Have you ever been in a situation where you just feel like your patience is being tested? Today was one of those days for us. And I think we passed. It's the craziest thing!
So we stayed up until something like 7am packing and preparing for our adventure. We were able to get 2-3 hours of sleep before our day began. I ran out and got my hair cut while Tammy showered and finished up at the house. We left at about noon with a few errands to run in town before heading on our way.
We stopped and brought Tammy's rings to the jeweler to have them soldered together. We also took time to turn in our marriage license -- so now the State of Indiana recognizes our union!
Anyway... all of the running around put us a little late for our plans. But we headed north for Indianapolis. The plan was to get lunch on the way (which we did) and get to our hotel in plenty of time to relax, before heading to dinner and a show. That was the plan. But because we were running late (what's new?) we decided to forgo the relaxing -- just check into the hotel and get ready.
Yeah... so the hotel. Let me tell you about it. I wanted to stay someplace nice, but also wanted to pinch my pennies. So I turned to ol' Priceline. Name your own price... you know. So I asked for a 4-star hotel in downtown Indy. I offered $60 a night, completely expecting that my computer would actually laugh out loud at me. I was shocked when it said, "CONGRATULATIONS! Your offer has been accepted!" Turns out that I had successfully booked a couple nights at the
University Place Hotel.
And here comes the testing of the patience. We arrive to the hotel with just a few minutes to spare. The lobby is crammed with people. Apparently there's a convention here. And we showed up in the heat of checkin. The line was overwhelming. "You've got to be kidding... what in the world?!" We debated on just changing in the bathroom and checking in later that night, but decided to wait patiently in the line.
OVER AN HOUR LATER we got to the front of the line. Did I mention that our patience was being tested? Right... so the man in front of us in line was sympathetic to our cause. When he was finished he asked the clerk to be nice to the honeymooners. She congratulated us and asked for our name. She pulled up our reservation and we began chatting. I mentioned that we were surprised by the wait and a bit disappointed because we were going to have to miss dinner in order to make it to the show. She said she was sorry. She found our listing and asked if two double beds sounded right. I said it'd be fine but I'd prefer a King if they had it.
She said that wouldn't be a problem. And then she paused. "I think I'll help you out a little." She told us that she was upgrading us to a junior suite for the night. I smiled and thanked her profusely. "Will we need to switch rooms tomorrow?" She told us that we wouldn't have to... she'd take care of us. I thanked her again. I'm thinking... $60 A NIGHT! Incredible!
And then it got really exciting. "Hmmmm... I think I can do one better... let me see... sure... why not? I'm going to put you in the Presidential Suite. You'll like it there. I wish I could live up there. It's awesome." Our jaws dropped. We wanted to hug her. Could this be happening? $60 A NIGHT!
And then we went upstairs to our suite. The one-and-only Presidential Suite in the 4-Star hotel. Wow. It's insane. You can see the pictures, but let me share some details. A full living room with chairs and a pull-out sofa. Oh... and a gargantuan flat-panel T.V. A dining room with a huge table and 8 chairs. A big fat kitchen. A master bedroom with a luxurious king bed. A giant master bathroom. Another smaller bathroom. A big fat kitchen. 4 phones. Another flat-panel T.V. in the bedroom. Big fat closets. Really expensive furniture. Etc. etc. etc.
We can't believe it. We have been so blessed. Our wedding was like a storybook. The weather was unbelievable. Our family and friends surrounded us. And now this. Wow.
We quickly changed and hustled to Bloomington, IN to see
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We were a smidge late but that's another story. The show was great and our dinner afterward was just as good.
What a day. More tomorrow!
So if you haven't read the post about our stay at the hotel in Indy, read that one first...
So we get to the Caribe Royale resort after a $45 taxi ride. (They were nice enough to allow us to checkin 4 hours early) We get checked in and the bellhop (Norman) showed us to our room. We mentioned that we were on our honeymoon and getting ready to leave on a cruise. When we arrived at our room, he opened our door and then quickly picked up the phone. We thought it was strange, but what do we know? So we listened as he talked to someone at the front desk. "I just showed two guests to their room. They're on their honeymoon and only 
with us for a night. Is there any way we can upgrade them from their double beds to a king deluxe suite?" You've got to be kidding me! This is too much fun.
