Palm Springs Brag Book

Good Afternoon everyone!  I missed you all:)  It was strange not having any way of checking in on my bloggy friends this week.  However, it was refreshing.  The first few hours I felt like an addict, reaching for my iPad only to find it not there!  Within a few hours, I discovered that I could function without immediate access to the internet.  I felt superior to all those conference attendees who were frantically multitasking on their iPads during sessions.  Then as soon as I got home and unpacked, I grabbed my iPad and held it tight, promising to never leave it alone again.

I was not going to post until Monday, but I realized that I had never linked up with Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera for her Saturday Snapshots.  What more perfect way to share my self-serving bragging pictures from Palm Springs?  So here it goes:).
We stayed at the Hilton in Palm Springs, so I was expecting a nice room with a view of the parking lot.  Imagine my surprise when we were checking in to hear the desk clerk say, "Oh, it looks like you have been upgraded to one of our Presidential Suites." What?  Me, being me, of course I asked him to double check.  My friend and the desk clerk both started talking at the same time and basically told me to take key card and run.  I kept trying to figure out why I had been upgraded, and my good friend and teaching partner reminded me that it had been an almost unbearable few years and that maybe I just deserved it.  Thank you Hotel Gods!

This was my "sitting room" complete with bar and giant flat screen TV (on opposite wall).

This was my giant comfy bedroom, with another giant flat screen TV (on opposite wall).
The incredible bathroom (excuse the unfolded towel).
The huge shower with four shower heads.
The sweet balcony that ran the length of both rooms, overlooking the pool and mountains.
Unfortunately, this was the view of the mountains.
 The Mountain fire had just started before we drove out.

 The second night.
My poor car covered in ash.  Everything was covered in ash.  Smoke and ash hung in the air all week.  I felt sorry for the people who were visiting Palm Springs for the first time.  And having been too close to fire evacuation lines myself, I was really thinking about the people who had been evacuated and the firefighters.  The tragedy outside of Phoenix was still too fresh to not worry about our amazing firefighters.

Since it was unbearably hot and smoky, we didn't venture very far from the hotel for dinner.  We had a fantastic meal each night at Sherman's Deli and Bakery.  They were right across the street from the hotel.  If you are ever in Palm Springs, stop!  The food was so good!  The cakes and pastries were ridiculous!  The customer service and atmosphere was wonderful.

Also, I lost $6 dollars at the casino on the other corner across from from the Hilton.  If only I could use that experience to teach positive and negative integers...,"This summer I put $20 in a penny slot machine and cashed out with $31.50.  Then I put that $31.50 in a $1 slot machine, and cashed out at $14.50.  How much did I lose?"  It has so many possibilities as a lesson:).  

I hope to post on Monday, but the great room adventure is still in progress.  The files have been purged and shredded, and my brother is coming down tonight to load up some of the furniture for their new house.  So the actual rearrangement of rooms will have to wait until he and his family leave on Sunday.  If the computer is accessible and online, then I will post about my Read 180 notebook and tentative schedule.

It is good to be back!

11 comments

  1. We vacationed last summer in Breckenridge and our condo was an upgrade. The owners of the one we rented decided to use it, thus the upgrade...NICE!

    Pat

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  2. Your vacation looked amazing. Now I need a vacation. Thanks for linking up.

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    1. It was nice to get away for a few days, even if it was a working vacation. Sorry it took me so long to join your linky:).

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    1. With Sherman's across the street and that pool, me too!

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  4. Looks so relaxing (minus the forest fires). So glad you got the big upgrade!
    Amy
    http://middleschoolminions.blogspot.com

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    1. Me too:)! I needed it. This was the first time away in about 5 years. This reminded me that I need to get away a little more often.

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  5. Sounds awesome! Gotta love the hotels gods!!! :)

    Lisa

    Fluent in Fourth

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  6. YAY for you!
    You deserve some pampering!
    Sending you happy thoughts...

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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