Atypical Atmosphere

11:11 - Today was a variation from the norm, and it ended up being very good for me. I woke up earlier than I usually do, traveled more than I care to, and am up later than I should be.

The day began with my alarm going off at 5:30 AM. This is the time when I hope that the the gray of pre-dawn has not started creeping into the window so that I can sleep for a few more hours. Today I was excited though, so I got up and promptly called my parents. I needed a hat.

My parents showed up on my doorstep at about 6:30, and we were loaded and on the road by 6:45--a bit later than we were hoping, but still quite respectable, considering my alarm would have just gone off on any other normal day, and I would have quickly silenced it.

We drove to Fallon, Nevada today, and I was very pleased that Munchkin did so well, and that Wifey's back didn't bother her (two of our own personal miracles in one day). The drive was relatively unexciting, but what can you expect as you drive through the deserts of western Idaho, eastern Oregon, and Nevada? I do have to say that I saw more green than I expected today, so that was good.

After arriving at our hotel, we found out that they weren't expecting us for another day. After some carefully-worded concerns were expressed by my brother, we were able to find a room for us and four other families who would be coming for our reunion. We were a bit scattered, but no worse for the wear.

We had a great day catching up with family that I haven't seen--some that I haven't seen in two years. We were only missing one of my nephews, but he is involved with something that we all whole-heartedly support him in, so we can excuse him for the time being. After this wonderful time, I came back to our hotel room.

Now I have not stayed in a lot of hotels in my life. I am grateful for that. I like my creature comforts of home. My thoughts about a hotel room can be summed up by an arm chair that sits in the corner of this room. It is relatively comfortable, and I am currently sitting in it with my feet up on the matching ottoman. The chair is quite pleasing to look at, and I wouldn't mind having a similar boldly-upholstered armchair in my home, but if you look at a large button in the middle of the chair, there is a button that is askew.

Hotel rooms have a barren sense of comfort for me. When you walk in, the furnishings are generally tactful and the bed is larger than ours at home. There are mirrors placed strategically through the room to make it seem bigger. Everything appears perfect--until you start living in it.

As I lay in bed tonight, I realized that the bed was too hard, the pillows were too soft, the light switch was lit, the air conditioner kept the blinds open just enough to let the light of the casino through, the soaps are strangely perfumed, and the furnishings were not quite right. While it appears to be nice, it isn't what I'm used to, and while that isn't always a bad thing, in this case it is.

My first clue was actually the tub. I have always found refuge in the bathroom. Ever since I was young, I knew that I could go into a bathroom and people wouldn't come in to find me. It was guaranteed private space. Even to this day, I like to take books into the bathtub with me to wind down at the end of the day. A bit crazy, I know, but it relaxes me.

As I was performing my nightly ritual tonight, I put my book down on the floor to start washing myself. I went to slide down in the tub to get wet, and found that I couldn't sink into the inviting warm water like I wanted to. I understand that some people need non-slip surfaces on the floors of their tubs, but not I! A slippery bottom on a tub is a MUST for me.

After I got out of the tub, I climbed in bed and realized that the mirrors that make the room look larger in the day make it seem cavernous at night.

What I am trying to say is that I'm not home, and I'm feeling it. Good thing I have plenty of family around to make it seem more like home, even though they generally aren't around.

I will now resign myself to try to get comfy on the bed and attempt to drift off to sleep until the morning (or Munchkin) wakes me up.

Wish me luck...