DISCLAIMER: Before anyone reads the following story and thinks to themselves "man, Jeremy sure is El Cheapo!!!," y'all need to know that Rachel and I are trying to follow a very strict budget.
I proudly admit that I treated my beautiful wife to a great Valentine's Day dinner at the iHop across from the Texas Tech campus...using a gift card that was given to Rachel as a Christmas gift. I suppose that technically means Rachel treated ME to a great Valentine's dinner at the Tech iHop. To take the level of "El Cheapo" up a notch, the Big Steak Omelette that we split turned out to be a very tasty choice and we were very satisfied to top off the pancakes that came on the side.
To top off this "stack of pancakes" of a story, the whole iHop experience was memorable. When we first walked in, a complete stranger asked about "which number of child" this made for us. We gladly said it was our first, and that we were due in the morning! Shortly after that, one of the servers took our name and began to clear a table for us. As the table was being cleared, another family walked in, and the manager took their name and promptly gave them our freshly cleared table as we sat in the waiting area! I looked at Rachel with a look that took place somewhere between "what the heck just happened?" and "I think I might hurt someone if I don't eat something very soon!" When the same manager tried to take our name again, my wife politely told her that we had actually been in line for the table she just gave away. After getting the biggest "skunk eye" from this woman ever, the first waitor came back and promptly seated us in the secluded and empty back section. I guess it worked out alright after all.
This Valentine's Day literally marks the last night we will spend together as a single married couple. Tomorrow morning at 7:30am, our boy is to be pulled out of my wife's stomach by the two best doctors in West Texas. Rachel and I have a healthy helping of excitement accompanied with a small side of nervousness as we are trying to enjoy our "last hurrah" before we officially become parents for the rest of our lives!
Rachel and I thought it would be nice to spend the night in a hotel to really enjoy our last evening together. Once we got up to our room, we walked into a room that smelled like the local bar with all the cigarette smoke that was infused to the drapery and bedding! This was one of those husband moments where the wife says, "well, it's up to you if we go ask for a new room," but it really means "there is no way I am staying in this room, so you need to read into this statement and have us ask for another room." So we did. There was no way that my Valentine wanted to become a "smokey" Valentine.
We were finally settled in our (second) room and THE FIRE ALARM GOES OFF!!! "Are you kidding me?"
In a mad dash...or really as fast as a pregnant woman at 9 1/2 months will move...Rachel and I nabbed up all of our valuables and went on a hunt for the stairs. "Luckily" we were moved up to the sixth floor after originally being placed on the smokey third floor. Maybe the smokey room was an omen.
Half of the hotel guests poked their heads out of their doors to see if it was the real thing, and the other half we met outside in the 54 degree weather because we took it seriously. Rachel and I went straight to the car and headed to Hastings. On the way down the road, I remembered that I had my fancy Peyton Manning Superbowl jersey up in the room...right next to my son's first Peyton Manning football jersey. I said, "I'm gonna be pissed if the hotel burns down."
So here we sit in Hastings, drinking Rasberry cream soda, reading about C-sections, and blogging about our night. Rachel just said to me..." I smell cigarette smoke..."
Happy Valentine's Day
UPDATE: We made it back to the hotel alright. It did not burn down. My Manning jerseys are still safe and sound. However, the main elevators were not operating when we got back to the lobby. My pregnant wife ALMOST had to walk up six flights, but the maintenance elevator actually still worked. We got to see the guts of the hotel...and hotels are dirty.
