That's What Jenni Said

NoVA Travelers made it to Vegas in October!     We arrived in Vegas the first Friday night in October just after 11pm and made our way over to Caesar's via airport shuttle. We checked in, having booked a simple classic room and with a smile and little persuasion were upgraded to one of the 1200 square foot executive suites. Last time we came to Vegas we were successfully upgraded to a bigger beautiful room than originally booked, but never anything this amazing before. I guess I am honing my persuasive skills each time. Our suite had a beautiful marble foyer, a baby grand piano in one of the main sitting areas (there are 3 separate sitting areas, a wet bar, a dining area, a master bedroom and 2 marble bathrooms with separate glass enclosed showers, tubs, and WC with bidets. We were very satisfied with our accommodations to say the least. After check in, we were hungry so we grabbed a quick bite at Augustus Cafe and then headed back to the suite to sleep.     Saturday morning we had...

The second week in Maine NoVA Travelers hosted a scenic lighthouse tour. I had not been up through Maine in roughly 10 years so it was really refreshing to lead the group on this trip.     The plan was to fly to Boston on a Friday afternoon and rent a car for our adventures and everything fell into place as it should. Since there were only a couple of members that signed up for this particular trip, I was able to insert a slight detour on the way up to Maine to stop for dinner with a college friend of mine. She was very gracious (Thanks Helen if you're reading this) and her enthusiasm for …well for just about everything…is infectious and joyful. She steered us to a great dinner spot and we had a lovely time.     Once dinner was over, we said our goodbyes, and headed for Camden - the furthest point on our itinerary. We made it to the Whitehall Inn ( http://www.whitehall-inn.com/ ) pretty late and found our room keys waiting for us at the check-in desk. This inn gained its fame thr...

The first weekend in August NoVA Travelers sauntered off to NYC for a Broadway weekend. These short weekend jaunts to NYC have proved popular with the group and I always love spending time in the city myself.     We stayed at the 70 Park Avenue, a Kimpton property that is fast becoming one of my favorite hotels. What I love about this hotel chain is how special they make guests feel. They greet us by name, they give us a gift from the minibar everytime we stay, and they throw in freebies now and then like a full breakfast when we've had a rough day. Pretty good treatment for a customer that has averaged less than 10 stays in my first year with them. At the big chains like Hilton or Marriott you're a nobody until you've stayed 30 times. Because of this I will give Kimpton all of my business (and of course the travel group's business) whenever they have a property available in the city I happen to be traveling to. Here's a link if you're interested in learning mo...

For anyone interested in joining my travel members (or if you're just interested in where I'm going), and for those who may not have had a chance to check out the full meetup calendar of upcoming trips (at http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/list/ ), here is our listing of all currently scheduled upcoming trips. Find the one that peaks your interest and sign up to join us! Spaces are limited.     Nov 14 6:00 AM Historical Philly Tour http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/11635555     Nov 19 7:00 PM Thanksgiving Holiday in Greece 2009 http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/8467503     Dec 3 12:00 PM Budget Weekend in San Francisco http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/11466810     Dec 10 5:00 PM Aspen Winter/Ski Retreat http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/11277267       Dec 20 6:00 AM NYC Christmas Spectacular http://www.meetup.com/NoVA-Travelers/calendar/11582005     Jan 2 2010 1:00 PM Turn ov...

Notes from John Bradshaw's book RECLAIMING VIRTURE:     Prudence is key-     To be brave rather than cowardly or ruthless To be just rather than dishonest or legalistic To be self-controlled rather than compulsively controlling or impulsively out of control To be compassionate to others suffering rather than being self-absorbed or enabled others by overdoing for them         Moral Totalism<Prudence (the mean)> Subjective Relativism    

Our major vacation this summer was a 10 day trip to the southwestern United States to visit family, see some great national parks and take a breather weekend in Vegas. Because having this much fun all by ourselves would be selfish we of course invited our favorite couple along- Dani and Clayton. None of us were sure we could handle 10 straight days of each other's constant companionship but it actually worked out perfectly. D&C were the best traveling companions we've ever had.     To start the trip, we hopped on a Delta plane and flew to El Paso, TX where Jon's parents picked us up. This was on a Friday, and we spent the entire weekend with them doing our usual NM activities (which mostly consists of eating excellent Mexican food).     Over the weekend Jon and his dad took Dani and Clayton out to the desert for off roading with the jeep and I made time another afternoon to go to the wedding of *my* flower girl Katherine. Hard to believe she's all grown up and gett...

Summer has come and in two days will be gone. The time passed so quickly as we carried on with our adventures.     There has been a lot of family events since the summer began. Jon's brother Jeff and his family transferred from Yorktown, VA [about 2.5 hours from us] across the country to Colorado Springs. They had transferred [Jeff's in the Air Force] here about 3 months after we moved to the DC metro area and it had been so nice to have them nearby so that we could visit often and watch our nieces grow. Hopefully we will still make it out to see them at least once a year in their new location. My sister Suzie came down from Detroit in April to stay with us for an extended visit, returning home in the beginning of July. My oldest sister Sonia dropped in unexpectedly from NY as well, staying with us for a little over a month before she headed down to visit her daughter in N.C. She has now returned to the DC area and is living with my parents until further notice. My sister Alix ...