I CAN LIVE WITH THIS

When Hubby took that three-week consulting gig down in Port Arthur a while back, I was not too crazy about it. The long drive back and forth each weekend was hard on him, he was gone for too long, the available food was all unhealthy, and I knew he wouldn't get a lick of exercise. Plus, the whole area was nothing but refineries, so there wasn't really anything for me to do if I went along with him. He was so happy when he was finally done with it! Needless to say, I was a bit surprised to hear he had accepted another job.

This one was different though. It would involve just a couple of trips to Houston, for only a night or two each. I didn't go with him the first time, since I was just back from Charleston and fixin' to leave for Dallas. He figured they'd put him up at the Holiday Inn or Marriott out in the Park Ten area, where most of the business travelers stay, but I guess those were full. Instead he found himself staying in the brand new Sorella Hotel, in Houston's newest mixed-use development, City Centre. When he asked if I wanted to join him this time, and stay at the Sorella, I said "Try and keep me away!"

Our daughter, the interior designer, would have loved our hotel room...

which contained something I had never seen in a hotel room before -- a sectional sofa!

What I loved was the balconies, where we sat sipping wine and enjoying all the activity down below.

And, of course, the shopping was none too shabby. Especially this one shop we discovered during our after-dinner stroll. My artsy-fartsy friends are gonna be sooooooo jealous when I tell you about it tomorrow, and show you what I got!

What's even more amazing is that this development is adjacent to Town & Country shopping center -- my old stomping grounds when we had the townhouse on Memorial, and home to Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Einstein's Bagels, and best of all, a ginormous bookstore. Imagine, all of this in walking distance to our hotel. Oh yeah, and a movie theater too! Which is why a couples' meet-up with our BFFs is already in the works for late Nov./Early Dec., once the Christmas stuff is up. Squee!

On the whole, all business travel starts to suck after a while -- especially when you do as much as my poor hubby used to do. But an occasional one-nighter like this? This we can live with!