I’ve spent the last three days in Tampa at a golf and tennis resort. I’m here for the Agricultural Media Summit, representing my company at a trade show and hobnobbing with reporters who write about things like cows and fertilizer and tractors and everything farm. So tonight, before I pack and go to bed so I can get up for my very early flight, I’d like to tell you the best and worst things about my trip to Florida.

Best:

• I ate the biggest pork chop I’ve ever seen tonight, not to mention the chocolate cake I had to split it with my co-worker – after all, I’m making myself weigh in tomorrow when I get home!
• The staff at this resort has provided the most outstanding service I have ever received in any capacity. I guess I don’t normally pay enough to be treated this well? (That’s a slightly sarcastic comment – who, me? – because I believe customer service is sorely lacking in the world.) All kidding aside, the people who work here have been amazing, offering above average service with a kind smile. The bellman who told us about the umbrellas in our closets, the shipping guy who searched, found and delivered extra boxes for us to use for our extra supplies (from the trade show), the waitress who explained Tampa traffic patterns when we asked about getting to the airport on time, the gift shop lady who gave me band-aids out of her desk when I was going to buy them – these are just a few people who were just fantastic in providing service to me, a lowly conference attender at their swanky resort.
• I met some fun people, like my new friend, Lucy, who’s coming to Kansas City next week to try out for American Idol. She even sang her audition songs for us, and she’s really good!
• I learned that rum punch is quite tasty (unless it’s heavier on the rum than the punch and then it’s not nearly as fun – for me, at least).

Worst:

• Florida is ridiculously humid. I mean, there should be another word for how humid it is here. I’ve been calling it oppressively humid, but that might be a bit much. But just saying “freaking humid” doesn’t cut it. It’s so humid – and hot, of course, but in July that’s a given – that I actually said more than once that I’d rather take all of my clothes off than stand another minute of the oppressive and stifling heat and humidity. For the record, I did NOT take off all my clothes. Although I did take two showers yesterday. It’s bad. I’ve been to Florida in July before – I distinctly remember sweating more than I’ve ever sweated before. At least then I didn’t have to look professional. I couldn’t even pretend to look cool – what 17 year old girl visiting Disney World with her parents can?
• I brought new shoes. New shoes that cut my feet to pieces. New shoes that immediately rubbed blisters on several different parts of my feet.
• Because this is a resort and not a hotel, our room, the main building, the trade show building and the restaurants were all in different buildings…meaning I had to walk through the wall of humidity on my sad, sad feet constantly.

OH! I forgot another BEST thing – my bed! Normally, there’s at least three, if not four, of us in the bed at home. (Our cats truly believe they are people and deserve the biggest bed in the house – they’ll make room for us if we promise to be real nice.) I got a whole bed, an unbelievably comfortable mattress and duvet, plus four smushy pillows all to myself!

And now for another BEST thing. I’m going to pack all my stuff, go to bed, and before I know it I’ll be back home, seeing my baby, enjoying normal humidity….and missing the palm trees, bellhop and cleaning service!