Whew, Hiram and I are finally on the back side of yesterday’s CMX Children’s Ministry Conference in Lexington, Kentucky. We’ve checked out of the fancy-smancy hotel connected to the convention center. You know, the kind of place that draws you in with a half-price conference room rate and then proceeds to charge $14.99 for their buffet breakfast and $9.99 for internet in your hotel room.
Needless to say these two Iowa hicks, one of whom has Hess blood (read that as cheap, cheap, cheap) flowing through her veins, walked elsewhere for breakfast, (Note: If you’re ever in Lexington, do not eat at Panera knock-off Atlanta Bread. The only things it has in common with Panera are the font on their logo and brown napkins.) and they only used the free internet in the hotel lobby. That explains the lack of a post yesterday.
This morning, we’re sitting in a real Panera – my choice for wi-fi home away from home – wiping our dainty little mouths with genuine brown paper napkins, enjoying a second copy of coffee and watching it rain. Life is good, good, good again.
So far the highlight of the trip – other than connecting with parents, children’s ministry leaders, and special needs ministry folks who were as dedicated and visionary as any I’ve ever met – was our overnight stop in Urbana, Illinois Tuesday night. Not only was it cheaper than our Lexington digs (We had a two room suite, free internet in our suite, and a complimentary hot breakfast), the clerk at the check-in desk knew how to spell “Philo.”
“Oh yes, Philo like the street,” she said. Noting our amazed expressions, she gave us directions to our namesake. We used them on the way out of town Wednesday (after our free and hearty hot breakfast) to find our road.
Philo Road turned out to be a fairly major thoroughfare. We took some pictures to add to our Philo memorabilia – well actually to start our collection of Philo memorabilia – before hitting the road and gloating over our new found fame. Other than Washington, Cunningham, Iowa, and a bunch of other street names I can’t recall, very few people have an almost major road in Urbana, Illinois named after them.
But the Philos do. And let me tell, you that was reassurance we needed after checking into our fancy-smancy Lexington hotel. The memory of our namesake gave us dignity and fortitude as we nickel and dimed our way past $14.99 breakfasts and $9.99 internet. We may be cheap, but we’re almost royalty.
Go ahead and bow. We won’t mind.
