I’ve slept in a number of hotels in the last month. I only had one less-than-perfect stay and that was in St. Augustine, Florida. I can’t even tell you the name of that hotel. Mr. Virgo spoiled me with hotels and restaurants since that was his career. He taught me what to look for, how you give feedback in a way that ensures a problem is fixed, when and how to send food back, and how to ask for a better rate. Consequently, I can be pretty critical of hotels and restaurants so when one goes above and beyond, I like to give kudos.

Seven dogs have owned my heart. One at a time, these fur babies stole into my life, took up residence in my bed, got up on the furniture, snuck my sandwiches and left morning surprises behind the odd chair or sofa. They let the world know they were a part of my life by decorating every stitch of my clothing with hair the exact opposite darkness of what I was wearing. They destroyed shoes and doors, carpets and toys. They changed the way my house smelled and the way I looked at the world. They changed me…for the better. Eventually, they all made their way to the Rainbow Bridge to wait for me. And, they invariably took a piece of my heart with them when the left.

After a long day driving to Cincinnati, standing in a receiving line for nearly two hours, and sitting through a gut wrenching funeral, my traveling companion and I were exhausted. We got up yesterday morning and had a wonderful hotel breakfast. (I know…it sounds like an oxymoron. Try Hampton Inn Cincinnati/King’s Island) We stopped at the front desk, asked for a late checkout for 12:30 and went back upstairs and slept for two more hours. The beds were fabulous, the linens luxurious, and the room was quiet and well appointed with a fridge, microwave, and coffeepot. All for $80 with an AARP discount. I have found some great deals this month.

I came to Cincinnati yesterday for my friend Anna’s funeral. Most of you read that Anna died seventeen days after her husband. Both from natural causes. Anna and Lance would have been extremely proud of their girls yesterday. They were gracious and greeted hundreds of people before sitting through the 90 minute service. The hardest thing for me was watching her little granddaughters crying through the service. They were so beautiful and so brave. The eldest stood up and read a story about her Mimi. It was heartbreaking yet such a beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman.

I went to the mall last night after dinner and watched people. Couples holding hands. Young families entertaining little ones, trying to tire them out before bed. Singles on solitary shopping excursions, perhaps assuaging their own pangs of loneliness on “International Couples Day”. I totally indulged myself with some chocolate. I didn’t feel bad. I’m not alone. I’m never alone. I do sometimes get lonely, but I wasn’t last night. Alone or lonely. It’s a matter of vernacular.

In less than a month it will be four years that you’ve been gone. Our last Valentine’s Day together came and went without giving your impending death a thought. I fixed you a wonderful meal. You brought me flowers and a little heart shaped cake. You gave me a gushy card. I love gushy cards. You knew that. You stood in the card section carefully reading each one till you found the gushiest of the gushy cards to satisfy the incurable romantic that lives within me. You were sweet that way.

I’m home, safe and sound. I can’t say I’m particularly excited about it. As a matter of fact, I’ve pretty much made up my mind to spend much of next winter in the south. I have never achieved re-entry gracefully after vacations. This is no exception. The pile of luggage, laundry, pamphlets, cooler, shoes, backpacks, and souvenirs will have to be dealt with during the week.

There’s always an emotional slump for me when I try to come down from the high that travel gives me. I love the excitement of being on the road. That being said, I am really grateful I got home without mishap. And, I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel. I got in late last night and added another 2,500+ miles to my travel total. I’m pretty tired.

I had one of the best days ever yesterday. It was absolutely the perfect culmination of my vacation. I’ve been in Bristol visiting my cousin and his wife. I love them so much. I was in 1st grade when Tommy went in the Navy. He came back on leave once in his Navy whites and I fell in love. I was ten. I’ve always been close to Tommy and Suzy so visiting them is a treat I treasure.

Intimacy: a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.

I arrived at my cousin’s house in Bristol, TN a couple of hours before dinner.

I stayed in the Ramada Inn in Statesville, North Carolina last night. I tried the old “Can you meet this price on the Internet?” routine to no avail. The front desk clerk said, “Buy it on the internet, then.” So, I sat in the car in front of the hotel, purchased the room for $63 and went back in to check in. Just off the interstate, recently remodelled, and a hot buffet breakfast that was quite good. What’s not to love?

On the 24th of January, I wrote a post called “A Prayer for Anna”. My friend from high school lost her husband on the 22nd to a sudden heart attack. I knew, as many of you do, what she went through. That feeling of losing the life you had, the life you had planned, your best friend and your life partner. I know what her children went through as they tried to process their loss and break the news to their children that their Papa wasn’t coming home. That was what she dreaded the most…telling her five grandchildren.