One For The Road

And what a long road it was! I'm back at school now, but I'm excited to close out the summer with one last blog post about the Silver Service Dinner that you have read so much about!
I started out on the road on Saturday morning, and drove up to Mackinac through Canada. It was around an 8 hour drive...ugh. But, I made it there in one piece and was able to make the 6:00 ferry over to the island. I will be honest- I was a little disappointed when I finally got up to the hotel. My manager had let me know that morning that we had rooms and said he would put me in. After being in the car for 8 hours, the only thing I wanted to do was go and jump into a bed at the hotel! Unfortunately, the hospitality industry is ever changing and unpredictable, and they had a guest show up last minute without a reservation, leaving me to spend the night on a co-workers couch. No worries, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I woke up on Sunday morning and went downtown to the Chuckwagon (my favorite restaurant on-island) and had an amazing breakfast, and then trekked back up to the apartment through the rain to grab my stuff. After collecting my things, checking into my room (a lakeview with a king bed!) and having lunch at Carleton's, I went up to shower and get ready for my night.

Never in my life have I been to an event like this. Ten courses, and a different wine, champagne, or spirit with each appetizer...the night did become a little blurry towards the end...and the food. The food! Red deer tartar, creamy scrambled farm egg, potato espuma, cherry sorbet, baby lamb, angus beef, meringue, warm pumpkin souffle, and a cheese board and grapes. Drink wise, it ranged from whisky and water, to champagne, and 8 different varieties of wine. Wow!
It was a bittersweet night, despite the great time, amazing food, and overall experience of staying in the hotel again. The most obvious being that the owner was not there for the dinner. I don't have any details on it myself, so unfortunately none to give. But, again, it was an amazing night nonetheless.
The question I have to ask myself now, looking back on everything, is this: Was it worth it, and would I do it again?
I spent four months away from everyone and everything I have ever known. I had very little time to enjoy myself, talk with friends and family, or relax. On top of that, I spent 20 hours in the car this past weekend to go up and eat dinner! However, by doing this...by taking myself out of my comfort zone and throwing myself into the workforce at 80 hours a week, I learned more than I ever imagined possible. I've made relationships that I hope to take with me for many more years to come, and created professional acquaintances that I know will do nothing but benefit me throughout the rest of my career...be it at the Grand or elsewhere. So, in short...Yes. It was worth it.

When The Time Comes To Say Goodbye

Time is a tricky thing. You can sit in an office chair for twelve hours staring at the clock. You feel the tick of the arm each time it pauses...60 clicks later the hand moves. You wonder, if you stare long enough, can you see the minute hand move? I remember growing up we had a clock in our kitchen that had no "tick marks" between the hour numbers. There was no way to discern the moments as the seconds went by; But, if you watched carefully enough, you could see the minute hand slowly, slowly moving around the clock. The trick was not to blink.
Can you imagine it? Take yourself back to 8 years old. Mom and dad are upstairs. Your brother is behind the divider (cereal box) that he's placed between the two of you so he can eat his breakfast in the peace of not having his little sister making faces at him in the early morning light. You're looking over the top of his cereal box staring at the clock, trying to figure out how much time you have until the bus comes. Your eyes zone out and you start to stare at that minute hand as if it were the most intriguing sight you had ever laid eyes upon. There- it moved! It's definitely closer to the six now than it was before...then you blink.
All of a sudden you're sitting in a patio chair outside a hotel with your music playing and your laptop in front of you, just remembering. There is no way to measure all the time that has passed between that time, so long ago, that you spent eating breakfast with your big brother every morning and now, here. Now he's taken a full time job hundreds of miles away and you're on an island.
Where did it all go? That's what you get for blinking, I guess.
Today I'm on an island. Every few seconds I blink, and I know that a few days from now my memories of this summer will be as immeasurable as those mornings 13 years ago spent with my brother. Memories...they're just out there. Some are clearer than others, but often, the amount of time that has passed has little to do with how clear they are. It's the impact they make on you, not their sequence in the storyline of life that makes them clear or fuzzy.
I'm going to miss this place. I can say that undeniably. Yesterday, I was feeling exhausted, lost, and homesick. I decided to go for a walk, and ended up on the edge of a dock with my legs hanging over the edge, staring up into the clearest sky full of stars I've ever seen. I walked away healed and feeling whole again. There is a peace that comes with being here that I think I will struggle to find elsewhere. Island life, I'm telling you.

I do want to share a story with you all before I go. Today I received a call late in the afternoon. The woman on the phone inquired about the special we're running, and then immediately asked me to go over the cancellation policy so as not to "waste my time." After explaining the 10-day, non refundable cancellation policy, she took a deep breath, and said, "Listen, I need to tell you something," she sounded young. "I just finished chemo-therapy and radiation treatments. I have cancer, and it spread to my brain. I'm going in for a CAT scan on the fourth, and may be going into surgery if they find out that it has spread more. Is there anything you can do."
I'm struggling to find the words to describe the feeling that came over me when she shared this with me, but I'll do my best to convey this in a way that you may experience the same thing I did.
I told her that even if she cancelled within 10 days, we could always put her money on hold and she could use it towards a future stay with us. She told me that it was not likely she would still "be here" to be able to come back another time, she was stage 4. After discussing it shortly with a co-worker, I told her we would give her up to 24 hours to cancel. She was elated.
She said, "You have no idea how much this means to me. Honestly, I think my dream of coming here is the only thing that kept me alive through the radiation treatments. I would just sit there and dream about coming to the Grand Hotel one day. Thank you so much."
If you had seen me during this conversation, you would not have seen my face. From the moment she first spoke the words "cancer" I put my head in my hands and prayed. Every word I spoke and every thought in my head went through my folded hands first. For hours after talking to her I couldn't stop, I couldn't get her out of my head, and couldn't keep myself from begging God to heal her. Something, then, led me to put her name into a search engine on the internet.
She had a pretty unique name, but I will still surprised when a news story popped up as the number one result. It turns out, she lives in Washington State, up near the mountains with her husband. The area they live near is a place known for people getting lost and dying in blizzards, avalanches, and sudden snow storms that pop up out of no where. Apparently, one man who had family connections with the mountain in particular that they lived near, came into town to have a meeting with her husband. He decided, before meeting with the woman's husband, that he would take a quick hike around the trail through part of the mountain. Of course, he got lost and a storm was coming in. When her husband noticed the man was late for their meeting, a weird feeling came over him and he decided to go look for the man. He and this woman went out, headed into 200 miles of hike-able trails, in search of the man, knowing there was a storm coming. They split up, and by a miracle of God, were able to find the lost man, return him to safety with their Siberian Husky by their side.
I can't explain to you why this woman has stood out to me so much. Part of me wonders if, out of the six people in my office, there was a reason that call came to my phone. I plan on praying for her relentlessly. I may never speak to her or hear of her again, but I believe in prayer and healing. I ask that any of you who believes in the same thing pray for her as well.
I think I'm starting to see the bigger picture. Do you?

Transience..

Here I am, back to where I started. A temporary resident of a seasonal town. Sipping a latte out of a white cardboard cup, thankful for the familiarity that comes with the green mermaid and the brown sleeve on which she resides. I swore this place off for most of my summer, and then realized something.
I was surrounded by people telling me that the local coffee shop was better. Less expensive, better service, better tasting drinks, and plus who doesn't like supporting the local economy? Then I realized something. I don't like their coffee. The people there are hurried, busy, and sometimes rude. The coffee is watered down, bitter, and damn near as expensive as the ever present Mermaid cafe. I was telling myself I liked it better at the local place because I was so used to being told by everyone around me that it was better.
I feel like I've been tricked. But what's scary about it is that I've been tricked by my own mind. What else have I been doing for the pleasure and purpose of others? Don't get me wrong here - this has nothing to do with selflessness or helping others, both of which are extremely important to me. Those days in the cafeteria that I decide to get the nasty, browning salad instead of a piece of cheesecake to go with my rice and potatoes. Why? Will I maybe gain 10 pounds? Probably. That's a bad thing though. Skinny is good. If we can't see the bones of your wrists and hips then you've got some work to do on yourself. Why?
I've gained about 10 pounds since I've been here. It's been pointed out to me more than once, and I'm sure when I leave and go back to school there will be people who point it out. Let me say very clearly right now - I do not care. I am OK with not being 115 pounds for my whole life. I don't see why that, or for that matter the type of coffee I drink - should be of importance to anyone but myself. Well, me and my doctor when she hears how much coffee I've been drinking, but that's another story.
As you may perhaps be able to tell, I've got a lot on my mind at the moment. I'm in a very weird place, physically and mentally. Physically, because I'm in this weird early 1900's town with no cars, no television, limited internet access and few Americans. That part, I'm cool with. Mentally, I'm lost. I've spent this whole summer making great friendships and creating relationships and bonds with the people around me, and now I'm sitting here...7 days until I leave, and it's hard not to wonder what the point of it all was.
I know that this is all a part of growing up. I understand that. You get jobs, you meet people, you leave and then never see them again. Maybe the people don't stay in your life, you just have to take with you the lessons that they teach you. But what is the lesson? That you will meet people, learn to care about them and then one day say goodbye and never spare them another thought again? So what about everything you've gone through? Everything done, said, and all the time spent. What is to show for it? Memories. That's not enough. I want more.
I'm a stability person. I'm ok with moving around, what I'm not ok with is being written off before I'm gone. My struggle is coming from the friends I thought I made, that have already disappeared before I've even left. I understand, we're all scared. Don't get too close, don't learn too much, don't let them know how much they meant because you may never see them or think about them again, so why bother with the effort. That's what they tell you. That's what's expected. Oh, she's leaving? She's probably already got her foot out the door, why bother with time spent.

What's gone has passed. I may never see many of these people again. Maybe I'll return to work here in two years. Will any of the same people be here? Sure, maybe one or two. But two years later? It'll be like starting new. So here's my question: Why bother. None of this will ever come back. In a week, which will pass much quicker than I'm ready for it to, these people, this place, and these events will be left to my memories and to the ages. Maybe twenty years from now I'll read back on this blog and remember the people, and maybe I'll look back and really think I worked with a Jeff, Sandra, and Rhonda. Who's to say?

Time is ticking, the sand is running out. I'll simply do my best to spend the last of my time here with the people worth remembering. The ones whose names I want to remember.

Her Name Was Marion...And Man, Was She Beautiful

Beautiful is modest. In Italian, they have a way of saying that something is "very very very....(adjective)" that I find to be much more appropriate than the English way of just saying "very." In Italian, beautiful is bella, and to add emphasis you follow it with issima. So, when I say that Marion Leigh was bellisisisisisisisisima, do you catch my drift?

Marion is a 55 foot Original Chris Craft. Stained wood with sea-foam green paint, she was truly breathtaking. The only thing more incredible than stepping aboard and standing on the deck with the wind blowing through my hair, was feeling her move at my touch when I took the wheel...and I'm sure you can only imagine my surprise when, while standing behind Dan watching the island pass us by, he turns to me and says, "Ok, your turn!" I didn't blink.

Think back for a moment, at some of your most memorable experiences. There are some that, at the time, you had no idea that they would make the impact on you which they did. Then, there are others that you knew from the moment it happened and every day after that, that you had experienced something unforgettable. Something you would carry with you in your head and on your heart for the rest of your life. Last night was that kind of experience for me. I don't have any other words for it. There were moments I felt as though I needed to remind myself to keep breathing, and to keep the mental snapshots in my head. It all went by so fast, but it was, so far, the best three hours of my life since I've gotten to this island.

Not only did Dan allow both me and H to drive the boat, he spent a lot of time chatting with us from the captains chair. Talking about boating, about Marion, about the hotel. One on one, eye to eye, face to face. Genuine, sincere and honestly just one of the most interesting people I've ever had the extreme pleasure of meeting. In him, I've recognized one of my biggest role models, whether he's aware of it or not. I'm hoping, though, that before I'll leave I will get a moment to thank him for everything he's done, and let him know how much he has changed my perspective on this business and on my role in it.

Oh...so I guess you guys want to know about the cruise part..huh. Almost forgot that part! The boat cruise started at 7, we all got on board and headed out. We drove east, and began heading around the island. We stopped at Arch Rock to eat dinner and chat, and then around 8:30 lifted anchor and continued eastward. We drove right around the shore of the island, and then when we got all the way around, headed for the bridge to watch the sunset. Although there were some low-lying clouds, we were lucky enough to catch the sun for the last 10-15 minutes of its setting, as it lowered below the clouds, shining light on the bridge. Although it was much too short, it was time to head back to the dock. After we were back and attached to the island, we stayed and hung out on the boat for another hour or so, and then it was time to go home. All I can say is praise God for memories, and for digital cameras. I never want to forget this night.

Oh- and I almost forgot!! Some of you may know that the Perseid Meteor showers were going on last night! I don't think we were out late enough to get the full effect, but I did see several of them streaking across the sky, once the sun went down. How do you beat a night like that?

There's No Sweeter Sound Than When Your Boss Says..."Time To Go Home!"

Especiallly at 5pm! Oh my goodness. We did a 9 hour shift today...just 8-5, and it felt like we were there about 30 minutes. After getting off, H and I went downtown, threw our laundry in (long overdue, seeing as we've been working too late to get our clothes washed) and then went downtown to cook some hot dogs by the marina. We stopped at the grocery store first to pick up some chips, salsa and charcoal that you "supposedly" do not need lighter fluid for. Now, I don't know if it's because we're both women and not seasond barbecuers, or because the charcoal company lied, but we could not get this charcoal lit. After about 25 minutes, a few matchbooks, and all of H's paystubs later (used for paper to try and catch the charcoal...) she finally went back to Doud's to get lighter fluid. 10 minutes later we had hot dogs! lol

So, unfortunately, shortly into our little impromptu cookout, I got a text from the family I've been babysitting for that they needed me again tonight, so my night of freedom was short lived. It's been a fun night though! I got here, changed the kids into their pj's and we went for a walk around the hotel - what dress code? It's not like the owner of the place is going to walk through and see me in my leggings and t-shirt and the kids in their footie pajamas running around in the lobby before bed.
Oh wait...
Yes, that really happened. I said hi to him and told him how excited I am for our boat cruise tomorrow. We chatted for a bit and he told me I look like a natural with the kids. Which is great since I'm hoping for at least another ten years to hone the craft before venturing into that nightmare myself...anyway then he bends down and starts talking to the kids like he's known them and their family for years. People like that truly amaze me! Part of what makes him so successful is his way with people- he's not at all the kind of guy who you'd think of as intimidating or rude or ever too busy to stop and say hello to. I love it, and will remember it as I start moving up and taking on more responsibilities...that even the man who owns this resort has time to get down on his knees and chat with a two year old about her stuffed pony and pink crocs.
Another thing tonight made me realize is that taking on these extra hours has led to a lot of really good opportunities. Networking, and otherwise. While I was extremely tempted tonight to just tell the mom, you know what? I've been working my ass off. I'd much rather hang out downtown, you guys can find someone else to watch the kids tonight. I didn't, and I learned a valuable lesson tonight - and this isn't the first.
A few weeks ago, during my late night filing, I got the chance to see what upper management has to do on a night that they are over-booked. My manager - who I must say has really grown on me these last few weeks - has some extremely creative and innovative ways of figuring out whether or not people are coming on any given night. You see, a lot of times if we don't attempt to contact people, we will have no-shows. So, late at night when we're over-booked, we have to find ways to contact people who have out of service phone numbers, last minute name changes with absolutely no contact information, and other various cases where we are left clueless and waiting. So, this one night that we were over booked, we had an out of service phone number. So, I had the idea to go on white pages.com and see if we could find another phone number. In doing so, we saw that his area code was a digit off from the one listed online. We tried it with that area code and voila he gets a room that night.
This was actually a lucky night for us...we had a wedding party that had put a random person's name on a room last minute to try and keep the room in the block, but they didn't actually need it for anyone, so we sold out and everyone had a room! This among many other things are instances that I've figured out that by staying late I can learn a lot more than at most other times of the day.

When the office is busy, the front desk is busy, and my manager is busy, it doesn't allow a lot of time for listening or observing. It also pushes some issues out of the way, because sometimes an upset guest will see that we have thirty people waiting to check-in and will save their complaint for after hours...this happens a lot. Once the phone go off and everyone is checked in, and the place has quieted down, I've figured out that I can do a lot of listening. I can hear how the managers handle angry guests, how assistant managers handle late night "crises" and what to do if you have the air conditioner break in an elderly couple's room on a night that it's 80 degrees out and the maintenance man has left for the day. It's fun! I'm really trying to take advantage of my time here as much as possible, and I think I'm doing a good job of it. As long as I don't get to the point where my boss comes in and asks me how long I've been there and how much overtime I'm costing him, I think I'll be fine.
Anyway, boat cruise tomorrow. Just learned how to put pictures on here (three months delayed...) so maybe I'll post a few! Have a good night, everyone!

It's Not Work If You Love Doing It

Unless you're working 14 hours a day without days off....then it's definitely work. I think I've done a pretty good job of not using this blog just as an outlet to complain about things. The purpose in creating this was so that I could keep everyone updated on how my summer has been going, and give people a little more insight into what working in this business is like. So, while I'd like to let most of the bad days pass and not mention my more difficult days, I suppose that doesn't give you a really accurate presentation of how things are going. Now, I don't mean to say that I've been miserable and just hiding it...I have truly meant everything I've said about this place: that other than the horse poo, I love it here.
And I can't even smell it anymore. I think that means I've been here too long..

Anyway, I'll keep this next part quick. Yes, I still love it here. Yes, I will probably still come back, depending on where all of my family is at after I graduate. Yes, I'm enjoying my summer. But right now, I'm tired. It's not a surface tired...I'm getting enough sleep. It's mind, body and soul exhausted. We just released our lowest rates of the season, and I've been working 14-15 hour days since last Friday, with no days off in sight. I'm on the phones with angry, confused, upset, and some just frankly mind-numbing people for 12 hours straight. Lately the phones have been so busy that the boss has been ordering us lunch so we don't have to get off the phones. I go into work at 8 a.m. and leave between 9 and 10 p.m. each night. Oh...except- where am I tonight? Babysitting. Because apparently on the one night I get off at 7 I can't just take that and run with it and enjoy a relaxing evening of nothing, I have to accept a five hour long babysitting gig.
Now, I can't pretend that this is easy. The bright side is, there are very few jobs out there even in this business that would demand these kind of hours on a regular basis. The 84 I put in this week will probably not continue for the following weeks...hopefully. There's another bright side to the tunnel- I think I mentioned in the last blog that we reached our 99% occupancy goal in the month of July, so the owner is taking us all out for a boat cruise. I'm not sure, however, if I mentioned that we did receive our goal and prize for August- 99% occupancy for the month of August, too! Things are looking great, we have less than 100 room nights left to sell, and they're going quickly. So...have you guys figured out the problem yet? No? I'll give you a hint. My last day is August 30th, I start school on September 2nd. The Silver Service Dinner that the owner has offered us as incentive towards our August goal will most definitely take place after I leave. I had wondered and worried a little bit about this, but I got a really exciting email this week from my boss! He invited me back up to the island for the dinner, saying that if I was able to make it that I am invited back for it. So I'm coming! ...if we get it, God willing.
cough cough. If you haven't stayed yet, contact me. cough. COUGH.



Anyway, yeah. The other good thing that happened is I've started getting more people on the phones actually mentioning to my managers that they think I'm doing a good job. I'll share one of them with you that was sent via email and forwarded to me,
"[Name omitted] I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the beautiful room assignment (I think it was room 242) that we received after Elizabeth made the extra effort of requesting an upgrade for us. The view was stunning and greatly appreciated. The hotel was by far one of the best I have ever been in. I also wanted you to know that Elizabeth handled most of the calls that I put through to the hotel prior to my arrival. Her customer service was outstanding! You are very lucky to have her as part of your team. She is a very patient person."
I love stuff like this! It's really nice to be affirmed every once and a while. Makes me feel like I'm definitely in the right business.
The other funny thing that happened was a guest who called to make a reservation, but said he would need to call back before booking because they had to check if their dog sitter was available. I said, "Well, is your dog cute? I'll watch her for ya! ...just kidding I don't think I can do that..!" So, we got to talking about their dog, and this and that, and they're from Toledo and "oh, I know people in the Cleveland area," and "Yes, I have an adorable tiny fluff ball puppy too!" and on and on. So he hangs up, and then calls back a week or so later to reserve. He asks for me, we make the reservation, it's all good. Then, about three days later Sandra gets a call, turns to me and says there is a so and so on the phone for you. I have her transfer the call over and it's that guy again! He literally called me to tell me that they picked up the dog from the sitter, she had a great time and that he remembered where he heard Niagara U from...his niece just graduated from there! How funny is that? Then he asks for my email address so he can send me pictures of his dog.

I now have pictures of this man's dog in my work inbox.


So, ladies and gentlemen, here is the lesson of the day: Do not ask people about their pets. Ever.

Hello, Work Ethic!

When I left off, I was getting ready for bed in my birthday hotel room for the night. Such a fantastic night! I don't remember the last time I slept that well, but it was much needed. The next morning, I woke up early to have breakfast with my aunt and uncle. Then, I met my parents down at the docks right as their boat came in! Definitely long awaited. After we went to church that morning (which darn near put everyone but me to sleep...) we went up to have lunch at Carleton's, per usual for my days off. We hung around the hotel for a couple of hours and then went to dinner in the main dining room. Dinner was fantastic! My friends were playing in the band across the room, plus I finally got my birthday cake! I had the lamb shank which was fantastic! Minus the mint jello. Who decided mint and lamb go together...?
Anyway, the next day I unfortunately had to work until 8 p.m., but after I got off we all went into the China Suite where my aunt and uncle were staying. This room is easily the coolest one I've seen at the hotel so far. There's this enormous raised four poster, canopy bed in to the left when you walk in. All of the wood is a dark stain something (i'm not an expert on wood types, so that's all i've got). There were two huge dragon head lanterns on each side of the bed, an enormous desk intricately carved on one side of the room, and various other exquisite chinese accents throughout the room. Why did I try describing this room? It's probably the most difficult one in the whole hotel to put into words. Just take my word for it that it was really really cool. Also- you had to climb on a two-tiered step stool in order to get into the bed. Cool! Once we got to the room, we talked over a glass of wine, and chatted with my aunt and uncle, mom and dad and Kendra. It was so nice having everyone together.
I'd love to say that the last night my parents were in town I stayed up late spending time with them and catching up on everything, but here's the honest truth- I was so exhausted from over working and under-sleeping that when I went up to the Cupola Bar with them to play cards and chat, I pretty much fell asleep in my chair within about 30 minutes. Luckily, by leaving and going to bed early I was able to wake up early and spend a few hours with them before they left. While I was beyond sad to see them go,the time until I go home at the end of the summer is going faster and faster each day.
Since then, I have done very little but work work work. 12 hour shifts pretty much every day, catching up on filing and forms and backed up phone calls. It's truly never ending. Speaking of never ending - my schedule for next week.... My next (and perhaps last) day off is this coming Thursday. I'm hoping to spend the day laying in the sun, but we'll see how the weather holds up. Ironically enough, as the weather has cooled off by about 20 degrees, the air conditioning in my office broke...so while everyone outside is shivering and bundling up on their furs and blankets, we're sweating like pigs. Its fun stuff, really. Oh yeah, the schedule... So we've got a very busy week coming up. I can't specifically say why, due to confidentially stuff, but basically starting this coming Friday, our schedule is 8 a.m. - ? every day. No days off. Based on past years, the average end time per night will be around 11 p.m. I'm trying to just not think about that.


The greatest thing that this job is teaching me, really one thing that I think I'll always be thankful for, is the work ethic I'm gaining. I used to groan at the thought of a 6 or 8 hour shift. The time went by slowly, I was always tired and spent most of my time looking at the clock, dreading my time there, and praying for days off. Going from that, you'd think working the kind of hours I've been working here would be impossible. Instead, it's just changed the way I think of work. Now, work isn't something to keep me from doing other, better things, it's the only way to usefully spend time. It's hard to describe. But, basically I'll put it this way: I love this business. So, when everyone else in the office leaves at 8 p.m., I don't mind staying until 10 to file and enter forms, because I love where I'm at. Also, I'm on an island where there is very little to do that is free which you haven't done 100 times. I'd rather spend my time racking up that time and a half. And finally - I'm planning on staying in the hospitality business for a long time. Now is the time where I create my work habits and work ethic. I don't want to be the type of person who groans at having to work an 8 hour shift 5 days a week. I'd rather be the person that willingly takes on 3-4 extra hours every day 5-6 days a week without complaining. And I'm not complaining...seriously, I work because I want to.
It also doesn't hurt that the owner of the hotel walks through my office every once and a while around 10 p.m. when the front desk manager and I are the only ones left. When I come back here looking for a job in 2015, I'd like to be remembered as someone who is devoted to their job and willing to put in the extra time to get stuff done, especially when no one else does.
But again, I love it. Nothing makes you enjoy a day off like knowing you really worked for it.
Well, and knowing that your next one may just be on August 31st.

My "Great - Magnificent - Big - Splendid - Large" Birthday

Because saying that I had a Grand birthday would just be a little much.

Where do I start? I guess I've got to rewind all the way back to last Sunday... It's been a very eventful week.

Sunday, July 14, 2013.
Had my second and third visitor today! Some friends from my church back home were planning a trip up north, and it worked out perfectly that we had a friends and family rate available one of the nights that they would be in the area, so we put them up at the hotel. I had the day off, so when they arrived we met up and went to church, then lunch at Carlton's. After I gave them a tour of the hotel, we headed downtown and took a carriage tour around the island (Ding! another one off the list!). The carriage tour was really interesting, and it was so relaxing to just tour the island via horse-drawn carriage. One half of the tour was the downtown area, and the other half was through the state park. Very fun. On the way back, the carriage stops at the Fort, so we hopped off and knocked another one off the list! Really happy I got to see this too, it's crazy to think that the war of 1812 basically started here! The Fort was very well maintained, and some parts you feel like you're back in the days of war looking out over the water waiting for war ships to come in. Pretty cool stuff. After leaving the Fort, we headed back downtown to grab our bikes, and then it was time to go our separate ways...they had to go get ready for dinner and I had a party to get ready for! You may or may not remember, because I may or may not have mentioned, that my department (Reservations) had an occupancy goal of 98% for the month of June. If we reached our goal, the owner of the hotel was going to give us a cookout. LUCKILY the goal was reached, so tonight was the cookout! The cookout is at the home of the Executive Vice President of the hotel, and the owner himself is there as well as the Vice President of Accommodations (my boss), the manager of shops, the hotel historian, the Front Desk Manager and the General Manager. Needless to say, from the perspective of my career, this is probably one of the most important functions I will attend while on this island. I spent the evening eating, laughing, and watching everyone else drink! We spent time telling stories and jokes with the owner, laughing about all of our different crazy stories from this and past summers, and then...surprise! a group of people (who had been awkwardly standing outside the fence around the house for about ten minutes) decide to let themselves in and ask for a tour...their grandparents apparently used to live in the house, so they wanted to see the updates. While, very sweet, also pretty awkward. I'm sure they received the shock of their lives when they walked in to see the owner of the hotel standing in the kitchen. !

Tuesday, July 16, 2013.
There was really only one exciting thing that happened today...I decided to go out for my birthday dinner on Wednesday night instead of Friday. We were going to the Woods for dinner, and trying to go on a Friday night would just be chaotic. So, Tuesday evening around 5:00 I took my lunch break and decided to race downtown and try and find a dress to wear to dinner the next night! I made it out of the office and down to the store in about 5 minutes (probably going 50mph down the hill on my bike...eek!). I got there, told the girls in the shop that I had about 15 minutes and that I needed a birthday dress. I told them my price point and sent them off to find me something! Unfortunately, 15 minutes apparently isn't enough..cough cough..duh..so I asked how long they were open. To my luck, they were open until 10, so after work Sandra and I went back and I found the most adorable short white-lace dress with mid length sleeves. $35 later, I had a dress! Yay!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013.
Cheers to my co-worker Plao, for switching shifts with me! She gave me her 8am-6pm shift so I wouldn't have to get off work and get up to Woods in 45 minutes by working until 8pm. So, I got off at 6 to see a black sky and a cold, dangerous wind. Yikes. I got my butt down the hill as quickly as possible, braided up my hair, and got dressed. Then my friend Rhonda came over, I braided up her hair, and we went outside to catch a horse-drawn carriage taxi to the Woods since it looked like the heavens were about to open up on top of us. We made it up there in about 20 minutes, and when everyone arrived (just the girls from my office) we sat down and had dinner. Either one of these beautiful ladies or one of my friends that works at this restaurant handled my bill without my knowledge, so I smiled, said a general thank you to whoever it was, and then thanked God for putting such incredible people into my life. It also made me realize that I could really use a boyfriend so my friends don't have to pick up the bill on my birthday! lol! Anyway, dinner was fantastic, and they brought me out my tiramisu cheesecake with a candle, everyone singing happy birthday (accompanied by the pianist) and the plate had "Happy Birthday Elizabeth" written around the outside in chocolate. I love this place!

Thursday, July 18, 2013.
Long day. 13 hour shift. Torrential rain shower. Stayed so late my boss came in and said, "how late are you stayin here?! how much are you costin me?!" Time to go home.

Friday, July 19, 2013.
BIRTHDAY! yay!! Unfortunately had to work a 10 hour shift today, but that's absolutely fine by me. The weather was crappy, so I wouldn't have been able to do anything fun regardless. I came into work an hour early, had coffee at Carlton's while reading a book and looking out over the lake. [Worked for 10 hours]. Got off work, met up with Kendra, spent the night watching "The Proposal" because every girl deserves to see Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off on her birthday.

Saturday, July 20, 2013.
Fun day! Short shift today, only 8 hours. It absolutely flew by. My aunt and uncle came in, so I stepped out to chat with them for about 10 minutes, then back to work. As we were calling arrivals, we came across 3 people who didn't know they had reservations for tonight and therefore wouldn't be coming. We were able to sell two of those rooms, and then the front desk manager came through and told us my boss had put someone in the last room. Oh well, no birthday room for me! Then, 20 minutes before our phones went off for the day, my boss walks through and goes, "Sell this last room! I can kick Elizabeth out if I need to." Huh? You put me in? "yes." Ok! To my luck, I'm currently enjoying a really amazing birthday present right now. A nice little lakeview room with a tub and internet access. I really couldn't have asked for more. Oh, except dinner tomorrow night in the Main Dining Room with my parents who are finally coming in!...definitely looking forward to that! Haven't seen them in almost two months, and I'm really excited they're coming. That all being said, I'm about to go hop into a hot bath with some relaxing music and finish the night by catching up on Scandal and Revenge. Night all!

Confessions Of A Work-A-Holic

The inspiration for this post came to me a few moments ago...I'm sitting in one of the guest rooms of the hotel with three sleeping babies in the room next door, who I am babysitting for tonight through the hotel. I've been pulling 12-13 (and somedays 14) hour days the last few weeks to try and earn a little extra money to enjoy my birthday a little more. A friend of mine yesterday called me a "work-a-holic," which kind of made me think about it...am I? In my head, a workaholic is someone who neglects other important aspects of their life in the interest of career development to the extreme. A normal person might spend 8 hours at work 8 hours sleeping, and the other 8 hours with family or friends, doing yardwork, going to movies - whatever, however, whenever. But think about it...Im on an island. My nearest relatve is over two hours away, and there's not a single person on this island who I've known for more than two months. What else would I do here? I've developed a few different perspectives on work since I moved here: Number 1- If you have to be bored, getting paid overtime to enter forms into a computer is NOT the worst way to spend your extra time. Number 2- If all you're going to do after work is listenn to music, it's almost as relaxing as laying in bed listening to music as it is to stand up listening to it while filing the forms you entered while doing number 1. Number 3- If your best friend is working late with you, paid and productive quality time makes the work feel like nothing and the hours go by quicker Number 4- The feeling when you see your check every other thursday is well worth the extra two hours a day Number 5- The feeling when you see your check every other thursday is NOT worth sacrifices in relationships with God, family, or friends. After all, what would be the point if i had a successful day at work if I couldn't call my family, friends, K, and D and share these things with them? The Way I See It number 793 is that if I can't find the time or money to share my successes and achievements with those that I most care about, who should I expect to be there when life inevitably throws curves in that path?

That Thing Called A Weekend

So, in the outside world, as I vaguely remember, they have this thing called a week-end. I'm not exactly sure what it is (I mean, when does the week, end?) but from what it sounds like, after working five consecutive days, people in the outside world take two days off. They sleep in, do yard work, go out with friends, go on adventures, and some even attend church on Sunday morning. Now, this is all very strange and new to me, but...if I didn't know better...I'd say I just experienced my very first “week-end.”

Now, keep in mind that I have already had two consecutive days off, on which I did absolutely nothing. So, I did not have particularly high hopes for my one day off on Sunday, especially since I was looking forward to having Tuesday off instead, to spend with a very special family member who was coming to visit me. So, when the schedule came out on Saturday, you can imagine my disappointment when I saw that the two days my lovely aunt would be here, I would be working from 8 a.m. Until 6 p.m...if I was lucky enough to get out on time!

So, Saturday night, right after the schedule was released, my friend Hal and I met up with her mom and brother at a hotel downtown.Now, none of us were staying in this hotel, but I swear there was no sign that said no trespassing...soo....

Hal and I grabbed some pretty much 100% plastic magazines, and somehow managed to get a fire started in one of the hotels fire pits outside (again, there wasn't any no trespassing sign...). We had a good smolder going until a gentleman from the hotel finally came out and really got it going for us. We sat and talked for probably an hour, roasted hot dogs, and made marshmallows and s'mores on the campfire. Check that one off the to-do list! This was five days ago, so honestly I don't remember what I did for the rest of that night, probably watched Julie and Julia for the 107^th time.

The next day was Sunday, my day off. Now, on any given day that I have off, I usually sleep in until at least 11, however this particular day I woke up at 5:30, again at 7:30, and again at 8:30. Finally, I got the hint. It was Sunday morning...my first Sunday off since I've been at the hotel- I was going to church! So I got up and went to an awesome church service. Absolutely the best I've been to since I came here. There was a band in town from Lima, NY (not far from where I go to school) and they were truly incredible. Pastor K announced afterwards that instead of our usual Crossroads meeting, we were having a bonfire (second night in a row!!) up at one of the member's houses back in the woods. So, I left church, went up to the hotel for an amazing lunch at the Tea Store, and then went back downtown to my room. I played guitar for a couple of hours, took a nap and then woke up just in time for dinner. I ran up to the hotel in time to catch Sandra for dinner, and then we walked for a bit until I went up to the bonfire. Now, this was a fantastic campfire. We had, again, hotdogs and marshmallows.  However, what made this fire special was that I got to share it with my fellow Christians, listening to testimonies, and singing a few gospel songs. After that, I went over to chat with and make friends with the people in the band, and ended up singing a few random songs together on the guitar. From there, we all went over to the Woods, attempted to bowl until we were thwarted by little kids with popcorn eating on the alley, went to sunset rock for a little while and then...yes...decided to do a late night bike ride.

Yep! Knocked two things off the list this weekend! The bike ride was great, absolutely pitch black except for the stars. Very peaceful minus all the spiderwebs.

So, Monday my aunt came into town! She gave me my birthday present...which is probably one of the best gifts i've gotten in a while. Rain gear!!!!! Now, you all have been reading these for a while, I assume (hope..). I've been getting absolutely drenched up here! I am so excited, especially because they are pink, I find myself actually hoping for rain. Forgive me, fellow islanders. But give me this simple pleasure! So after we stopped at her room and I got my rain gear, as well as some fresh cherries, strawberries, and blueberries – all of which were a huge hit at the office – we went for dinner at the restaurant where John Stamos works. When we walked in, he greeted us and took us to our table. We sat down, and I looked at my aunt and said, “So....you read my blogs, right?” she basically says “You know I read your blogs. I'm pretty much the only one that ever comments.”

oh. yeah.

“Well....that was John Stamos.”

We both erupt in laughter.

Dinner there was great, per usual. I finally tried the spinach and artichoke flatbread which i've been wanting to try forever and it was really really good. We went our separate ways after dinner, I was getting up early to go into work so I went to bed pretty early that night. Woke up the next morning, clocked in at about 6:30 a.m., and was hoping to get my boss to let me leave an hour early. Unfortunately, do to unforseen circumstances, our department went back to being understaffed today so I ended up just working another reeally long day for pretty much no reason. The good news was that the day flew by, and my aunt came up to the hotel at about 5:30. I brought her into the office and introduced her to everyone, and then decided to ask my boss to let me leave. Who would've known! He said yes! I took my aunt up to the front porch and left her there while I went downtown to change, which i'm sure was absolutely horrible for her...came back up, and we went to Woods again for dinner! When I say that is my favorite place on the island, I'm not lying. I'm going there again next week for my birthday dinner.

So, we had dinner at woods. She had the pasta pomodoro, which looked awesome, and I had the duck. I don't know how I missed out on duck my whole life but it's got to be one of the most amazing foods in the world. Or maybe just the ones they give you here. Either way, yum.

After woods, we went downtown to a bar to hear the niece of one of my aunts friends play guitar. We sat and chatted for a bit over some waters, and then headed out around 10. She's leaving early in the morning, so we had to say goodbye tonight. I'm sad to see her leaving so soon, but it was nice remembering what it's like to have a weekend!! Hope you all enjoyed yours too! 

The Day Without Coffee

Hello all! This will probably short, seeing as I am absolutely exhausted, but I thought I'd check in while I have a moment. I worked a 12 and a half today, and a 14 and a half hour day yesterday...laying in bed with the heating pad is a welcome pleasure. So, yes! Lots of long hours this week, but don't get me wrong- this was my decision (mostly). My best friends birthday and my birthday both fall in the same pay-period so I decided to put in the extra hours so we could do something nice. My plan for my birthday (July 19th!) is to go up to the Woods restaurant and have dinner with everyone in my department. I figure since I spend most of my waking hours with these people, they're practically family anyway.
Unfortunately, that's as close as I'll get to it on my actual birthday. That's one of the things that makes living up here so difficult. Over the past few years going to school two states away, my family has become a lot more important to me. Being up here and not able to see them is extremely difficult,,,I truly don't understand how the people who have worked here for 20+ years manage to do it. Any place that I cannot see not only my family but my cute, happy puppy on a regular basis is not a place I could stay for very long. The good news is they're coming up two days after, and my aunt is coming up 5 days before! I can't wait!!
So, after what was perhaps my longest work day in recorded history yesterday, I stayed for two hours after the phones went off to catch up on some filing...what's funny is that after two hours of it, you could barely tell I had done anything at all, but I did I swear! My boss will probably come in tomorrow, see my time sheet, look at the stack of to-be-filed, and just look at me with the raised eyebrow. But hey, what can ya do!

Oh, and the day without coffee thing- yeah...for whatever reason I decided that the day after my crazy shift I would try going without coffee. Any coffee drinkers already know without me saying that that was a very stupid decision. I have no explanation. But I promise it won't happen again!


I had a restrospective moment when I got out of work. I realized yesterday, after going into work when the sun was rising (practically) and leaving work when it's pitch dark out that this is a really weird kind of job to get accustomed to. What's even weirder is that most of the time I enjoy it..
Anyway I hope you are all enjoying your summer! The weather here has been beautiful and I have made a point to take ten minutes out of my lunch break every day to go out and sit in the sunshine- so here's my parting tip- whether you love your job or hate your job, and whether it's a good day at work or a horrible one...if the sun is shining, go enjoy it. It will rejuvenate you. And thanking God for the opportunity to get to that point is always a good idea too.

68 Days To Go And I'm Not Slowing Down!

Wow! Getting down to the two month mark. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed since I've been living here...with as slow as my ten hour work days, 6 days a week go I'm amazed at how fast 7 weeks went! Here's a recap of what I've done since I've been here:
-Stayed at the hotel twice
-Eaten at all five of the hotel restaurants, plus four non-hotel restaurants
-Left the Island once
-Biked the 8 miles around 3 times, through the middle once
-Watched a sunset from the far side of the Island
-Visited Fort Holmes
-Went ballroom dancing at the grand with some friends
-Found a church home
-Lost several games of tennis
-Saw the awesome supermoon shining on the waters of Lake _____, not to mention some of the most incredible stars I've ever seen!
-Went on 4 dates, with 4 different people ......I mean, hey.
-Went hunting for ghosts in the hotel, and did not find ANY I might add
And finally...enjoyed a lot of long hours going on bike rides, walks, and just hanging out with the many many friends I've made so far. So here's what I still plan to do before I go! (t-minus 68 days to get it done..!)
-Go on a carriage tour
-Go on the haunted tour of the island
-Have a ghost experience...this may be the most difficult thing on the list..
-Roast marshmallows at a bonfire!
-Go for a perimeter ride of the island after 12am
-Eat at all the restaurants I haven't tried
-Be introduced to a famous person staying at the hotel
-See the Hotel Orchestra play one evening
-Play bocci ball and croquet
-Win a game of tennis
-Get enough punches on my coffee rewards card to get a free cup
-Successfully turn a tourist away from going into Starbucks and direct them to the local place down the street!!!
-Ride one of the oldschool bicycles that have the HUGE wheel on the front and the TINY wheel on the back
-swim in the lake and not get frostbite
-Go parasailing
-Get a ride on the owner of the hotel's boat..Actually, I'm going to make this number 1 on the list.


That's what I've got.
My ________ Island Bucket list. Huh. That sounds a little too cliche...I'll probably get a call from my brother complaining about it. Oh well! So I have 8 weeks and a few days left here, and a lot I still need to get done. I'm hoping to get a good start on this seeing as I have....drum roll please,




TWO days off.



IN A ROW!!!!




This Thursday and Friday. Needless to say I am extremely excited. Before I came over here to write I was going over in my head the things I want to do before I leave, which must be what prompted this weird rush of list-making. Anyway! There's one thing I want to tell you about before I go. Many of the things that were on my "have-done" list, I'm sure you're all relatively familiar with...all but one. Yes, I went ballroom dancing! It was a very impromptu thing. A friend and I, Rhonda, were going for a walk one evening, around 10pm. We were walking past one of the bars downtown that had a live band doing a cover of piano man, which is a waltz. Because we are those people, we stopped, and began waltzing in the middle of the sidewalk. Then, all of a sudden, she grabs my hand and asks, "Hey! Do you have a dress????"



Psh. Do I have a dress.



Yes, of course, I say. Why? "We're going dancing," says Rhonda. Well where in the world would we go dancing? "The Grand Ballroom."                   Oh.
So 10 minutes later we were walking up the hill in our dresses with one of the other girls that lives in my house. We got there as the band was playing some classical music, so the three of us went right out and did our own (horribly techniqued, of course) version of each dance they played. Because we got there so late, we only got to hear about a half hour of music, but it was so much fun!! Where else can you decide at 10:00 at night to go ballroom dancing, and then ten minutes later be dressed and on the floor with two friends?
So much fun. I'm hoping to have many more nights like that one before I leave here, but whether I do or I don't, I can hardly be disappointed. In the 7 weeks since I've been here, although I've never once left work with my whole night planned out, I've never been disappointed, and I have yet to have a night that I would label as "lazy" or "boring."

The real world is going to take some getting used to, once this is all over.

Get Up And Enjoy The Day!

Tuesday, June 11 2013. 6:00 pm.
My best friend (and co-worker) Sandra and I leave work and go upstairs to Captain Chuck's for some dinner...we sit with a few other friends from the front office and talk for about a half hour. We're all female so it's the usual - boys, work, boys, boys again, and then a little more about work. After getting a serious lecture from one of my friends (totally unwarranted!!!) Sandra and I get up and go back downstairs to get our stuff out of the office and head home for the night. After doing nothing but 10am-8pm shifts for the last week or two, leaving at 6 feels so incredible. So, as we're leaving, S tells me she wants to run back to the operators office, where a couple of our other friends work, to talk to one of them about something. We walk back, and go into their office and end up staying and chatting for about ten minutes. As we're talking, I mention that I have tomorrow off, and then my friend Rhonda tells me she's off tomorrow too..! Then I tell her that I'm planning on going to the mainland for the first time, and she tells me that she's going there as well..! Cool. Exchange numbers. Bada bang, bada boom..and the exciting day off is on its way.

Fast Forward.

Wednesday, June 12. 9:51 am. After getting up late, rushing out the door to get my coffee and bagel from my favorite coffee shop down the street (on Market street..hint) and then rushing out to mail out my mysterious package to a mysterious person for whom we are all celebrating a special day this coming sunday, I call R. She doesn't answer. So, in my head I decide that I'm probably going to the mainland by myself. Not a problem, it's still going to be fun! Fast food! Yum! So anyway, I walk up to the ferry dock and 9:51 (6 minutes late), and there she is! Yay for not going alone! So we go up, get our tickets, and as we're getting on the ferry Rhonda tells the ferry ticket-taker person that she needs them to pull her car up for when she arrives.

Wait what?

Car. That changes the plans.



We get to the main land, and are immediately swarmed by bugs. Not quite the welcome I was expecting, but hey. It's land. And there are cars. And fast food....
So we hop in her car and talk about going to walmart, but then R mentions Taco Bell. Mind you, the nearest TB is more than 30 minutes away.
Before I go on, I would like to ask you all a question. If you hadn't had the chance, choice, or opportunity to eat fast food for 36 days and had been trapped on an island eating pretty much nothing but chicken and rice for those thirty six days, would you have driven 30 minutes out of your way to go get Taco Bell?
Yes, we did. But there's a twist! We did make it to the TB in Petoskey, but the adventure doesn't end there. While we were driving, Traverse City came up.
Traverse City is 2 1/2 hours away.



Traverse City, 1:30 pm.
We arrive at the mall in TC. (TC versus TB -- are you following??) I must say, getting in a motorized vehicle going 70 miles an hour is probably the most frightening experience of my life. I spend most of the time on the way there praying to God that he will deliver me safely...and I don't say that jokingly!
So, we get to the mall, shop around for an hour or two, then run out of things to do and start heading back. On the way back, we stop at this cute little fresh fruit market on the side of the road..while there isn't much fresh fruit, I do walk away with a little tin of THE most amazing granola in the world. Oats, pecans, almonds, coconut, maple sugar, maple syrup, butter, salt, cinnamon, and dried cherries. Yum.
After we leave there, we drive for another hour and a half or so and then see, in the distance, a Ferris wheel. Fair? Yes. We stop, ride the Ferris wheel, play a few carnival games, get an elephant ear and two bags of cotton candy for the road, and get back in the car.
Next stop, Walmart.
Oh, Walmart. Why oh why is self checkout always so difficult? All I want is a few different types of apples! What do you mean I have to go back and put them all in separate bags? And after doing so, why does your self checkout station never just work properly without assistance? Really, why. Sigh.
Back on the road, next stop: the ferry. Top deck on the way back. It's 70 degrees out, did I forget to mention that? Clear, blue skies. The sun is shining. We get back in time to see the sun lowering over the bridge, shining on the hotel...our beacon from the mainland.

Even after living on the island for over a month now and spending all day in that hotel, I still crane my neck over the railing to watch it from departure on the ferry to arrival at the island. You can see the hotel the whole way there, stretching out across the top of the island. It's surreal. It's beautiful.
And for now, it's home.

This Is What It Feels Like To Live

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been able to get on here! I'd love to say I've been super busy doing things at the hotel or around town, but I've really just been busy being social....which, here, basically means sitting around chatting with people. Still not much to do, but with as hectic as my hours at work can get, it's nice to be able to just go and relax with friends.
Last time I posted was Tuesday night, when I was staying at the hotel. Unfortunately, I posted right before dinner and wasn't able to get back on here and tell you guys about it! OH MY GOODNESS. Now I fully understand why people are willing to pay $70 per person to eat here...the food is incredible. The appetizer was this lobster/scallop terrine, then a chilled pear and rhubarb soup, caprese salad, and all that followed by my new favorite entree...black angus bouf bourguinon. Anyone who knows about my obsession with the movie Julie and Julia will understand why that was such a special treat. In the two or three days I will have at home before going back to school in the fall, I WILL be attempting Julia's recipe.
Oh, I forgot one thing. Dessert. Red Velvet cheesecake. I hope I'm not catching you before dinner! The food was absolutely incredible..best food of my life at that point in time, but it now holds second place.

Did you catch that? Yes I went out to dinner again since then, actually at another one of the hotel's restaurants called The Woods. Let me describe this place to you really quickly - you have to walk up Grand Hill about (what feels like) several miles, along a skinny, winding road through the woods to get to it. I walked there with a friend who didn't have a bike, and it was both of our first time going there. I swear we both thought we were lost for the longest time! Anyway, we finally arrived, and the restaurant itself is pretty small. There are probably about 20 tables and it's decorated like a hunting lodge...fitting because that's exactly what it used to be! So as you dine at the tables clothed with white, paper table cloths (where coloring is highly encouraged) you're surrounded by lots of taxadermised deer and moose...but here's my favorite part. At this time of year, when it's still pretty chilly out, they have a huge fire crackling away in the fireplace. The atmosphere alone makes it easily my favorite place on the whole island, and this was before I even tried the food. So, for dinner here - this, by the way, was on Sunday night with about 5 of my co-workers - I had raw salmon with caviar and grapefruit, butternut squash soup, a pear and walnut salad, and tiramisu cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum. This amazing meal (Which only cost $33 before tip! Holy cow!) was followed by bowling. But not the kind of bowling you're thinking of...this place has one lane, it's all wood, and you have to set the pins up yourself. It looks like something straight out of 1885. So fun!

This island has become, in one month, my favorite place in the world. It's like living in a different world.
Could you imagine walking down the street and seeing nothing but horse drawn carriages and bikes? There's no Walmart here. Most of the stores are only open until 7 pm unless it's Friday or Saturday night. It's like going back in time, literally, but not just to the 1800's, which yes, it does feel like sometimes. But I feel like I'm a kid again here. After work, instead of sitting down in front of the tv and just zoning out, I go for walks, hang out with friends on my porch, play cards, board games, go for bike rides. This is probably the only place in the world where the vast majority of people would rather just go walk around outside and socialize rather than sit on their couch eating tv dinners and falling asleep to the evening news. It's taken a lot of getting used to, but I don't miss the "outside world" one little bit. If given the option to work at a hotel exactly like this one but in New York or Miami or London, France, wherever, I don't think I could do it. Part of the magic of this hotel and this island is the fact that it makes you feel normal again. I feel human here, not like some robot in front of a television or computer screen. I feel the wind in my hair every morning when I ride my bike to work, and walk through the lobby of the most beautiful hotel I've ever seen before doing a job I love. I leave there and ride my bike home, change as quickly as possible, and then go outside and enjoy the night. I watch the sunset every night over the straits, and then tilt my head up to see the clearest skies, and the brightest stars I've ever seen. I don't check my phone every five minutes, I don't keep up with what's on television, I rarely get on twitter or facebook.

But who needs all that when you're actually living?

I Have the Most Amazing Job in the World

Today, as I am writing to you, I'm sitting in the most beautiful hotel room I've ever set foot in, looking out over the waters of this amazing Great Lake, with the outline of the bridge just visible through the fog. And you thought you had the dream job!
Really, there is no where in the world I would rather be than exactly where I am right now. I'm surrounded here by great friends, a loving and accepting church family, awesome co-workers, and of course the most beautiful "albergo" I've ever seen...sorry but I find that the english word "hotel" just doesn't fit this place! the Italian word is much more worthy of such an awesome and incredible property. Studying "La scienza di alberghieri" was the best decision I've ever made.
The backstory to my hotel stay today - Every once and a while when our hotel has a large number of unsold rooms, my manager will offer some of the employees to stay. Not only is it a great perk to working here, it also helps me do my job a lot better. Because I spend my day on the phone with potential guests, actually having the experience of staying in the hotel, eating dinner in the main dining room, and breakfast in the morning are all things that you really need to experience in order to describe. I wish I could share pictures on here so you could all see what I'm seeing, but I'll do my best to describe it to you.
The room is shaped like a half moon, curved on one side, flat on the other. (I'm on the left-most, curved corner of the hotel, if you were facing the hotel from the outside). The bed sits against the flat side, looking out through the curved wall of windows over the lake, with some trees and a beach visible to the right. In the left corner of the room is this adorable and extremely comfortable light-pink chaise. It looks like something Jackie Kennedy would have had in her home. Between the (king sized) bed and the chair is this cute little green and white desk, and to the right of the bed is a nightstand and a little wardrobe, all green and white as well. Off the bedroom area over by the door is the bathroom, and there's also a little sink area and chair for doing your hair, makeup, etc. There is a closet next to that, and what I assume to be a little mini bar/fridge. The walls are painted a cool mint green, the bed has a mint green and white striped comforter to match the walls, the carpet is a darker, solid green, and the window treatments are a flower pattern that bring all of the other colors in the room together.
I'm sitting on the bed, looking out over the lake and trees, drinking my coffee. Soaking it all in.
Who knows when I'll be back here? How could I possibly find a job better than this one after graduation? Is there any other place in the world I could be content in after experiencing all of this?
It looks like I may just have to come back.

I was almost ready to pack up and go home, and then..

This morning, after getting only a few hours of sleep last night, I woke up late, leaving myself just enough time to bike through the pouring rain and high winds up the hill to the hotel in time for breakfast.  Exhausted, soaked, and hungry I walked upstairs to the employee cafeteria, set down my things and went immediately to get some coffee...except there was no coffee. Just my luck. So, I grabbed some decaf just for the hell of it, and went and got my breakfast (the hotel's version of french toast...at least I think it's supposed to be french toast...) A few minutes after sitting down to eat, a woman walks up to me and says, "Hi. I just wanted to let you know that you have bike splatters all up your back from your bike. Your jacked caught most of it, but there's some on the dress too."

Fricken. Awesome.

I finished eating and went down to the bathroom to wash my dress and dry my still dripping hair, and then at 8 went into the office to begin my, oh yeah!, 12 hour shift.
So, coffee-less, wet from the rain, and still hungry from barely eating breakfast, I took a minute to ask God for strength to get me through the day, knowing it was probably going to be rough.
To my surprise, it was far from it. The phone calls I took were pretty uneventful, I didn't get yelled and once, and my boss gave me some extra, thankfully stress free, responsibilities.  Pretty much everyone in the office seemed to be in a good mood, and we spent most of the day cracking jokes and laughing. My favorite part of the day, however, started at 6pm when the phones went off. We all went up to get dinner for a half hour, and then stopped back down to chat with my friend who works at the news stand, and then back to work. But when it's after 6 pm...it's not really work anymore. See, after 6 PM, we're all in our element.  One of my good friends, a guy who works in my department, put on his "diva" pandora , and we spent the next hour and a half listening to the best of Whitney, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and of course Aretha Franklin. Oh, Aretha. Yeah, about two measures before she went into the chorus of "Natural Woman" the girl who sits next to me let's out the LOUDEST burp...fitting, of course, that seconds later Aretha goes into "you make me feeeeel like a natural womaaaan."

Another awesome thing happened today! We had Christmas at the office! Well, kind of. There are 6 people in my department, and today 4 of us got packages in the mail. We all circled up and opened them together, it was very touching. My wonderful mama sent me my guitar in a box today! So happy to have it, now H and I can head down to the park to entertain some tourists.

So, I end by saying that I learned two things today. Number one: God listens. Number two: Don't lose hope in the end just because the beginning starts roughly.

Day off!

GREAT news from my boss... I get the entire day off on Tuesday! I can't tell you how excited I am. This will be my first day to just lay around and relax...Only one shift between me and Tuesday, and unfortunately its probably going to be a 12 hour, but hey..I'll take it.
A couple of days ago I was actually woken up by the sound of the island ambulance (one of the only cars here). It's really strange when you're pretty much isolated by motorized noise, surrounded by sounds of horse hooves and their carriages, to hear that early in the morning...its just weird.
Work has been going well, the days are starting to go by faster and I've definitely gotten the hang of what I'm doing. Today I spoke with a couple about their aunt who is coming here next week to celebrate her 90th birthday and they asked what kind of gifts/baskets we have that we could put in the room for her...I said, "Well...can she still, like...drink?"

Seriously, do 90 year olds drink?

This one apparently does, a lot! The guy says back to me "That's how she made it to 90!!"
You know what they say, a glass a day keeps the doctor away. As if I needed another reason to become a wine connoiseur.

So speaking of my date yesterday. I guess we weren't....but now that we are...! Yes I went on a dinner date yesterday... This guy who works at the front desk asked me out a couple of days ago so we went to a little restaurat downtown for pizza...It was a lot of fun and he was cute, but I'm thinking it'll be a one time thing...I've only been here a week and definitely am not looking to be "dating" anyone here. Working 12 hours a day, there's no way I'd have time for something like that anyway. I'm here to meet friends, have fun, work, and learn a lot! A cute island boyfriend unfortunately just doesn't look like it's going to fit into that picture.


And on that note, have a great day! Hopefully I'll have more to tell after my adventures on Tuesday!

The Tiramisu Dream/ FAQ's

So, the title of this post has very little to do with my actual post. Really, I just had the most amazing tiramisu today...went up to the cafe to get coffee with a co-worker and there it was. Just sitting there, calling my name. Ignoring it would have just been rude and I would certainly hate to be rude. I did what any other polite, courteous person would do. Devoured it. Yum.


Uh, yeah. That was about 5 hours ago and I'm still thinking about it.



Exciting news from yesterday! I got to eat in the main dining room ! My boss sent us up there so we could "know what it was about when people called and asked about it." Oh my goodness. Never in my life have I had such good food! (except mom's home cooking, duhh). Unfortunately, I ate lunch at 12 yesterday, stayed at work for a 12 hour shift, and then worked a 10 hour shift today, so I can't even brag about what I ate! I have absolutely no idea, I just know it was amazing, so take my word for it.

FAQ'S
Q: What can I expect if I'm working in reservations?
A: Getting yelled at.  From angry people with accents you can barely understand, to elderly people who can't hear you, to angry women waiting at the boat dock after they find out their reservation was never made, to someone in your own department who you've never met who is demanding information over the phone that you CANNOT give out over the phone. Yeah, expect to get yelled at a lot. Uhh, theoretically speaking, of course.

Q: What is an interior view room?
A: That's a room that looks out the back of the hotel?
Q: What's out there?
A: Trees and rooftops
Q: Is there a parking lot?
A: No ma'am
Q: Are you sure?
A: Yes ma'am
Q: How do you know there's no parking lot?
A: There are no cars allowed on the island ma'am


Q: Does John Stamos really work at the bar down the street?
A: Yes

Good news!

First of all, sorry I took the weekend off! Not much happened and I figured that writing about nothing would just turn people away, but today I'm back! I went in at 9am, and I'm officially on my own on the phones! I got a compliment from a woman today (who just so happened to be from northeast Ohio) who said I did great and couldn't believe I was in my first week. I got the OK from my manager to do a different job which they generally don't give to people who have been there less than a year (one week, people). Plus, being on the phone for 9 hours straight made the 11 hour day fly by. I'm really starting to love it.
In other news, I'm meeting lots of new people, have a pretty promising love interest, and am having a great time. The only thing missing is a nice winter parka, some mittens, and a hat.




IT SNOWED THIS WEEKEND.











IT'S MAY.










That's all for today. If you have warm weather, enjoy it for me. I'm currently sitting outside an inn stealing internet because I got out of work after starbucks closed, and I think if I stay out here any longer I'll lose at least one finger...frost bite is making some serious plays at my extremities.

Living on an Island isn't always sunshine, clear skies and hot guys

Like when it rains.
Its about 40 degrees here, windy, rainy and miserable. Not what I was expecting with island life, but I am up north so I suppose that was my mistake. Had to ride to work this morning through pouring rain with no umbrella, couldn't sit on my bike seat because it was soaked so I got a good workout\!! Definitely felt like I almost lost a few fingers to frostbite in the process! OK that's a little dramatic. But it was cold.
Also, I finally started training on the phones today! The guy training me tried to hand me the headset after I listened in on two calls. He goes, "If I just put you on the phones now you'd probably be fine." That was really nice to hear, since that's pretty much how I'm feeling. Answering phones is pretty much the same anywhere you go...not difficult stuff. Anyway, had a very boring day other than that, but things should pick up when the weather gets better. Hopefully this will be one of very few boring blog days!

My parting advice for the day: If you have warm weather, go for a bike ride. If you don't have a bike, "borrow" one from the guy down the street (they do that other places than here, right?) and if you have cold weather, snuggle up under a blanket and watch a movie with your puppy.

John Stamos

That got your attention, didn't it ladies. ;-)
No, John Stamos didn't come to the hotel, sorry to disappoint. Although if he did I wouldn't be allowed to tell you, so I guess you'll never know! There is a point to this though. I went out with some friends (when i say "out" I actually mean "next door" to the little bar down the street) to watch the Red Wings game. And my waiter looked EXACTLY like John Stamos. I will be returning to this bar quite often I think...


My friends and I also discovered (well...they discovered, and then invited me...) roof access in our house. Spent some time up there last night playing guitar and jammin out having a little concert. My friend H (name omitted) and I were singing together a little bit and may be going down to the park with an open guitar case for a little supplemental income...tourists love that stuff anyway. Updates soon to come.



In other news, there was a huge power outage on the island today, almost the whole place lost power!
I never thought about it, but I guess when an entire island loses power, its kind of like being in a third world country. You know, the kind with generators to keep your third world computers and refrigerators on, and emergency lights to illuminate the third world hallways of your luxury hotel.
But yes, we lost power! Lasted about 4 hours? Very interesting experience on my second day of work.  Unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep it brief today...suffering from a bit of a headache from combining staring at a bright screen in a dark room all day AND wearing my hair in a bun. Not a good combination.
If you ever wondered how a hotel operates when the power is out, let me tell you it is NOT FUN! For me or for you! We kept all the vital things operational...computers for reservations and checkins, cash registers and the like. Elevators? No. Which, as you can imagine, is a pretty big problem for some of the elderly guests. Definitely not an ideal day in the hotel world. You never want your guests to leave unsatisfied!

You know what else sucks about power outages? Bathrooms. More specifically? Bathrooms in a hotel that is pretty well known to be haunted.

Yes I had to go to the bathroom in the dark.

Yes there was a ghost.

Yes I screamed and ran out when it GRABBED ME WHILE I WAS WASHING MY HANDS.

NO this is not made up.

Ok. Yes, I PROBABLY imagined it, but who knows. That's probably what the ghosts want you to think.
Guests don't have to worry about that though, we keep their bathrooms illuminated so the ghosts can't get to them. I think people would be tentative to come back after having an interaction with a ghost in a dark bathroom.
The bright side of all this was that my day FLEW by. Time to go swimming! Have a good night everybody!

The Pink Bike

So, a couple of years ago I bought a bike. It was great...bright red. Black handle bars. A couple of gear options. But as time went on and my handlebars got sticky, it was time for a change. But I love that bike! So the bike stays, but those handlebars had to go. When I got to Mackinac, what was the first thing I did when my parents left? Did I go on a "I'm away from my parents and can do whatever I want" rampage? Did I go drink with all the other people in my house that night? Did I go down to the beach and enjoy the sun and clear blue skies? No, no, no. I went down the the bike store and bought some new handle bars, and a cute little basket for my bike.
You're probably thinking to yourself, ok she's got a basket..some new handle bars...what more could a girl ask for when she's living by herself on an island? Well here's the thing. My handle bars are pink. My bike is red. And that simply does not work. So, long story short, this guy that works at the bike shop (who may or may not be my age and super cute) was talking to me about it and offered to paint my bike...for free...if I go to dinner with him (which may or may not have been a serious offer- I honestly don't know). Needless to say, I was hungry and I hate clashing colors. Fill in the rest yourselves.

So, in addition to all of this excitement, I started work today! I know you're probably all excited to hear about this, but at the moment there is not much to tell. I'm working reservations, so I'll spend the day in the back modifying and creating reservations for future guests. I'll save my witty comments about the nature of such calls, to preserve my professionalism. I'll admit, it's not the best job in the world. Certainly not my dream job. And the 8 hours a day (minimum) 7 days a week certainly leave a lot to be desired.

But do you want to know something?

This is why I LOVE working in hotels. Because at the end of the day, after being surrounded by people who are working jobs for the money, and who feel stuck on this island because they have no where else to go, no other job available, no family to go to, no school to save up for...after being surrounded by negative energy and feeling tired and wanting nothing more than to get up and come down to Starbucks to get my coffee and forget about my day, I still loved every second of it.

No, I don't have the greatest job in the hotel.
No, I don't even get to talk with guests and smile and welcome people in.
No, I don't get to see the sun, go outside, or bike like some other employees get to do.
I am stuck in the back of an office, talking on the phone for 8 hours.
Staring at a computer screen for 8 hours.
Sitting in a hard, wooden chair for 8 hours.
And yes, I still love it.

The way my heart beats when I get to walk from the cafeteria out into the lobby of this incredible hotel reminds me that no matter what job I'm working, how horrible or amazing it is, or how many hours a week I have to do that job, I will always remember something. I fell in love with this business while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing other people's toilets, making other people's beds, picking up and changing their towels. You can never imagine the things I saw, and the situations I dealt with. You will also never know the personal struggle I went through as a 16 year old pushing myself to keep moving, keep going, knowing that there was something better beyond that job.
If I had been given the opportunity at 16 to go sit in the back office of one of the most beautiful hotels in the world to answer phones and take reservations, I would have been out of there so fast my clothes would have ripped off in the wind. So while I'm struggling with this now, I will never let myself forget where I was a few years ago, how I felt the same thing I am feeling now, to some degree. But I still love what I do. I love hotels, this one in particular. And, when I am running a hotel like this in 25 years, I'll be glad to have this experience under my belt. Some day, I'm going to be the manager to a girl who is just like me now, and I want to be able to look at her and say, "I've been where you are. And if you keep going...just for 4 more months...something better will come. What you're doing now is important, even if it feels trivial to you, this hotel could not operate the way it does if it were not for people like you. So even though you feel down, you wish you were in a different department, wish you worked better hours, wish you had more days off, just remember that someday this will all pay off."


Someday this will all pay off.

Do I actually get to live here?

No roommate...a sink, mirror, medicine cabinet in my room...bathroom right across the hall...one block from downtown. How did I get so lucky? And did I mention the view of the hotel right outside my window? Paradise.


I'll be honest, one of my biggest worries was that I was bringing too much stuff, and that it would be a problem getting it on the ferry and over here. To my relief, the first words out of the girls mouth on the loading dock were "wow, you didn't bring much compared to what most other people bring."

*sigh of relief*

Everything got on the boat no problem, and we had a very beautiful and relaxing ride across the straights. You wouldn't believe how clear the water is! It's really incredible.
So, major stress number two of the day was the process of getting me and my stuff to the hotel and to housing, respectively. The people at the dock weren't quite as helpful as I was expecting, but we all got where we needed to be, and I went to the HR office, got my papers signed and got acquainted with everything. One small change - I will not be working front desk, at least for now I'm going to be answering the phones in reservations. While I'm tempted to worry, I've decided this whole summer needs to just be a carefree, go with the flow lifestyle or I won't survive. So, reservations it is!! I'm sure it'll be fun, and I'm excited to meet more people who work at the hotel.

After we left checkin, my parents and I went to my room (my single..!) (with its own sink..!) (and plenty of drawer space...!) and waited for my luggage to arrive.

So we waited.

And waited.

And....went to get some wings

And waited a little more.

Don't worry, the story has a happy ending, guys! The luggage finally came, so we went up and unpacked, and then went back downtown for some coffee, fudge and ice cream.
Now let me tell you about this fudge.
The main street here can't be more than a quarter mile long, where the shops are. There have to be at least TEN different fudge shops, if not more. I don't understand it! Its horrible..! The smell of it fills the streets, and everywhere you walk you either see fudge, smell fudge, or you're eating fudge. My dad goes, "Now go easy with the fudge, or there will be a whole lot of Lizzy to bring home!"
That will not happen.
Needless to say, if you are a friend, expect to receive some fudge at the end of all this. But be careful, it's dangerous stuff.

So, mom and dad took the ferry back, and I went down the street with my bike to get a basket and some new handle bars and then went exploring. Let me tell you, this island is BEAUTIFUL...and way bigger than it looks. My legs are killing me!! All of you people out there like me who think to yourself, "well I don't work out, but I'm active, and I think I'm still in pretty good shape" --you will never know the truth until you go for a bike ride on this island. Let me just tell you, you're not as in shape as you think you are, I know I'm sure not! So I biked around the island, spotted a few good sunning areas, and then headed to dinner where I met a nice elderly man and chatted about the island while I ate some pasta, fruit and broccoli (all WAY better than Clet Fine Dining, for any NU readers). I left dinner and went back to my room for a bit, and then headed to Starbucks

where the coffee is great, and the wifi is free ;)

So here I am, sitting at a window, looking out at the people, horses, dogs, and shops along the street. I am so blessed to be here.  Right here. Looking at Josie's Fudge. Ugh the fudge, I just can't get away.
Anyway, Starbucks closes at 7:30 here, so I'll be getting kicked out soon, but I hope you all enjoyed reading, I certainly enjoyed everything I wrote about! All the nerves are gone and I am just soaking in the great atmosphere here. I absolutely love it. I may never leave.

The Journey Begins!

Day one!
Can't believe it's already here. Left home earlier, made it to a hotel about two hours out from the final destination (which shall remain nameless for the sake of keeping my job..!) with mom, dad and a carload of stuff all safe and sound.

A little background on me, for those that don't already know...I started in the hotel business when I was 16.  My family and I went on a vacation the summer I started to the very hotel I am going to work at this summer! Through some family connections we actually got a private tour of the hotel! I was in awe. Every room was decorated differently, everything was exquisite, unique, and unlike anything I had ever seen. The staff was incredibly polite and kind, and I fell in love. I decided to go back home and look for somewhere that I might learn a little bit more about the business, so I went down to the local Hampton Inn and annoyed the GM until she gave me the job!

Her exact words were, "I don't usually hire 16 year olds, because they generally aren't very good at cleaning rooms, but since you just kept calling I decided to take a chance on you. Don't let me down."

I'm pleased to say I didn't. I stayed with the hotel until I graduated, and then went to school for the business I had fallen in love with. Right before going to college I got a short internship position at another hotel about 45 minutes from my house.  After two and a half weeks there, the GM told me that if I needed a summer job at any point that they would be happy to get me back. Nine months later I gave him a call, and there started my summer internship for 2012. I worked housekeeping, front desk, banquets, breakfast, and sales. Gained more experience from that than in the whole previous year of hospitality classes, but hey 38K a year only gets you so much I guess..seriously though my school is awesome. Anyone interested in hospitality should take a look at Niagara U. But frankly field work always offers learning experiences that you just can't get in a classroom.

So, back to school for another two semesters. Right before leaving I got into contact with someone high up at this hotel and was offered a position there. One job application plus a few letters back and forth and one phone call with the front desk manager equaled one VERY happy college student.

So here we are. Sitting in a hotel room, watching the hockey game about two hours out from the hotel. Waking up very early so we can get moved in early and get the rents back on the road and back to a very lonely puppy waiting at home. More to come, post move-in.