The valet was at my door before I could turn off the engine. A young man greeted me and held the door open while I shuffled into the cozy lobby of the hotel. The fireplace was ablaze and already warming the backs of patrons lined up next to it. The staff was friendly and immaculately attired.

Every detail felt authentic even down to retro rotary phones and wooden chess sets available for play.

From the first interaction my expectations for the experience were set high. And yet that’s a challenge because even the smallest miscue is magnified.

This hotel could be considered a Seattle landmark. It jettisons out over the blue waters of Elliot Bay. One can watch cruise and cargo ships docking at the nearby piers. Ferries cross paths delivering their passengers to this area’s many islands. Seattle’s skyline as well as Alki beach are viewable in the distance. It’s a peaceful setting and the main reason travelers are willing to pay extra to stay here.

So when I waited to be seated at the only onsite restaurant, I assumed it would be at one of the tables situated near a window. Although several such tables were available, the hostess offered a larger table for four, far from the windows, yet inches from the Continental Breakfast.

I could and should have asked to be seated at a smaller table closer to the windows.

The point is this: I should not have to ask.

I didn’t come for the $4 orange juice or the $9 oatmeal. If a table near the windows are available why not seat me at one?

There’s a lesson here I can take to my team that provides high end technical services to Microsoft: Every interaction you have with a customer creates their expectations of what’s to follow. I expect clean restrooms at Nordstrom. I would expect the service department at Lexus to be orderly. I’ve come to regard the friendly Starbucks barista as an extension of that $5 mint chocolate chip cream frappuccino.

I went back to the restaurant for lunch and was greeted by another hostess who happened to be my server. The dining area was crowded. As she grabbed a menu and asked me to follow, I thought to myself, “please don’t seat me at the same table”.

She didn’t. And I’ll return.

Kim gets the kids ready for bed most nights. That involves rounding them up to brush teeth and get drinks and retrieve gum or candy they have stashed in their little pockets. If we’re lucky, they climb into bed with a book and a flashlight.

And maybe a swig of Benadryl when The Office is on.

But usually we aren’t that lucky which is where I come in. Phase 2 of bed tucking in involves making sure each child is in her or her own bed and and there are no hands down butt cracks. Once they’ve settled down I’ll tell them a story of varying degrees of scariness.

But tonight the kids had a hundred questions about travel. They measure travel by how many nights they would sleep on the plane.

How many nights would we sleep on the plane to grandma’s house?
How many nights would we sleep on the plane to Disneyworld?
How many nights would we sleep on the plane to Australia?

This lead to the following discussion:

Lincoln: Is heaven above the sky?

Me: Yes, I guess so.

Lincoln: How many nights would we sleep on the plane to get to heaven?

Luca: You have to take a rocket, Lincoln, because rockets go straight up.

Me: That’s right, it takes a rocket to get into space.

Lincoln: I couldn’t sleep on a rocket so let’s just go to grandma’s.

I work with a bunch of very cool people. They travel around the world and return with all sorts of goodies which they graciously share with me. Last week I returned to my office to find two bars of my favorite chocolate. The kindness must have been contagious because I brought one of the bars home to share with Kim and the kids.

I share most things but I’m sure you’d understand my past lack of generosity if you could taste one square of this dreamy chocolate.

That same day someone also left this John McCain action figure on my desk. Nobody has come forward so I’m not sure whom to thank. But if you happen to be reading this I want you to know how much fun I’ve had bending his arms back and forth. If you look closely you’ll see the old Maverick’s nose is suffering from rug burn. If someone forced him to push a penny down the hall with his nose, I didn’t see a thing.

Although I’ve worn glasses for many years I’ve seldom liked them enough to wear outside the house much. Most of the time I wear contacts.

But this week I bought these black Raybans, and I like them so much I just might wear them to work tomorrow.

The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and the kids are trying to bribe dad into raking a huge pile of leaves together so they can help pick them up.

They are Lucy holding the football and I’m Charlie Brown wondering if this is the year I’ll finally kick it.

Just as Lucy yanks the football away at the last minute, my kids will help until the pile is big enough to swallow them up upon entry.

The help stops. The leaves fly. Dad blows leaves into neighbors yard.

Maybe I’m wiser this year.

Then again, that smile on Anna Lynn looks so very trustworthy, doesn’t it?