Greetings from Orlando!! 
This afternoon, when I checked into the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, I had the following conversation:
- Front desk lady: Welcome to Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Mrs. Haupert. I see that you are staying with us for four nights.
- Me: Thank you. Yes, I am.
- Front desk lady: Would you like one key or two?
- Me: One is fine. Thanks.
- Front desk lady: One key for each room?
- Me: **blank stare**
- Front desk lady: You have a suite for your stay. I’ll give you one key for each room.
Woah!!! A suite?!? I wanted to jump up and down and shriek like a little girl, but I kept it together, like the mature 30-year-old that I am. 
I thanked the front desk woman and briskly walked to the elevator, so I could see my room.
Holy amazing! The suite is easily the nicest room I’ve ever stayed in. It’s HUGE!! There’s a living and dining area, an office, bedroom, two bathrooms, and two flat-screen TVs. It’s definitely my lucky day! 
Ok, so I bet you’re wondering what the heck I’m doing in Orlando for the next four days. Well, the Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) invited me and five other bloggers for a weekend getaway focused on experiencing the dining and culinary scene in Orlando. I guess Orlando is not synonymous with fine dining, so the CVB wants to change this thinking.
The Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau invited me as their guest for the weekend, so my flights, accommodations, meals, and related expenses will be covered by them. As always, my opinions on CNC are completely honest and all my own.
Workout
After freaking out unpacking and relaxing a little bit, I headed outside for a run. As soon as I stepped outside, I realized that running in Orlando in the middle of the afternoon was a terrible idea. I immediately turned around and ran 4 miles (35:29) on the treadmill in the air-conditioned gym. I would have melted outside in that heat!
Mal did his 4-mile run at home in Boston. Here’s his recap:
Thursday’s run: 4 mile easy run (29.41). This was a tough run on me. I ate to soon before the run and had stomach cramps the entire time. One thing I’m looking forward to with this training is learning more about what my body likes/doesn’t like while exercising.
House Update
So, the house inspection did not go well. 
But, I’m okay with the outcome. If it was meant to be, it will be. This house just wasn’t the one for us.
After a 3.5 hour house inspection, Mal learned the following things about the house we almost bought:
- There is an active infestation of carpenter ants in the house and garage.
- The roof on the house and garage need to be replaced ASAP.
- None of the electrical outlets are grounded. Basically, you can’t plug in things with three prongs, like computers, TVs, powerstrips, etc. This is a major problem for a blogger.
- The deck on the back of the house was built improperly, so water runs into the house when it rains, which has caused corrosion in the kitchen.
There were a bunch of other things, but these were the big ones. Sadly, there’s just too many major fixes for us, so Mal and I are rescinding our offer. Back to the drawing board. It’s a good thing that I like to look at houses! 
—
Dinner is in about an hour. Better go pretty myself!
{ 114 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Next Comments →
sorry about the house
(although you have a great attitude about it!(
enjoy orlando! your suite looks amazing!
funny to see the stark contrast of your luxurious room and then read about the problematic house! Those are major issues…can I say it kind of sounds like a mess. Good for you that you have the endurance to keep on looking. I think you will find something great. Have fun this weekend!!
oh my gosh! I am so excited about your trip and your sweet suite! I feel like I’m on vacation reading about it! So sorry about the inspection but the right one will come along. Have FUN!
Your suite is very SWEET.
Sorry about the house but I’m sure you’ll find something even better.
Have fun in the sunshine state.
omg I want to be YOU!!! How awesome!!! Love the suite! Have a blast! I cant wait to see recaps!!!!
Sorry about the house, but your right, it wasnt meant to be then, I believe that for sure : )
Lucky bitch!
WOw SCORE!!!! This is the best suit and you are truly going to live it up in Orlando.
SOrry about the house. That blows but at least you found this out before it was too late!
Bummer on the house! I’ve been there but that means there’s something WAY more fabulous for you guys just waiting!!
And you have no idea how excited I am about your Orlando report to come. Hubby & I are heading there at Halloween for a week. It’s our late honeymoon (married in Feb!!!!) Enjoy!
Wow, that is an awesome hotel room! Lucky you! Have fun in Orlando. Sorry about the house, but you’ll find one better that you won’t have to completely remodel.
I could not be more jealous of your blogging perks!
The suite looks amazing! Have fun in Orlando. And it’s too bad about the house, but the right one will come around!
what an amazing suite.. have fun and enjoy the culinary goodness in Orlando
you have the right attitude about the house, if it’s meant to be it will be.. the last thing you want is a house with tons of work to do..
btw — love the new blog design, very nice and chic
Bravo to you for just accepting that the house isn’t for you!
We bough a house with some issues a couple years back….quite a few issues…..and now we are stuck with it and want to sell it but obviously need to fix these things first. It is expensive, and it sucks.
You will find a house, and it will be just as good, if not better than this option.
Holy-amazing-suite-soooo -jealous!!! lol Enjoy your 4 days in Orlando, that decor is amazing!!! As for the house, thank god for inspections! I’m sure everything will work out and your house is just out there waiting for you and hubby!
That is so cool (both the suite and the event you are attending, that is)! I’m sure you were especially psyched about the suite because of your obsession with hotels
That room is RIDICULOUS!!! I <3 it!! I would definitely be jumping up and down no matter if I was by myself or not.
I'm sorry your home inspection did not go well. I just renovated a house with the hubby, and we found all of those things you mentioned (minus the roof) after demo started. Awesome.
I like your attitude about the house. Enjoy Orlando; it’s a fun city.
Bummer about the house
Orlando really is not a fave place of mine, but I’m so excited to be following along on your culinary journey – there are TONS of great restaurants there, and I think everything gets overshadowed by “the Mouse.” Not that he’s not great, but … y’know.
Sorry about the house! But you’re totally right – what will be, will be.
I live near Orlando. I can’t wait to see which restaurants you sample! We may not be known for fine dining but we are definitely known for nice hotels
And you’ll find a nice house that doesn’t need so much work sooner or later!
I’m SO jealous!! I’m sorry about the house troubles, though. Good job on the inspection! Any tips to share about house buying??
Tina – I hope you have a great stay in Orlando, you’re off to a great start with your amazing suite! I can’t wait to read all about your adventures… You have the right attitude about the house. You & Mal will find the right one for you – I hope you find it soon
Good luck!
Tina, too bad about the house, but this is why it is good that inspections are required — look at all of the headaches you got to avoid!
Have a great time in Orlando — that hotel room is amazing. Too bad Mal and Murphy couldn’t join you, Murphy could have had his own bathroom!
What a gorgeous suite! Keep your head up, I am sure you will find the house of your dreams
Holy Moley! That suite definitely is Sweet! Have fun.
My parents are also in the midst of house buying. I’m with ya–I don’t mind visiting houses at all
Enjoy the awesome suite!! You can alternate beds every night 
I want to live there!!
I’m so sorry to hear about the house! Good for you for taking it so well. That does sound like WAY too many problems to manage. You’d think the sellers would deal with SOME things before trying to sell it!
Glad you at least have a sweet hotel room!
Hey Tina! Orlando is my hometown and I will agree that it is not known for fine dining or creative culinary cuisine
I’m so excited to hear what you get out of your trip!
There is a cool little bistro in Winter Park FL (north of O-town) that is all organic cuisine…I think it is called 365 or 369 bistro or something like that?? If you have the freedom to explore, I would recommend that area…Park Ave is super cute!
~Alyssa
That’s too bad about the house! But at least you’re in nice digs for now.
WOW! That room is gorgeous!!!!! lucky girl!
Enjoy it!
Yeah, definitely wouldn’t recommend running in the middle of the day outside in FL! Early morning/mid-evening, probably! I don’t miss that heat…although Nashville hasn’t been great this summer!
Enjoy your time! Can’t wait to read your updates!
I like your room. Looks so familiar!
Yowza that’s a nice place!! And bummer about the house. It’s amazing how things turn out so much different when you take a closer look. Good thing for inspections to save you from sour lemons like that.
Love that suite! I should decorate our house like that with the teals and neutral tones. You are a lucky girl.
I look forward to learning more about Orlando through your posts, especially about the restaurants. My husband and I are going on vacation there in February. Maybe we’ll stay at the Hilton you’re at if you would recommend it.
Sorry about the house, but nice trip. I only run outside here in FL in the summer if it’s before 8:00 a.m. Treadmills come in handy. Enjoy your stay!
I am so sorry to hear about the house! How sad! I wonder if the owner’s know all of this.
Welcome to Orlando!!! Apologies for no one warning you about the heat. But I think your room makes up for it. I can’t wait to hear about your culinary adventures here. Hopefully I’ll get some new ideas for places to go on Mommy Daddy date night! Have a great time this weekend.
Nice room!! I love random upgrades. That happened the last time I went to Wisconsin and it really made the trip memorable.
That suite is amazing!! Slumber party??
Hope you are having a great time in Orlando. I’ve lived in Orlando for the last three years, and I really love it here. The city has sooo much more to offer than people think. Looking forward to reading the recap of one of my favorite bloggers for one of my favorite cities!
i am so sorry to hear about the poor house inspection, i am sure that you will find a house but it doesnt have to be this week or next. when you find the house it will be!!
Can your hotel room be cooler then my entire house?
I hope you weren’t too emotionally invested into the house already…I hate when I do that with things and then get really bummed out. You seem to be handling it well…like a mature 30 year old!
That’s a real bummer about the house, I hope you find something much better soon!
OMG, that is an awesome suite! But I would feel weird staying in a place that big all by myself. I would totally want to share it with someone.
Too bad about the house
I would never leave that suite, it looks awesome!!!
We live in an old hunting cabin on a river and seem to battle carpenter ants annually. They are not hard to prevent but can be tough to get rid of. If you decide to get this house, get an exterminator who will give you a 1 year guarantee (6 months is not sufficient) and also who will spray the perimeter annually. We lost part of our deck and bathroom window frame to carpenter ants.
Also, we had to ground most of our house when we got it — I think it was $500 to turn extension cords into outlets. We used that opportunity to change light fixtures and add ceiling fans.
The roof and kitchen sound like it could either be a small cost or could get substantially pricey. Can you realtor get you an allowance of some sort to use as a back up?
At the end of the day, older houses have problems. If there is no structural problems, the property isn’t prone to flooding (if so, does it have a decent sump pump), and the neighborhood is what you want (make sure to drive by fri/sat night and/or sunday morning) than don’t be overwhelmed – it’s all fixable.
Whew! good luck – enjoy orlando!
Holy crap. That room is amazing!
Sorry about the house, just means something better is coming soon!
I meant to tell you the other day that we had a lot of letdowns when looking for our house. And now we’re in something I could have only dreamed of! So, you’re right. If it’s meant to be, it will be.
Aw that’s such a bummer about the house. But at least you found out about its problems before you bought it!!
so sorry to hear about the house. it is always hard. but glad you find out now then later. your house will come.
perfect title for this post! and im sorry to hear about the house – but you are right, when it’s meant to be it will be
here’s hoping you find another house even better than the first! i’m all for a fixer-upper, but those are HUGE problems
← Previous Comments
Next Comments →