Here and back

Successful trip up and back.

No airline delays.

A little traffic. A crazy shuttle driver. But nontheless it was a good trip.

The hotel was fabulous. It was a Westin. The last time I stayed at a Westin was on my honeymoon in Maui.

This hotel? It wasn't a newly built building. It was a previously owned private hotel that was taken over/purchased by Westin. And they've done a lovely remodel.

My room had a very streamlined feel to it. Modern decor. Contemporary. The bathroom was nice. Open shelving under the sink. The wallpaper had a basketweave pattern to it. Beige. Two rectangular scones on the walls on either side of the mirror above the sink. The two scones provided an even light as I looked at the mirror. The plasma television was a nice touch. The LARGE desk was nice. The room had TWO beds. I chose to sleep in the one furthest away from the windows. The windows? They were floor to ceiling windows. It was a BEAUTIFUL view in the evening.

When I called for breakfast, the staff called me by name. I don't ever remember THAT happening! I felt so "special"! The gal gave me a 20 minute timeframe for breakfast delivery. So I took a quick shower to wake up and had slipped on the hotel provided robe when I heard a knock at the door. BREAKFAST! It took only a little over 10 minutes! It was totally speedy, which shocked me. And the order was prepared correctly and was still HOT. HOT! I savored that breakfast like no one's business. I ate it at the desk in the hotel robe with MSNBC on the flat screen and the drapes pulled open so I could overlook the scene outside. It was a unique moment.

Of course, the day turned out to be a busy one. I had to sit through a presentation, a couple meetings, and still get my work done. No big. I participated in surgery on a photo copy machine. We had to use wooden chopsticks and my tweezers to extricate paper out of a tiny area of the machine. Unfortunately, the drum of the photo copy machine was injured during the break. A darker streak appeared on the pages of the papers that flowed through. But at least the machine now worked. And then I had to deal with the traffic of getting OUT of San Francisco and to Oakland. A 20 minute trip turned into an hourlong voyage. But I had a fabulous conversation with the taxi driver. Where he grew up (2 hours outside Minneapolis). Where he currently lived (in the city). Where he'd like to live next (Florida). How SF is really pushing BioDiesel. Yeah. LOTS of interesting topics.

But I got home safe and sound. Right on time. To a sleepy house. The kids were happy to see me the next morning when they woke up.

Maw-mee! I MISS you SO much!

The BEST kind of welcome home ever!