Arizona All-Nighter

First, An and I decided to get creative. She gifted me this shirt; much too large for me, but I like the colors. Please excuse the nasty, blurry photos.

I took my needle and thread to it, and this is what I got. Was size L, now is size Krista.

I basically just put a whole bunch of tucks in it.

I let the stitches show, in a homemade, I-was-lazy sort of way.

After our creative juices no longer flowed, we went dumpster-diving. Paper cups abounded in the Borders dumpster! If I was holding a party, that would be awesome! We also got some aprons and boxes.

In-N-Out was the next stop, for food. I like their late night workers better than McDonalds. More friendly and they wear these cool red aprons with huge safety pins.

After a Walgreens stop and a long candy eating session, we headed out to the hot tub. This was around 4:45 am.

It kind of made us sleepy, so we hopped in bed afterward. I slept for a while, and now I'm good to go again!

Hey- Listen to my big brother do the color commentary for the MTU girls basketball team from Missouri tonight!

Read Me

This book wasn't like my usual reading material- which is mostly romance (hey, I like it). It opened my eyes to a couple things: post-partum depression and London. I was fascinated. It is so well-written, it seems like a true story.

Ways to Save at Hotels & other things I've learned

• Book early, and through the hotel directly. Our prices have almost doubled for the busy season from when I started in Nov. You might get a better deal through Expedia/Hotels.com if booking closer to your check-in date, but it is also harder to cancel, add days, etc.
• Ask for a better rate when booking on the phone. We can give a 5% discount if we want, and we don't check for AAA cards.
• Make the reservation for one adult. Our price goes up $5 for each additional adult. Some hotels might be picky, but we aren't. We can't keep track of everyone in all the rooms.
• BE NICE. You are more likely to get what you want, like a 5% discount. I don't like to give things to rude guests.
• If you don't care about housekeeping, look for a hotel without the daily service. The rate should hopefully reflect the savings. And you can probably get clean towels, sheets, etc for free from the desk at anytime. You could probably also borrow a vacuum.
• Ask for freebies. We have shampoo, soap, laundry soap, fabric softener, coffee, deodorant, razors and shaving cream, dishwashing liquid, and matches.
• Ask for coupons for nearby restaurants, ideas for things to do and places to see. People in the area give me these things frequently, and guests rarely ask for them.

I've learned so much during my front desk stint, just thought I'd share some of it with you. And I couldn't get spaces between bullets without using another bullet.

Goodbyes

2 girls arrived Monday, we all went out for yogurt, then 3 left Tuesday.

The week rushed by with a whoosh, it's Saturday, and time to say goodbye to 2 girls.

We made Sarah quick sit up from her nap on the floor for this picture...

It's been so much fun getting to know new people, and having old friends visit. We have three days of quiet until 3 more girls arrive from MI on Weds.

I only have 5 days left of work, then a whole 6 days to enjoy AZ to the fullest before I go back to MN.