The rest of the week

Needless to say, Brent's boss kept insisting that all the hotels were booked given the fact that the PGA conference was also this week so we kept our room. I had the sheets changed and with me being in the room while they were cleaning, I kind of kept my eye on them to make sure it got done. I still didn't sleep well any of the nights for multiple reasons, mostly because the beds were so uncomfortable. Oh well, what can you expect from a hotel that's basically a super 8 motel but has a few more floors?

I was faithful to my job and worked my full shift each and every day as I had promissed my boss. Monday evening, I was invited to join Brent and his bosses and the head of the compost site in FL with a few other people to go to dinner. We were takne to a place called Maggiano's. I have to say without a doubt, this was the best Italian food I have ever had. The dinner lasted 3.5 hours and although it was so good, they were so busy and the kitchen staff was short handed so we waited nearly an hour between our appatizers and main course. Our dinner was ordered "Family Style" so we were allowed to order 2 appatizers, 2 salads, 2 pastas, two meats and 2 desserts. Boy oh boy, we were so full by the time we were done.

Tuesday and Wednesday were somewhat uneventful. Brent's boss wanted to show us Downtown Disney which is a shopping row of disney stores and eateries. Had I known we were so close to that, and had I know there was a shuttle service from here to there, I would have done that on Sunday.

Thursday, Brent took his bosses to the airport and then came back to pick me up and we headed to Epcot. Honestly, I don't think this is somewhere I would go to again but the fireworks display was truly awesome. I never did understand what Epcot was all about. Now I know.


Friday, it was off to The Magic Kingdom. My feet have been swollen pretty much the entire trip and though I brought my water pills with me, I couldn't take them Thurs or Friday because of the number of trips to the potty I have to make for at least 5 hours after taking them. Stupid pills, they make me go but they don't get rid of the swelling in my ankles like I think they should. So, because my fee are so swollen, I had a very difficult time walking. My sweet husband carried my big pink bag all over the park because it had his water in it and it was too heavy for me.

We had a great time but I have to say, Disneyland in California seems to me to be a better park than Florida. The rides are basically the same but Florida doesn't have the matterhorn. January is definately the time to come though. The weather was beautiful and the ride lines were never more than 15 minutes.

Sunday in Orlando

Brent was up and out the door for his first day of training before I got out of bed. I had a horrible night, not sleeping much at all and when I did, I had bad dreams about my poor kitties missing me at home. I got up, showered and dressed and decided to do a little work. I worked for almost a couple hours then decided I needed to go find what was out there. Saturday night as we were coming back from dinner, I noticed that Sea World was a short distance from the hotel so I decided to take a walk. From the hotel to the entrance (through the parking lot at SW)it was about 1.5miles. When I got there, I noticed the prices. $80 for one person to get in. Since I was there only to get some lunch and do a little souvenier shopping, I decided that wasn't worth paying. So I loitered around a little bit, took some photos to say I'd been there, looked in the one gift shop that is outside the gate (didn't buy anything) then left. I walked to the big hotel that is next to the one I am in and went inside. Again, I was hoping for lunch and a gift shop to buy a t-shirt. I only have cold weather clothes and it's too warm here for them. (FYI, all my spring and summer clothes have little holes in the belly from the button on my pants rubbing on the fabric and wearing it out so I didn't pack any of them.) I found a little shop inside this big hotel, bought a t-shirt and headed off to find some lunch. I had some fish and chips at a little bistro in the hotel, nothing to brag about then headed back to the hotel I am staying in to work some more. I worked another couple hours or so and then went out and sat by the pool and read a book. I bought "Dear John" to read on the plane but didn't get to it. Brent got out of his class a little early and was back by 4:15 or so. He came to get the GPS because the big boss called and needed to be picked up from the airport. The rental car is in Brent's name so he had to go. We were to meet them for dinner in 15 minutes.

Boy, dinner with 4 men from a waste water treatment facility is so much fun! At least Tony Roma's was good. Every big Hotel we passed, the "big boss" would say, I tried to book our rooms there but they were all booked up. I counted at least 4 different hotels he said that about. Then we passed the Wynhdham, where we were originally booked and where the convention is, and I am just shaking my head. Why oh why did he think this one would be better? And unless he had as bad of a night's sleep as I did, I think we're stuck here.

After dinner, I Brent stayed in the sports bar in the lobby with a couple of "them" and while he was there, I checked the internet. This room is $109 a night. The hotels right in Disney World are $89 per night and they look much nicer. Besides, they are right there in DW so they have to be clean. I tried to talk Brent into moving for our last three nights here but he said we can't because the company paid for the rooms and we paid the company for our share so it would be too hard. With Disney only 8 miles from where we are, he thinks we are fine.

I decided to go to bed. This time, I pulled the covers down from the side I hadn't been on the night before. We have two double beds so Brent sleeps in one and I in the other. I noticed a crusty stain on the sheets in a place that I had not been. Who knows what it was but I also noticed a smell of mens cologne on one of the three pillows. Brent doesn't wear cologne and hadn't been on that bed. Again,I didn't sleep much at all.

Monday morning I requested the sheets be changed on both beds.

Orlando-the hotel

Brent's company sent him to Orlando FL for a training seminar. Since I'd never been to Florida before, I decided to tag along. My plan is to work, as usual but from the hotel room while Brent is in class on Mon, Tue and Wed then on Thur and Fri, we could go to Disney World. Brent was told that they originally booked everyone's rooms at the Wyndham Hotel but because the big boss preferred the Hilton, they changed us to the Hilton Garden Inn. They told Brent that it was a newer, nicer hotel so I'm thinking... well, since Brent's class starts on Sunday, maybe I can schedule myself a spa day or maybe even just go walking around, souvenier shopping. A whole day to myself... this could be fun.

Then as we are getting closer and closer, I began to realize that there is NOTHING around for me to walk to. No shopping, no spa, no souveniers. As we walked into our room, this is the first thing I saw: A lumpy bed...oh great! Then I thought, hum, a feather bed. then I laid on it. Nope, it's just the bedspread that they've washed and the fiberfilling matted up into clumps and the bed, hard as a rock. Brent opens the curtains and this is what we see:
and if you press your cheek up agains the window, you have a lovely view of the pool:


One of the other bosses that came on the same flight we did felt the same way we did about this place and thought for certain that as soon as the big boss sees this place, we'll be out of here. He has a great view of the business right behind the hotel; a "Behavioral hospital", complete with barbed wire fencing and all!

Two Saturdays

These pictures are in reverse order but they are too hard to change on my mini netbook so I'll just deal with them the way they are. The week before last Saturday when my son was in town, we went to our oldest daughter, Kim's house. Kim is the one that just had a baby. We had dinner (KFC) and played Rock Band. I have to tell you, or rather brag a bit that my two grandchildren, Zach and Aubrey are Beetles Fans now that they have been exposed to this version of Rock Band. They now know all the Beetles music, thanks to their dad.

Then just last Saturday, we went to our youngest daughter's house. She wanted to try a new recipe so we all went there for dinner and more Rock Band. This time, I bought the Rock Band Country version since I prefer country music.Three piece girls band, Aubrey on Drums, Kim on Guitar and me singing a "white trash version of Shania karaoke".
Brent, Zac and Shawn playing a Beetles favorite
Jase, pretending to play guitar
Aubrey, just looking cute
Jase, he's really not mad, he's jumping on the ottoman.
Miss Mollie on the drums (She's 18 months old...a child prodigy in the making)
Aubrey on the guitar, Jenny singing "She thinks my tractor's sexy"
Kim on guitar
Jase loves his new baby cousin, Jacob
Cute baby Jacob

Brent on Drums, Jeff in the background on bass and Zach on guitar. Zach was also the singer. He can play and sing at the same time on a hard level and still get over 90% score.

Uncle Jeff with the kids. We're trying to get them all to pose with him but either one or the other refused to cooperate.

Miss Aubrey singing. She can't read but she knows the words to the song and gets high scores!

Mollie...Say "CHEEEEESE"
I just love my family. I am so lucky and so blessed!

I'm Baaaack!

Well, sort of. I have been so busy at work, training a new employee only to have to let her go after a week and a half then trying to catch up on my own work that doesn't get done while I am training and now having to find another new employee to start training on Monday. I interviewed a gal today that may work out.I kind of got the feeling she wasn't over excited about the job, having to be on the phone all day but she said she would call me to let me know this evening or tomorrow morning after she discusses it with her husband. She has to be trained by the end of next week because I will be in Florida the week after. I've even been getting orders for more doll clothes since Christmas so I've been continuing my 15 hour work days. Today is the first day I have not needed to do something for someone else.

Last weekend my son came to visit from Arizona. It was a very short visit and I think he was sad to leave. We just did family stuff and as soon as Kim sends me her pictures (because I forgot my camera) I will post pictures.

About Florida, Brent is going for a work convention and I am tagging along. Since his convention will go from Sunday to Wednesday, I will have the day to myself on Sunday then Mon thru Wed, I will be working my regular job from the hotel room. Then on Thursday and Friday, Brent and I will do some sight seeing.

I went to the doctor for the swelling in my feet. He gave me some water pills and the swelling is going down a little but not as quickly as I had hoped. I still cannot get my shoes on so wherever I go, I have to wear my slippers. I am really hoping that by the time we leave for FL on the 23rd, my feet will be back to normal.

Pictures and more posts to follow in the next day or so.