Hotel Blackhawk
Posted on December 15, 2013 by Ching under Travel.
I wish I had another reason to visit Davenport because I’d stay at Hotel Blackhawk again. It’s one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at for work. Of course, my room wasn’t as nice as Darcy’s which had the adjoining parlor room and balcony access. Why is it that smokers always get the best rooms? LOL.
Anyhow, here are some hotel photos.
I think that might be a pullout couch. I’m not sure. I didn’t check. I did like the separate living room/sitting area.
The mini bar was stocked with drinks and munchies.
Personally, I prefer a single king bed but the double queen rooms were all they had available. I can’t really complain. The beds were comfortable and the room was clean. What more can you ask for?
Darcy got a double queen room also, but her room was far superior.
Not only did she have access to a separate parlor room with a balcony, her room also had a tub with better water pressure. My room only had a stand up shower with really weak water pressure.
But, hey, at least the bathroom mirror had a built in TV like the room that Brian and I stayed in at the Peabody Orlando when I attended the Zumba Instructor Convention back in August. That’s a plus.
The hotel also has a gym, a couple of restaurants, a barber shop, a spa, and a bowling alley. Every hotel has a gym and all that other stuff but the bowling alley is pretty special. That’s a pretty unique amenity. We don’t have any hotels here in Wichita with an onsite bowling alley.
The location of the hotel is great also. It’s walking distance to business and restaurants. It also has skybridge access so you don’t have to walk outside as much when it’s cold. It was freezing when we were there last week.
MidAmerican Energy let us use their corporate discount so our rooms were actually reasonably priced. The hotel is an excellent value, given the rate we paid. The property is clean and beautiful and the staff is fantastic. It’s the kind of place where they always say “My pleasure” whenever you thank them for anything.
Hotel Blackhawk also offers shuttle service around the area, not just to and from the airport. I really have no complaints. Yes, the water pressure in the shower was weak but it seems like that was only true for certain rooms. Isaac, Lance, and I were the only ones who had water pressure issues. Faith and Darcy had good pressure in their bathrooms. They both had tubs in their bathrooms, though.
If I had a tip to share, I’d say people who are particular about their water pressure should ask for a room with a bathtub. Some rooms also had better views, but I wasn’t really concerned. I would be happy with any room at this place.
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First Time at N & J Café
Posted on December 15, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Pictures from our first time at N & J Café…
Yanila and Paul both had the crazy strong coffee.
This is a photo of my chicken and artichoke wrap with a double side of hummus.
Brian had the chicken shawarma. Another thing we got to try from their menu is the Mediterranean chicken wings appetizer. It was yummy. Thank you to Carla and Paul for ordering it and sharing.
This is Christina’s tabouli and large plate of hummus.
I think this is the mixed grill.
I had flan for dessert. I just couldn’t pass it up.
The highlight of the evening had to be the dancer. I had no idea that they had dancers perform at the restaurant every Saturday night.
The dancer is actually a good friend of my friend Christina so she came by our table several times during dinner. She bantered with Paul quite a bit and actually got him to dance with her. I’m so glad that Paul has a lucrative career because he definitely cannot dance for a living. LOL.
Dinner was actually a lot of fun. Brian and I still like MIF Deli better, but the food there is pretty good and the live entertainment is a bonus. I would return to N & J again. Thank you so much to Christina for organizing dinner. Had it not been for her we wouldn’t have had reason to try N & J Café.
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Red Envelope Makes Me Happy
Posted on December 15, 2013 by Ching under Shopping, Wishlist.
I always love getting presents from Red Envelope. It doesn’t even matter what’s inside. LOL. I just love the beautiful red box and ribbon. The lovely packaging never fails to pique my interest and I eagerly anticipate what’s inside.
Nothing extravagant in the boxes this time — just our personalized Christmas stockings. It doesn’t matter what you get really. I’ve never gotten anything from Red Envelope that I didn’t like. The best part is that you can get 10% cash back from Ebates for every Red Envelope purchase. If you’re not a member of Ebates and if you’ve never purchased anything from Red Envelope, you’re totally missing out.
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Brian’s Work Christmas Party
Posted on December 11, 2013 by Ching under Events.
We had a lot of fun at Brian’s work Christmas party last weekend. They have an annual get together at his boss’ boss’ boss’ house in Rose Hill. We’d never been able to attend until now because they always have the party the same night as our Employees’ Association holiday party at work. This year the parties are on separate weekends so we were finally able to attend.
We had such a blast!
Some of the funniest white elephant gifts were the Accounting for Dummies book, the toilet seat (thankfully not a used one), and plunger.
I have no idea how Brian picked the plunger out of all the gifts that were left. I don’t think he was paying close attention because he picked a gift wrapped in the same wrapping paper as the toilet seat. I would have totally stayed away from that one. LOL.
Brian and I were more sneaky, though. Instead of bring two gag gifts or two serious gifts, we brought one each. Our serious gift was a glass bathroom scale and our gag gift was a Bra Maid
Brian didn’t end up coming home with the plunger gift, though. He ended up stealing the Indulge Cafe Style Hot Chocolate Kit
I had stolen a candle warmer kit but it was promptly stolen from me so I ended up coming home with a vibrating massager thing. It’s okay. Not a substitute for Michael at Sveta’s, though. Speaking of, we are about due for another couple’s massage!
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Brian Earns Bonus Points
Posted on December 8, 2013 by Ching under Relationship.
Sierra did my makeup at Beau Monde the other day. I’m not sure if Brian got an “after” picture, but this is what I looked like before she did her magic.
I wish I had an “after” picture to show you guys because she did such an amazing job. It’s a lot like getting your hair done at the salon. The professionals always make you look so much better. I think so anyways so I asked Brian, “Would you like it if I learned how to do my makeup and looked like this all the time?” It’s a valid question because I rarely ever do my makeup. I’m just not any good at it.
Brian really surprised me with his response. He said he preferred me the way I am without all the makeup. He’s like, “Makeup done right always enhances the way that someone looks so of course most women look better with makeup and many women need makeup to look good. However, there are women who can get by without makeup because they’re naturally beautiful. You’re one of those people.”
That was really sweet. And, he definitely earned some bonus points that day. Although, no matter what he says, I still prefer the way I look with makeup. I’m going to take makeup application lessons one of these days. LOL.
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