Day of Hope #86
Thursday February 13 – Day of Hope #86
Goal: Stay in an amazing hotel, enjoy a weekend getaway, and try not to lose my temper
Quote: “It’s not about the destination. It’s the journey that matters.” - Unknown
For my Day of Hope, I booked a suite at the Inn at 500, one of my favorite hotels in Boise. Each room has a local theme, and for years I had my heart set on staying in the Wine Room with the sunken tub. I’d never been able to snag it until now. Finally, it was available. I was excited, hopeful, and ready to unwind for the whole weekend.
I arrived around noon, eager for a relaxing escape. But when I checked in, I was told I’d been placed in a smaller room without the large tub. I had requested the large suite months in advance specifically because of the large sunken tub for a bath, one of the few things that really helps me reset. The front desk said the original guests in that room had to extend their stay for medical reasons. While I understood, I was incredibly disappointed.
They offered me another option, the Travel Room, my second favorite, which thankfully had a tub. So, I packed up and went downstairs to switch rooms. Only then did they tell me it wasn’t ready and asked me to leave and come back later. Frustrated, I left to take my son home from work and returned afterward.
When they finally walked me to my new room, it wasn’t the Travel Room. It was the Sun Valley Room, decorated with a giant yellow sun and a huge mirror directly above the bed. While I do love Sun Valley, I did not love that decor. I couldn’t imagine spending the weekend writing and sleeping under that looming mirror.
To top off the day, my boyfriend texted to say he wouldn’t be joining me as planned for Valentines Day. I canceled my dinner reservations, ordered room service, and tried to distract myself with the television show Sex and the City. I decided I couldn’t stay in that room another night, especially not on Valentine's Day weekend. I packed up the next morning and checked out.
At that point, I was emotionally drained. I felt overwhelmed, like life was throwing one thing after another at me. But I had already booked a trolley tour of historic Boise, and I wasn’t going to let the weekend fall apart. That’s when the universe stepped in.
While waiting for the trolley, I noticed a hotel across the parking lot and thought, “What do I have to lose?” I walked in and asked if they had a large king suite available. The woman at the desk said, “Yes, we have a suite with a separate kitchen and bathroom for $113.” That number “13” is my favorite. I took it. As she went to get the paperwork, I silently celebrated my little win.
Then she returned and said something that made my heart sink: “I’m sorry, your room’s not ready yet.” I braced myself for another letdown.
But then she smiled and said, “Instead, we’re giving you our Penthouse Suite for the same price.” I nearly cried. It was such a moment of grace after so much stress.
The suite was amazing, a full kitchen, a separate bedroom and living room, plus an upstairs loft with another king bed and bathroom. It wasn’t themed, but it was absolutely perfect. I took the trolley tour, which was fun and educational, then came back and walked to Papa Joe’s for pizza. I had wine the previous hotel had given me for their mix-up. And that night, I had a solo Valentine’s celebration, pizza, wine, and gratitude. I was alone, but not lonely.
Still, I felt like sharing the joy. I texted a few friends, letting them know I had a Penthouse suite, and was suddenly solo. Most had plans as it was Valentine’s Day, after all, but my friend Samantha was free and came over. We enjoyed the hot tub and played a new card game she brought called Ligretto. Each box has four decks with four different colors. If you have more than four people you can get different colored boxes with other colored decks. We had a blast.
The next morning, we went to breakfast, and I was surprised by more girlfriends who joined us to offer support and share stories. It turned into an unexpected little celebration of friendship and resilience.
Later, Samantha and I got dressed up and went to dinner with one of her friends, then came back to the room for more cards. The weekend that started out as a total disaster turned into exactly what I needed: connection, laughter, rest, and a little adventure.
I had even found my new favorite hotel, perfect for a solo writing retreat when it’s time to work on my book. As for the Inn at 500? A few weeks later, they reached out to apologize and offered me one of their premier penthouse rooms for a free weekend. I gratefully accepted and booked it for March 13th Day of Hope.
(You’ll have to read #87 for that story.)
My lesson of hope: Things don’t always go according to plan, but sometimes that’s because the universe is rearranging something better. You just have to trust, adjust, and stay open. Faith, not frustration, can make all the difference.
