Sunday Reflections 4/1/2012

It's Sunday, 10 PM and we've just returned from a quick trip to Durango to look at two dental practices.  I'm tired.  I think I got a total of maybe 2 hours sleep in the hotel.  I guess that serves me right for not going with a 3 star or more hotel.  I went for the 2 1/2 star hotel thinking what difference does a half star really make anyway?  Well, apparently, with this hotel, the half star makes all the difference.  It was one of those hotels that probably used to be a motel.  As we pulled up and I saw that it was right by a major road and was one of those old motels converted into a hotel (you know, they kind of look like a super 8.  It's not one big building but the doors are on the outside and there's two stories and they're usually delipidated).  I tried not to worry and recalled that most of the reviews online said it was crummy on the outside but nice on the inside as it had been recently remodeled.  I spent a lot of time online and on the phone with the different hotels researching whether I should reserve this hotel or two separate but connecting rooms at the Double Tree Inn (a hilton by the way) for $40 more a night. 

• Of course, our room was the closest to the highway and on the bottom floor.  Upon entering our room I looked at Brad and he looked at me and asked me if I really wanted to stay there.  It smelled musty and you could tell that it used to be one of those rooms where smoking was allowed.  I'm very sensitive to bad smells so this was not a good sign.  It's appearance was not much better.  There was a stain on the carpet and hair on the tub and toilet.  One of the couch's cushions was ripped and stuffing was coming out.  Oh, and in the bathroom it was standing room only.  I mean you could stand in front of the toilet take one step to the left and be standing in the shower.  Take one step right and oh wait, you can't take a step right because the wall is there.  I've never been in a bathroom so small.  Okay, MAYBE in Argentina.  Brad said I had 10 minutes to decided whether we would stay there as he had a meeting to be at in 20.  Distressed, I looked at the newer furniture and decided that at this point in the day I couldn't be guaranteed to find anything better for the night and that we should probably stay put.  At least there were no bed-bugs.  (And yes, I do check when I go to hotels - call me paranoid if you will.)
• At the pool I had a lady yell at Riley because as he went jogging by her seat from the kid pool to the hot tub he accidentally knocked off her son's t-shirt and it got wet.  Riley didn't know what to say.  I just couldn't watch and not say anything, so I nicely told her he was only 6 and didn't intentionally knock the t-shirt off and that I'm sure he was sorry.  She responded by marching off and telling the management that my children were running wild in the pool area and she was concerned for her son's safety (who was 12 by the way).  The management had a little talk with me.
• At 11:00 I went over to pull out the sleeper sofa only to find out it wasn't a sleeper sofa.  When I made the reservation(I talk to the hotels directly now because I find I can get better accomodations for the whole family if I explain we are a family of 7 and I need at least 3 beds) I specifically requested accomodations for 7 and they told me they had a suite with 2 queens and a pull away bed.  For me, this was the final straw and I was more than a little upset when I went to request a roll-away from the person on duty.  Trying to remind myself that the situation was not the poor front desk lady's fault I was further angered when she informed me that she couldn't give me a complimentary roll-away bed because of fire code but that for an extra $15 a roll-away would be delivered, which of course begs the question why is it NOT against the fire code if they charge me $15?  I, admittedly a little more heated with her than I intended to be, informed her that I would not be paying the extra $15 because I would not have even reserved that room had I not been specifically told by the person over the phone that there were sleeping accomodations for 7, 2 queens and a sleeper sofa.  To which she replied, "They couldn't have said that.  We only have one room like that so they had to tell you that there would be a possibility that you would not get that suite."  I again informed her that I would not have EVER reserved a room for 7 people with only 2 queens in it (Just the thought of all my 5 kids trying to squish in one queen is comical).  She replied that I must have heard wrong.  To which I again said that I did not.  She then said that people lie to them all the time....insinuating that I was making this up at which point I told her that I was not a liar.  I did get the roll-aways (we had to have 2) with no charge.
• Brad needed a good night's rest as he was meeting with a different doctor selling his practice in the morning.  Here's how that went:
• At 2am Brad and I woke up to talking outside my door.
• At 2:30 Brad and I woke up to my neighbors upstairs walking around.  It lasted for an hour. 
• At 6 Brad and I awoke to sirens from a fire engine.
• At 6:30 Brad and I awoke to a call from the manager saying that the pool (which was a separate building outside but VERY close to our room) had caught on fire and that we all needed to stay in our rooms.  Thinking that the fire couldn't possibly be that bad I looked out the window and saw that indeed, it was a full blown fire with a ladder truck, 3 fire engines, 2 ambulances and the entire main street of Durango shut down by the local police.  There went my morning entertainment for the kids while Brad attended a meeting with a 2nd doctor.  I ended up watching river monsters and sponge bob over and over and over...mind numbing I tell you. 

So, I requested a full refund and was again called a liar but finally refunded my full room charge.  I've learned my lesson and next time I'll just shell out the extra $40.  Even for free, I don't know that it was worth it. 

As for Durango, it was absolutely beautiful.  We took the back way home and I don't know that I've ever seen such breathtaking mountain scenery in my life and I come from Seattle, Washington so that is saying something.  Although the emotions stirred within me by the scenery may have been tempered somewhat by the mountain passes we drove on the way home.  There were many curves and lots of drop offs.  As you passed mile after mile of road signs warning that you should not be driving more than 15 mph you can see why the back roads, while much more beautiful and the exact same distance, are less frequently traveled and take 2 hours longer to traverse than the way we came into town.  I found myself clutching the door handle frequently holding on to dear life as we passed corner after corner of steep drop-offs.  I don't know why I clutch.  A lot of good that clutching will do me if we actually do fall off one day.

We did find a practice that we like.  We need to talk some more with the broker, seller and our accountant before we make any move though.

Brad's birthday was this last week. 

Ben's baptism is this coming Saturday and Easter is Sunday.  Grandparent are visiting so you must forgive me.  I am going to take the week off from blogging.