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IHG loves me

I left Saugatuck on a Wednesday afternoon to drive the 197 miles to Detroit to see my son Michael. I stayed at the Crowne Plaza - formerly the Ponchatrain - and was greeted warmly by the door man and valet. I was then greeted by the nicest bell hop ever who put my luggage on one of those trolley thingys and insisted on pushing it and me (in my wheelchair) to check in. Where a very nice clerk congratulated me on being and IHG Platinum member and then gave me a little gift bag that contained a chilled bottle of water, and apple and a bag of trail mix. As the bell hop was bringing me to my room he remarked, "you musta stayed in a lot of hotels to get the Platinum level."

 And yes, I have. In fact, this Crowne Plaza would be my first stop on a whirlwind tour to see the the three not-so-little Piggins.

 I drove 283 miles to Chicago the next day, Thursday, to deliver some things to Matthew who would be moving into a new apartment over the weekend. I would also be helping Delaney move out of her Chicago apartment

 I checked in to the Holiday Inn Express in Evanston where the desk clerk welcomed me as an "IHG Platinum member" and gave me a gift bag with a bottle water and granola bar. Again, a nice bell hop helped me up to my room and he too commented on the fact that I must have stayed in a lot of IHG hotels.

 In fact, I have. The stays and earned-points started to accumulate when Michael's college search began in 2007 and we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Crawfordsville, Indiana, home of Wabash College.

 On Friday, Delaney and I were on the road to St. Louis to move her in to her duplex to start her junior year. The drive to St. Louis from Chicago totaled 303 miles.

 I checked in to the Holiday Inn Express on Route 66 where I was once again greeted warmly by a desk clerk who thanked me for being a platinum IHG member ... you know what happened next. 

 This particular excursion was an anomaly - I don't normally stay in three different hotels in five days. And I don't usually drive over 800 miles in one weekend while staying in three different hotels over five days. And I don't usually help move (to some degree or another) all three children in one weekend while driving 800 miles and staying in three different hotels in five days. And did I mention that it was August and hot and humid in all three cities and all five days?

 I am grateful for many things over these five days and 800 miles;

 1.   My spouse and his Subaru Outback with it's great cruise control that made driving 800 miles less of a chore and its plentitude of space for a whole lot of 'stuff';
2. The three not so little Piggins that still love to have their mom 'help';
3.  The genuinely helpful and kind people I met at all three hotels - I never got the sense that they were 'just doing their job' or (worse!) I was putting them out when they were doing a little more than required (the bell hop in Detroit was the epitome in customer service!);
4.  For the GPS that helped me figure out the miles traveled and especially the calculator that helped me total them;
5.   For air conditioning and chilled water!!

 My glass is overflowing!
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