let me tell you about my first night in colorado

Friday I did a very smart thing and hired my sister Liz to come to work with me. Having an extra hand was really helpful it made my day that much smoother just having someone to make copies of things and help me get ready to travel. The best thing she did was drive me to work and drive me to the airport so I was able to sit in the car and work since I have a wireless junction box and not worry about driving. Ah what a luxury. Plus it's always more fun having someone drop me off at the airport, I just like having a friendly face to say goodbye to. 

At John Wayne Airport it was great. I checked in quickly and learned that I was a classic plus ticket which was kind of frontier airlines first class. I got to board first, sat in the first row, and got free DirectTV in my seat (vs paying $6 for it) and watched episodes of Unwrapped on the Food Network. The stupid captain started talking about safety or something right during the segment where they were talking about the Lodge company which makes cast iron skillets. A topic I was very interested in. The flight was fine, a little bumpy as we got to Denver and there was a serious lighting and thunderstorm thing happening which just made me pray that the plane would land safely. It was a beautiful show though all that lighting. Landed in Denver 11pm their time.

Then I took a shuttle to the rental place and checked out my pimpin' black Chrysler Town & Country minivan and drove 1.5 hours to Colorado Springs. In the dark. With only my google maps telling me where I was going and Matt talking to me to keep me alert. I saw signs for places I'd heard of like the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Focus on the Family. Colorado Springs is big 'cause by the time I saw the first signs for the city 'til my exit it was a good while.

Finally I arrived at the Doubletree. Where upon check in you are greeted with a warm cookie. A tradition of theirs. Cute.

All I wanted at this point was to dump my crap in my room and go to sleep. It's 12am by this time I think. My room is on the 5th floor and not at all close to where I thought I'd parked close to. It was waaaay down the hall. When I got to my room I opened it and it was safety locked from the inside and a voice said "YES?" They put me in an occupied room! Back down to the lobby with both my suitcases I go. The room I'm in is occupied. And thanks to the USGA being in town the hotel is booked solid.

There is one room. It's an out of order room because the air conditioner is broken but they gave me a fan and sent me on my way. 

I slept with the sliding glass door open and the curtains closed and the fan running and that wasn't bad but what the hell is that noise. The radio. Someone is listening to it and it's not at a volume I can ignore. I press my ear to one wall, then the other and can't figure it out. I'm on the top floor it can't be above me. Wait. Yup, it's coming from the floor beneath me. I called the hotel on them and thank heavens I had ear plugs in my bag 'cause I put those suckers in, put my mask on, and tried to sleep but I kept tossing. I dunno if i was hot or cold or couldn't shut my brain off but I felt like I barely slept. Oh well. The following morning there was an envelope under my door. It was a complimentary buffet breakfast to make up for the occupied room fiasco.

Too bad I'd pre-ordered breakfast via room service or else I would have been all over that business. Not that I don't totally LOVE having room service. My idea of heaven.

Well since my room was out of order I was told that the following day I'd have to move rooms so I worked for awhile and re-arranged my suitcase, went to Target to get snacks and a yellow watch that ended up being broken and I returned later and waited for my room to be ready. I made the boys a little snack box I'm gonna keep in the minivan to further the notion that I'm the mom. It has snacks and sunblock and band aids and neosporin and wet ones.

I did some more work, finally moved into my room for the next two days until it was time to pick up our assistant director from the airport. I picked him up and we decided to go nuts and had lunch at Fargo Pizza Co. It's so intense it's getting its own post, be on the look out for that later.


As we drove back to the hotel I gasped when I saw the best thing I'd seen all day:

I promise to you that as I was driving and most of that morning I kept wondering if Colorado had Dunkin Donuts and was meaning to look it up and there it was. The AD was from Jersey so he understood my need for DD. We grabbed some iced ones and I got munchkins and now I'm waiting for 8:30 'cause we're supposed to be going out for a work dinner. 


So far it's been a lot of fun. Getting the job ready might not have been so fun but now that we're here, it's looking good. I'll try to blog as the job goes on since I'll end most my nights alone in my hotel room watching Glee Ally Mc Beal on Netflix doing not much.