Things I Learned From My Hotel Stay

I leave Nashville soon.

The morning show has been here for CMA week, and the awards will be handed out tonight.

Traveling without my husband and boys is different. Not bad, just different. I stay in my own hotel room, and I'm on my own schedule. So, here are the top ten things I have learned from staying in a hotel room solo.

10. I don't fill the ice bucket. Ever. I am rarely thirsty, and never had a soda in my room. Hence, no ice.

9. I actually watched an entire television program! John and Kate Plus 8 was interesting. And I thought dinner at my house was loud...yikes.

7. You can't work out if you don't pack your tennis shoes. I forgot them, and figured I'd look pretty silly wearing my UGG's on the treadmill. Not that I didn't consider it.

6. The girl who sets up my wake-up call is shocked when I tell her I need awakened at 3:15 am. The guys must have called her too, because she said, "You're another one who has to get up THAT early?

5. I can take a 4-hour nap. With no kids around, and no one to pick up from school, I slept. And slept. And slept.

4. If I'd known there was a microwave in my room, I would have brought popcorn for a late-night snack. Instead, we picked up corndogs and milkshakes around the corner from our hotel. About the same in fat grams, right?

3. The tiny "pouch" of Lays potato chips in the courtesy basket costs $3.50! At that price, those chips better be the giant-sized bag and come with a vat of onion dip. And a breathmint.

2. I don't use the dressers in hotel rooms. Something about unpacking and putting my clothes where other guests have put their clothes. Instead, I keep them in my suitcase. Hey, makes packing to leave easier.

And the #1 thing I learned from my hotel stay...

1. Don't eat Wheat Thins in bed.

And there you have it.

Got Biscuits?

Here in Nashville, Tennessee, we visited the well-known Loveless Cafe.

All the stars eat here, and proof of that was all over the restaurant's walls. Miley Cyrus, Conan O'Brien, and Reba had autographed their photos to the owners. The place is awesome, and as luck would have it, we walked out five pounds heavier. I ate three days worth of food.

We met the "Biscuit Lady," who has made the biscuits at the cafe' for 27 years. She's appeared on Martha Stewart, the Today Show, and Conan O'Brien. And she stepped away from her lunch break for a quick photo with us.

It's now been nearly 24 hours since our lunch, and we are still talking about how full we are.

P.S. Alan Jackson ate there three weeks ago. And try the catfish.

Just Wrap Me in Bubble Wrap

The morning show is in Nashville, Tennessee for the CMA Awards.

Which means we are staying in a hotel. I'm weird about hotels. Not to the point that I can't function. I just get uneasy about the lack of cleanliness.

It doesn't help that our producer, Roland, told me as we were checking in that he recently watched a documentary on how hotels clean, or DON'T clean, the drinking glasses in the room.

He said maids were seen on a hidden camera washing the glasses in the sink and using the dirty towels on the bathroom floor to dry them.

Note to self: Bring plastic cups.

I never use the comforters on the bed...who knows when those have been cleaned last...and I'm not fond of walking barefoot on the carpet floors.

Note to self: Bring socks...lots of socks.

Roland has a weird routine as well. He doesn't leave his hotel room without leaving his television on to make others think someone is in there. As he heads out the door, he also yells loudly, "Ok, we'll be back in just a bit," to some make-believe friend in the room. He's hoping it will deter others from trying to break in.

And they say I'M weird.

Jennifer Aniston Should Try This

I read somewhere months ago that Jennifer Aniston does 300 situps every night.

I decided I should give my stomach a workout each evening before I hop in bed. Still, I didn't want to shoot for the moon. So I settled on the magic number of 100.

Needless to say, I got bored by situp 38. So, I threw in an incentive.

I laid a bag of M&M's on my stomach, and gave myself permission to pop one in my mouth every three crunches. I'm happy to report that I completed 100 situps last night...

...and ate ten grams of saturated fat.

Hopeless.

Signs From Dad

"It's a sign."

That's what a friend of mine tells me every time something "happens" that reminds me of my father. He's been gone three months, and maybe it's his way of letting me know he's watching over me.

One of those signs occurred today.

Four days before my Dad died, I told him about a new family-owned cafe' that I wanted him to try. They serve breakfast for dinner, which was his favorite. So, today, after Griffin's game, we took my Mom to the new cafe. Greg went to pay at the counter, and called my name.

I looked up to see him pointing at a bowl of Tootsie Rolls by the cash register.

Dad always handed his grandchildren a Tootsie Roll when they left his home. It was their "thing."

In some small way, I think my Dad dined with us.

Want The Truth? Ask a Toddler

Getting ready today, my 3-year-old walked into the bathroom and asked me, "Momma, what's that smell?"

I smiled, assuming he was referring to the perfume I had just sprayed. You may recall, Hayden's sense of smell is very strong. He smells the exhaust of someone else's car driving down the road. I told him it was Mommy's new perfume. His response?

"Well, it smells like vomit."

Hope I saved my receipt.

Put Yourself Out There

A couple of years ago, I decided to try new things.

One of those is guacamole, and now I love it. I eat it once a week. In my boldness, I decided to try something else.

I'm writing a novel.

I have always enjoyed writing, but never made time for it. When my father passed away recently, I found writing on a daily basis has helped organize my thoughts, which have been all over the place. I really enjoy it. So, I've taken the plunge.

I came across a headline titled, "Can you write a novel in 30 days?" I think I can. I began earlier this week, and so far, no writer's block.

It may never be a best-seller, yet the challenge is fulfilling. Here's to putting yourself out there. Kinda like food my kids refuse to eat, but have never tasted...You won't know until you try.

Let's Hear it For Creativity

Where do you hide your cash?

A new survey says the number-one location to hide money in homes is inside a box of...ahem...women's hygiene products.

Oooooooooookay.

Gotta admit, I wouldn't be looking for money in there. Pretty clever. Other interesting places were in someone's freezer, inside a stuffed animal, and under a mattress.

With my luck, I'd forget where I put it. Stick with a piggy bank, and hide THAT.