I've got sunshine....

I'm currently working in San Diego, California. I will end up being at this hotel for a little over a month, and because of that I actually get time off on this site. I was here last summer and made a new friend, Melissa, who graciously rescued me from my hotel my first weekend here. We went to dinner one night at a place called Phil's that's known for its B-B-Q. When I was here previously, we tried to go eat there, but the lines were always just too long. After that, we went to see Avatar in 3-D. Not sure what it is about Melissa and 3-D movies, but last time I was here we saw Up! in 3-D. She's officially my 3-D movie buddy ;) On Saturday, I visited the local farmer's market and then she and her friend Bree joined me in my area (my hotel is in Little Italy) for the Carnevale. It ended up being a bust, where basically the waiting times for all of the restaurants were twice their normal times, but it was still fun to get out with the girls. After finally getting to eat dinner, we then left Little Italy and met up with Bree's friends Aimee and Tony for a little bowling. I did not win, but it sure was nice to do "normal" stuff for a change. On Single's Awareness Day Melissa picked me up for a late lunch then we headed to her house to watch a movie. I really like having her here; I hadn't realized how much I miss having friends around.

I was able to use some of my airline miles to fly Mom out to California for a long weekend. This was the first time she has been to any of my sites and to say I was thrilled would be a huge understatement! Melissa and I picked her up from the airport and took her to dinner while we had dessert. Later, Mom and I went for a walk around Little Italy before the rain sent us heading for the hotel. On Saturday morning Melissa picked us up and the 3 of us WENT TO DISNEYLAND!!! The drive took us about an hour and a half and I think I enjoyed watching Mom take in the views more than the drive! We got to Disneyland right at 10 and met up with a friend of Melissa's who used his pass to let us in for FREE. Awesome, right? Turns out our passes also happened to be good for the California Adventure Park. It just kept getting better!


We immediately tried on "ear" hats for a picture and then we were off! Melissa has been to the park many times and has a vast amount of knowledge on all things Disney. It was so perfect to have her with us! We saw several characters throughout the park and managed to take pictures with a few (I got autographs too!). I think about the only ride we missed was the Tea Cups, and that was based on a mutual agreement. I loved the Finding Nemo ride; Mom loved the movie, and as soon as she saw Dory, she yelled, "It's Dory!" Half the people in the submarine turned to look at us, and we all just giggled. I love my mom's ability to be herself and not worry about what others think. When I grow up I want to be just like her.


I think my favorite part of the day was when we rode the Hollywood Tower of Terror. Melissa isn't a fan of the ride, so she sat out enjoying the day while we rode. If you've never riden it, the ride simulates an elevator and goes up and down the elevator shaft (it's tons of fun, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone!). The whole time we were in motion, Mom kept screaming, "I hate this ride! I hate this ride!" sounded just like a little girl. When it was over she looked at me, totally serious, and said, "Wanna go again?!" Geez! That woman, I tell ya! =0)



We ended up staying until closing time, and try as I did, I couldn't keep my eyes open all the way home. Mom and Melissa had a good laugh at my expense when they tried to ask me questions, but I was so sleepy that I just kind of mumbled and then kept rambling. Overall, it was a fantastic day!


On Sunday, we slept in late and then headed to Balboa Park. We walked for hours, touring the park and exploring the various cultural museums. They have one area that contains several small cottages that each represent a different country. You can go into them and receive information about that country as well as sample some local fare. Most of the volunteers that work the cottages were very informative and natives of their represented countries. Balboa Park is also home to the San Diego Zoo. We were at the gate, ready to purchase tickets, when the rain came pouring down. We took that as a clue to not go to the zoo (I mean, all those smelly animals? Wet? Really? I think not!). We ended up leaving the park and going down to the bay just in time for sunset. We walked around downtown, did a little shopping, then grabbed some sushi for dinner and caught a movie. Another great day!


Mom left on Monday, and I had to work, but we managed to escape for lunch and another quick trip to the bay. I truly enjoyed Mom's visit, and hope to accummulate enough miles to bring Dad to one of my sites soon.

Fasten your seatbelts... it's another whirlwind tour!

1,000 apologies for taking a month off between blogs. It was not my intent when I started this for that to happen, but .... All I can say is that I'll try to do better. Before I get to my current trip, I want to share a little bit about my previous trips for 2010. Please bear with me, and I will try to get through them as quickly as possible.

My first trip of 2010 led me to the gorgeous Mohonk Mountain House Resort located in New Paltz, NY. Both my day trip to NYC and my day trip to Boston were made possible thanks to this trip. While I'd never heard of New Paltz or Mohonk, that wasn't surprising to me because I've been to several places I've never heard of thanks to this job. What was surprising to me was how fabulous this place was hidden among the Catskills! I felt like I was stepping into a winter wonderland and back in time to the late 1800s. Mohonk Mountain House is owned and still operated by the Smiley family. I had the pleasure of meeting one Smiley while on property and he loved to talk about his family's legacy. The resort is situated in such a manner that from one side you overlook the Catskill Mountain range and from the other you can see Mohonk Lake the top of the Shawangunk Ridge. Everything was under a blanket of snow that was refreshed throughout my stay. I loved it! One of the nice perks of my job is that I have the opportunities to experience winter without having to live in a wintry climate. I think the snow is beautiful, and hope to never become jaded by the work that is involved in shoveling and the like to miss the simple beauty of it. There was not enough time to participate in all the activities MMH offers it's guests, but I was able to hike to the top of the ridge one day and watch the sunset. Coming back down, I appreciated the softly glowing lights that illuminated the property and guided me to my temporary home. The shear size reminded me of the Hogwarts School from the Harry Potter novels. I could go on and on, but you can read the website if you're interested instead http://www.mohonk.com/.

From Mohonk I went to TEXAS! And that is all the excitement I had from that site. I worked support at the hotel on the Sam Houston State University Campus. Yep, that means overnights with college kids. Not much going on for the property, and the employees all had homework, so it was pretty boring for me. The rooms were nice though. They are currently undergoing much renovation and it is being done well. If you are ever in the neighborhood, they are clean and cheap too!

After SHSU, I went to Durham, NC. I was there for a follow up visit and it is such a sweet site. I first worked at the Brookwood Inn back in September and was there for support (picture is from website, sorry but I didn't take any this trip). The site seemed to better appreciate my presence than that of my colleague, and it was I who they requested return. This was my first follow up site, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but when I walked into those front doors it felt just like I'd never left. There truly is something to be said for Southern hospitality. This was just as all those winter storms hit the East coast, the property was surrounded by snow and ice, and I was so busy that this was my first (and only thus far) property to not leave throughout my entire stay. I didn't step one foot outside the building until I caught my cab to leave. Fortunately, I'd been there before and knew what I was missing. I decided I'll just have to go back when the weather is behaving so that I can play. If you ever happen to travel to Durham, NC, I suggest you stop by. The people are friendly, the tea is sweet, and they serve warm cookies every evening.

On a side note, when I arrived at the Raleigh/Durham airport, I spotted an NBA plane. I didn't notice any team affiliation, so I wasn't quite sure what players to seek out. Turns out Larry Bird was just strolling through the terminal. I couldn't reach my camera in time to snatch a picture of Mr. Bird, but I did get one of the plane.