So, once again, it’s been a while since I’ve written. Ten days? Geez…time is FLYING ’cause I’ve been having FUN :).

Last week Tad and I got away for a few days. Much…needed…time away. He’s had a couple of months of l o n g days, so he was especially looking forward to DECOMPRESSION.

Our original plan called for a couple of nights at a WONDERFUL destination where we happened to share the pool with Barry freakin’ Manilow during a previous visit (of course, we didn’t realize that’s who it actually was til later, I just referred to him as the “aging rockstar wannabe”, not realizing he wasn’t exactly a rockstar or a wannabe!). Since the weather decided to revert to fall and we couldn’t capitalize on one of our favorite aspects of the resort, we went to Plan B. A night in Buckhead on our way to the resort.

Have y’all ever tried Priceline.com??? We are new converts! We got a 5-Star hotel in Buckhead at a THIRD of the price it listed as it’s “lowest guaranteed price”. For a bargain shopper who hates paying retail, I will ALWAYS try priceline.com when we travel in the future. Can’t believe we haven’t tried it before.

Anyway, day two we headed to Reynolds Plantation. This is where the title of this blog comes into play. We drive up to the portico where typically a swarm of bellmen would descend on your car to greet you and help you with your bags (I have never been totally comfortable with this kind of treatment, but it’s part of staying somewhere like this, so I grin and bear it). For some reason, the usual swarm wasn’t present, must’ve been a slow time for check in.

We park, get out, open the back of our MINI VAN when another car pulls up BEHIND us. A black BMW with a single man who looks very golf-ish. The single bellman on duty goes to HIM! Ouch!! I felt the sting of being stereotyped and snubbed! I didn’t say anything, but then Tad quietly said to me, “I can’t believe he got that guy first.” so then I knew I wasn’t crazy–Tad NEVER says anything like that! We finally decided to go inside and begin checking in; there was a person ahead of us, so I waited and Tad went back out to the car (I mean van).

I was still irritated at being overlooked when we arrived….I’m a “justice” girl and I was feeling the need to tell on him :), but I kept my thoughts to myself. The woman at the front desk greeted me with the most amazing smile…her countenance was radiant. I couldn’t help but tell her “You have a BEAUTIFUL smile!” and she responded with an even bigger smile. She checked us in, noticing we had been there before, and finished by asking “Is there anything else I can help you with.” I VERY jokingly said, “You can’t upgrade us to the Concierge level at the same rate, can you?” fully knowing that was not doable. This wasn’t one of those times I was “fishing” or expecting she could do a thing about it.

Ummm, guess what? I was wrong. She upgraded us at the same rate (normally there’s a $100 upcharge)…. If you’re wondering what’s the benefit of the upgrade, guests enjoy five “food presentations” a day, plus all the liquid refreshments one can enjoy ;)….all in the comfort of a beautifully-appointed private living room.

I did mental cartwheels ’cause I was pretty excited. Actually, I was touched by the gesture and told Renalda so, but I think she could tell by MY smile.

I told Tad God blessed me for biting my tongue and not dissin’ the bellmen. Yeah, he was in total agreement with THAT one (wish I could show you him rolling his eyes at me). We changed clothes, went out to the pool, and lo and behold, the sun came out for the first time that day. I told Tad God blessed me again for keeping my mouth shut.

So, class, what have we learned today?

1. Priceline.com really is legit and saves you money when you’re planning on going somewhere really nice anyway.
2. Bellmen like Beamers better than minivans.
3. You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar & nothing ventured, nothing gained (to coin just a few cliches that fit).
4. God cares about the details of my life, so much so, that He gives me the really, REALLY nice hotel room at the fancy resort instead of just the really nice room, in order to bless the self control with my tongue.

I think some people really believe that last line :/