Oh, hi there! I've been amiss in my blogging duties, and in many other duties, because I am lazy, but also because I've been enjoying the pleasures and non-pleasures that can't always be blogged adequately: day job drudgery, Thanksgiving with beloved family, the speedy passage of time. However, some things can be blogged, and the Madonna Inn is one of them. Here are some of the moments from a day I'd been waiting for my whole life.

Bar times.

Chandelier.

Me and my mama.

The Copper Cafe.

The happy couple.

A special guest.

A room with a view.

Dinner.

After dinner.

Travelin' light.

Miss Blythe.

Rock shower? Not slimy as expected.

Is that Jeff Goldblum?

Satisfaction.

Romance

I've always wanted to spend the night at the Madonna Inn. Since I learned how to want things, I have wanted this. However, it's hard to justify staying in a hotel in the town you live/lived in, and where your parents still live.

That said, I never promised that I wouldn't accept frivolous gifts in exchange for donating my kidney. My mother has generously set up a magical evening for me in the Romance Room this Saturday night for our two-year "kidney anniversary", and I can't wait.

I'm bringing a whole pile of costumes and props for a photo shoot, if I am still standing after a day of poolside champagne and kitsch overload (if there was such a thing).

Postcards From the Edge...I mean, SLO.

Dear Readers,

Things got crazy! Things always get crazy, if they aren't already crazy, and this occurrence is especially common around the holidays. And often, things are not as they seem. Even I, the biggest Christmas fan in these United States, get cranky sometimes.

A few short moments after this idyllic photo was taken, I made some cruel remark to my mother across the table and shattered a lovely holiday brunch! Christmas stress is a bitch and it affects everyone, even in a seemingly safe zone like the Madonna Inn Cafe. So today I say, let's all take a deep breath, relax, and try not to lash out at your loved ones. Ten days 'til Christmas!