Family Fun and Football

Having slept in a million hotel rooms, I'm used to the idiosyncrasies of the major chains. If you're on the road a lot you develop preferences for where you want to stay. I'm partial to Courtyard by Marriott and most of the higher end places. I prefer places with restaurants, bars and lots of common places. I like the newspaper delivered at the door and a coffee shop to read it in. I want windows with a view and interesting places to walk nearby. I've stayed in some hotells so often ... in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. ... where the staff knows me on site. For the most part, I've traveled to these places alone. This time I am with three little girls whose hotel activities are much different. Immdiately upon entering the room, they start jumping on the beds until I tell them to stop. They steal all of the shampoo, conditioner and body lotion in the bathroom. The television is LOUDLY set on the Disney Channel where inexpecibly "The Nanny" is on. (I thought they stonned that woman in a New York City park a few years ago!) They stand on their head, do cartwheels across the floor and get in fights over who has which pillow. All of this occurs within four minutes of opening the door. We go out for dinner because I'm afriad if we stayed the room would be utterly destroyed and I would be held personally liable. Today I rise early to make my way to the coffee shop and to read the news. It is still dark and everyone is asleep. As soon as I open the bathroom door, Laurel is standing in front of me holding her blanket. "Can I go with you?" I have to stand in the dark while she takes fifteen minutes to get ready. Apparently she is having a difficult time making up her mind on what to wear because she turns the light on and off repeatedly. Of course this wakes her sister who screams, "STOP IT! I'm trying to sleep!" which in turn wakes her other sister. Sarah appears to sleep through it all. We leave the room and make our way downstairs. I get coffee. She gets hot chocolate. I turn on the computer and find the sports page to read about today's game. "I'm bored," she says. "What are we going to do?" "I'm going to drink coffee. You're going to drink Hot Chocolate." "I want to get on the treadmill," she exclaims. And she does ... with her Hot Chocolate. As a previous survivor of parenthood, I ignore her and sip my coffee. In no time at all she's bored again and tells me she wants to go back to the room. I tell her no. She tells me yes. This repeats itself for a couple of hundred times until I open the door to the dark room and unleash her on her sleeping sisters and Mom. I decide this is a good time to take a walk. It's a beautiful morning in Athens, Georgia. In just a bit we'll make our way towards the Stadium and tailgate at my son's place. It is one of those rare occassions when all of my children and I will be together. Chelsea arrived last night and is already at Jeremy's. Kristen arrives later today. Other friends are already here or will be arriving shortly. It's a night game so its a day full of fun, food, drink and football. "Does Jeremy have Sponge Bob?" I was asked. "Hell no," I lovingly reply. It's going to be a great day. Everybody's up and excited. In another ten hours, there will be a football game. I tell myself to go check on Sarah. She's probably up by now.