blow dryer. A hand mirror would have been very convenient, as would drinking glasses.

The room was spacious with a good-sized tub/shower. A towel bar by the sink would have been handy.

I liked that the hangers could actually be removed from the closet (unlike the kleptomaniac-free ones that most hotels use) so that I could steam my clothes in the bathroom while showering.

HAMPTON ROOM PROS

Two rooms

Hubby could watch TV in one room while I worked on the computer in the quietness of the bedroom

A complimentary hot breakfast

Courtesy call

Within approximately one hour of arrival, a woman from the front desk phoned to see if our room was satisfactory and if there was anything we needed. I was quite impressed with this small but large gesture.

Good check-out time

Most hotels have a check-out time of 11:00 a.m. The Hampton Inn offered a 12:00 p.m. checkout, which is delightful.

Late check-out

We requested a late check-out and were give our requested time of 1:00 p.m.

HAMPTON ROOM SMALL NEGATIVES

Casual Dress

Inadvertently stopping at the Hampton Inn at the opposite end of town rather than the one where we had reservations, I saw that the front-desk personnel were VERY neatly dressed. I recall being impressed that the young man was in suit and tie—something we don’t see much of anymore, and it made me feel special as a guest—like I was staying in a fancy hotel.

When I got to my correct hotel, the staff were dressed in very casual clothes. It had me wondering if I was staying at a lesser hotel.

No DVD player

Most rooms these days have a DVD player; this one did not. This is of little significance to me; yet, I know many who enjoy watching movies while on vacation.

HAMPTON ROOM DEFINITE CONS

A less-than tidy bed

It made one wonder if the sheets had actually been changed or if a hurried housekeeper just threw up the covers, put on the placards, and called it good. With all of the diseases around, one can’t be too careful, and this was a definite red flag to me.

PRICE

$152.00 (plus change and bed tax)

WOULD I STAY AGAIN?

Yes but only on a special occasion. I don’t like to spend this much on a hotel room generally speaking and feel like The Hampton could charge less to ensure a greater return of customers.

Friday, July 10, 2009

THE SONG OF MY WEEK

Well this has been an odd week, indeed… A week of worry…A week of hope…A week of sadness…A week of delight…

A melody of both harmonious and discordant song…

Three evenings ago Our DD moved away. Pushed back a week due to vehicle troubles (they got about ¾ of a mile down the road and were stranded) they left a full week late. Because they had to take the trip slowly, they ended up having a 15-hour journey ahead of them.

On top of that…They planned on driving the whole way without stopping for the night. Getting out of town at 10:30 p.m., as they did, had them arriving at their destination at around 1:30 the following afternoon!

I felt tones of both worry and hope...

Thankfully, they made it! This is the third time that Keira has moved to the Salt Lake area. She claims that she doesn’t really care for it there…Hmmm…I think the boyfriend has something to do with it!

www.duluxcards.co.uk

Another note that has played this week is one of sadness...

On the 24th of June, I thought to myself that this was the date that marked the 20th anniversary of my sister and her husband. I was happy that they had made it this far, as they have had a pretty tough go of it all these years.

Just a few moments ago, I found out that divorce is most likely eminent.

That horrible D word is so common these days—thrown out of our mouths with ease and commonality. One, however, hopes that it never happens to you. Because it is so everyday doesn’t mean that it makes it o.k. or right in the mind of he or she who is getting the divorce. They have to go through an immense amount of pain. I feel so bad for my sister. I feel bad for her children. My prayers are with their family.

Another note in the dissonance of the week…

My dad informed me that this afternoon one of his employees had just recently found out that her young son was apparently in a pool with friends today and ended up having to have CPR. At the time of this writing, he is being transported from a small town 50 miles away to our hospital here. Not even she knows his condition. I pray for her; she is pregnant with another little one and is extremely distraught. I ask for your prayers as well in behalf of her and her family.

Thinking of the heartache of others, it hardly feels right mentioning that I have had a wonderful day...

Nonetheless, as a song is made up of many tones—some high and some low…

So too our lives possess a variable abundance of notes.

A note of delight…

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary of 26 years yesterday! Because we both had to work, we simply exchanged cards and kisses…

Today, while I was at work, I got a message on my cell phone. DH read off two lists of numbers and told me to write them down and then to call him to find out what they meant…

The first was his odometer reading. We do kind of a fun and silly thing. When he hits a run of identical numbers like 555,555 he calls to tell me. It’s always fun to hear, as he’s a trucker, and he has to find SOME enjoyment in his day!

Well…the second number…was the confirmation number to the motel room that he got for us tonight, as a late anniversary present! Oh, I was so excited that I could hardly wait to get off of work! I have always loved to stay in hotels. They are clean, they are quiet, and they afford me some wonderful reflection time.

So…after work I ran home, packed a bag, and headed off. I could have screamed by the time I arrived! What should have taken me less than 10 minutes of drive time and around 5 miles turned into a very frustrating and LONG expedition! Between my silliness forgetting the way to this particular hotel and going WAY out of my way, my husband inadvertently giving me the wrong hotel address, and the road construction that I hit at almost EVERY turn, it took me about an hour and 15 minutes of drive time and 26 miles in distance! I could have pulled my hair out!

One of my greatest pet peeves in this town is the construction. They can’t space it out…It all happens at once!

They can’t do like they do in a larger city that we lived in and work on it at night then cover with a steel plate during the day for people to drive on…They have to do it during peak working/traveling hours!

Between that, the out-of-town tourists, and the school kids who are now on the roads for the summer, I’d just as soon stay home as try to get around this city!

Shortly after I arrived, Hubby informed me via the telephone that he wouldn’t be off the road until about midnight. The poor man. He has been working 80 hours a week for a time now and was so hoping for a night of relaxation.

So…I sit here alone…And he drives the road alone. Hmmm….Not quite what we had planned!

Nonetheless, we still love each other…He still got this wonderful room for me…My children are safe unlike the poor woman awaiting word of her little one…And I am not in such a challenging time, as is my sister.

Life seems very odd to me. One person can be in the depths of anguish while the next is at the heights of enjoyment. It doesn’t seem quite right…It doesn’t seem quite fair.

I guess that is the way it is, however, and we just have to be sure to take the opportunity in helping and supporting those who are less fortunate…While we are in a time of rest and they…In a period of struggle.