We are headed out on a family vacation to Florida and one of our stops (outside of grandpa’s house) will be at the Innisbruck resort. So my daughters, who watch entirely too much Phineas and Ferb apparently, have requested that we do a girls’ day Indaba Spa while we are there. All they know of spas is that they get a haircut and their toes painted, which is good I suppose. No little Kardashians in training here.

It did make me think of some of the different spas I have been to in my life (including our own Spa Orange), what makes them good, bad and indifferent. A spa’s main goal should be to make you feel good, inside and out. I know that sounds basic, but many times they get so hung up in the type of seaweed in their wraps or their own square footage that they forget about guest comfort.

Here are some of my favorite (and not so favorite) experiences.

The Bad

1) I’m a chatterbox, I know it, but if there is one thing I can’t stand, it is a talkative massage therapist. Nail technicians are supposed to carry on a conversation, hairdressers too. When someone has had a stressful day and wants to fall asleep face down breathing through a hole in the table, try to keep the convo to a minimum.


2) Guy and a girl walk into a spa…no this isn’t a joke. My boyfriend and I went to get massages at a day spa. He requested a female therapist (naturally), I gave no preference. Result? He got pampered by two therapists, the manager and her trainee, and I got a guy who tried a Japanese technique leaving me with bruises. Glad my boyfriend paid for both of our treatments.

The Indifferent

1) Overpriced services and employee snobbery are incredibly frustrating to me, especially on vacation. I know all about supply and demand coupled with the added expense of spa facilities such as pools and steam rooms. But the going rate for a treatment at a resort should not be triple what it is at a local day spa. For an employee to look down their nose at clientele paying exorbitant rates just adds insult to injury.

The Good

1) Spas which transport you to another place. One of my favorite day spas in San Diego was called Bergamot. It was built in multiple Balinese-style hut buildings. I felt wonderful just hanging out there for the day, on one of the outdoor lounges, sipping tea. Ahhh.
2) The Spa at the Mandalay Bay Hotel was great for my bachelorette party. The hangover crew could lay by the indoor pools on padded lounge chairs and get lunch delivered. Funniest part was me mistaking my allergy eye drops for my contact solution and effectively dilating my own eyes mid massage. I got to be that person in sunglasses at night.
3) Our own Spa Orange (shameless plug) may not be enormous, but it is friendly, relaxing and has some of the best people working there. Resort spas tend to be pricey and there is nothing worse than dropping tons of money for a mediocre massage from a tired therapist. I’m always impressed with the quality of service, especially from John, our head massage therapist.

So got any good ones of your own? We’d love to hear from you…

So we’ve compiled a list of a few favorites who will be gracing Greenbrier
County this week, and turning some heads as they do. Vote for your
favorites, suggest some others, and remember, this is all in good fun.

Head to our Facebook page to vote!

1) Camilo Villegas

2) Sergio Garcia

3) Ricky Barnes

4) John Daly

In my travels throughout our hotel though, everyone I asked couldn’t respond with any really great, out of the ordinary, customer desires. Maybe we never get them or maybe they just can’t remember.  Like when out of the blue someone asks you to tell them a joke and your mind goes blank.

So with nothing from my own compadres, I’ve drawn on my own experiences at restaurants and other hotels, as well as a host of similar topics from the web to compile a list for you. Here are some of the favorites….

…to have their entire bed (sheets, frame and all) packed up and shipped to their house.

…to purchase the rubber non-slip mat in their shower.

…to have a reservations agent take digital photos of the exact room they would be staying in and email them, reserving the right to do this over and over until she got the perfect room in a 400 room hotel.

… to have a bonfire on their terrace.
…to golf, in December, in the snow.
…to snow ski, in August, when it was 90 degrees outside.
… to hang drapes from the columns of a hotel, which would have been at least 100 feet high, for a wedding photo.
… to be served only blue food.
…to have separate beds or entire suites for pets.
…to bury their deceased pets on the grounds.
… to have all food and drinks be at room temperature. (This one turned out to be a medical necessity, but still catches you off guard.)
…to put diapers on horses.
…to please find a way to quiet down the ocean waves outside of their room.
… to have a server demonstrate a back flip.

Got any of your own?

It is strange to move back to the South and have a really hard time finding good fried chicken at any of the restaurants.  I guess because the great versions are really time-consuming, we are stuck with the grocery store fodder. 

Since we are smack dab in the middle of summer, I figure it is a perfect time to share our family recipe for fried chicken.  This is a slightly tweaked recipe of a Southern favorite that we make at home, perfect for dinner, picnics, or the 2 am trip to the kitchen.  Please note, this recipe does not give you the ½ inch of “extra crispy” crust like you might find at some fast food outlets.  If you want that, keep reading through to the end and I’ll throw in that variation.  

This recipe requires about 20 hours of prep time, so please plan ahead.

Ingredients:

For Step 1

1 whole chicken cut up into 8 pieces (about 4 pounds, not too big of a bird)

1/2 cup kosher salt

2 tbsp Herbs de Provence or  bouquet garni

4 quarts of cold water

For Step 2

1 quart of buttermilk

For Step 3

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp cayenne powder (optional)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cups of all-purpose flour

Vegetable shortening or coconut oil for frying

 Supplies:

Large covered glass bowl or baking dish

Colander and/or wire rack

Paper grocery bag (clean please)

Cast iron skillet

Tongs

Step 1:

Combine water, kosher salt and herbs in a glass dish large enough room to fit the chicken when submerged.  Stir until the salt is dissolved.  Add the chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate for roughly 8 hours.

Step 2

Remove the chicken from the brine and discard the water and herbs.  Rinse the glass container and put the chicken back in, then cover in buttermilk.  Give the chicken a few good turns to make sure there is enough contact.  Marinate for 6-8 hours.

Step 3

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and drain in a colander or on a wire rack.

Put all remaining dry ingredients into a clean paper bag and add the chicken pieces 1 or 2 at a time.  Shake the bag so that the pieces are coated and set them on a clean and dry wire rack to rest (resting  is crucial as it keeps the coating from falling off during cooking).

While the chicken rests. heat the vegetable shortening in a cast iron skillet.   There should be enough shortening when melted so that the oil reaches about ½ inch up the side of the skillet.  When the shortening reaches 325 degrees (no more), place the chicken in the pan skin side down to fry.  Do not overcrowd the pan or everything will stick and take forever to cook.  It is best to put the larger pieces in the middle.  Cook until golden brown, turning over half way through the process, about 10-12 minutes per side. 

Be patient!  Fast food fried chicken is usually made in a pressure cooker, so it is always a surprise how long it takes to fry chicken at home.

Extra Crispy Variation

Other ingredients needed:

2 eggs
Splash of water
1 more cup of flour

Follow Steps 1 and 2 above.  Drain the chicken from the buttermilk in a colander or a wire rack.  Combine all of the dry ingredients except the flour.  Beat 2 eggs in a pie dish with a little water.  Put 3 cups of flour into a bowl or pie dish. 

Follow these steps for each piece of chicken.

1)      Dredge in the spice mixture.

2)      Coat with the flour mixture.

3)      Dredge in the egg wash.

4)      Coat with the four mixture again.

Sometimes I use 2 different dishes for the flour to avoid getting flotsam and jetsam into my mixtures, but it depends upon how many dishes I feel like washing. 

Again, let the chicken rest on a wire rack and then fry as above.  With this amount of coating you want to make sure it rests so it won’t all come off in the pan and you end up with little bits of burnt “extra crispy” floating around your skillet. 

Hope you like it!

My parents were both car people, growing up in the ‘60’s during the era of the muscle car.  My mother used to get cars from auctions and drag race them at the local airport.  My dad had an Audi 4000 when we were kids; the ride to school every morning was an adrenaline rush on back country roads.   So it stands to reason that my sister and I would become car people as well.    My mom and I both agree that the only celebrities we envy at all are James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from Top Gear, they have the best jobs on the face of the earth.

West Virginia has some of the most spectacular, and empty, roads in the country.  We are primed for a state-wide, curve hugging, scenery gazing, piston growling adventure.  With 549 miles of interstate highway, over 34,000 miles of state owned roads and a population of only 1.8 million people, the math is easy.  This could be one of the greatest states in which to drive…I mean really drive.

The Highland Scenic Highway in Pocahontas County has long been a favorite of motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts.  The Midland Trail is a beautiful route which was originally a buffalo migration trail and became a stagecoach road. It now connects historic Lewisburg with the state capitol of Charleston.  The Historic National Road, built 200 years ago, it was the first federally funded interstate highway and integral to our revolution (sorry Brits).  Even the main toll road ($4) from Beckley to Charleston is a curvy, white knuckled adventure best experienced with a wide wheel base and low center of gravity.

Even my morning commute, 50 miles from Lewisburg to Glade Springs along interstate 64 is tremendous fun along a mostly empty highway.    Seriously, when was the last time someone told you their commute was “fun”?  When I lived in Northern Virginia, it used to take me 45 minutes to drive five miles, so this is definitely preferable. I especially love getting off an exit early at Shady Springs where the road feels more like a slalom course.

So find a car which can corner, fill up your tank, grab a map (yes, you will probably still want a map in addition to satellite navigation) and hit the gas.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Pictures of my morning commute. 

Case in point.  ESPN is having a National Golf Challenge competition to find the best twosome in America.  Win your local tournament and earn a chance to compete in the regional and national finals!  Seriously!

“What are my chances?” you think, self-defeatist-mode taking over. 

Your chances are pretty darn good, my friend, because we have only had two teams enter thus far. 

So grab your clubs, a buddy, some cojones and give our pros a call to sign up.  (304)763-2050 is the number, the last day to play is July 14.  And when you are on your way to the championships in Vegas, I won’t even say “told you so”.

Historically speaking, I have never been much of a morning person.  That is to say, I’m the person who tends to hit snooze 20 times, throws a pillow over my head and begs the world to go away.  “Ten more minutes,” is a familiar mantra.

A change has taken place in the last few months and I find myself getting up with the sun.  I grew up here in the mountains, until I was ten years old anyway, raised on a farm in West Virginia.  It is difficult to remember if I enjoyed mornings then, but my guess is that unless cartoons were involved, I was slow to relinquish my covers. 

Now, I see the sun stream in through my French doors and I am wide awake.  Five thirty or so in the morning, I head to the kitchen for my cup of coffee and sit on my porch.  The only thing missing, I think this every morning, is a porch swing, as I only have a regular chair.  The morning mist is doing its best to cling to the hollows while sun rays cut through it so clearly, it feels animated.  The finches and red winged black birds hop around my grass looking for worms and bugs.   My neighbor’s horses wander over to the fence, hoping my daughters will get up and feed them apples.   

Maybe in the cities, where I lived since childhood, I grew accustomed to being awoken by blaring horns or the neighbor’s lawnmower.  More recently, in California, we lived in tract home near the fire station.  It is a wonder I slept at all.  But, to me, there is no majesty about mornings when you have nothing beautiful to contemplate.  When only the stains your sprinkler system leaves on your fence or the parking lot of the apartment building next door are visible outside your window.

It is all in the view, I think.  In  Jamaica, my sheer curtains would blow in the morning breeze coming off of the Caribbean Sea.  I’ve seen the sun rise against the backdrop of the Alps in Switzerland, over lavender fields in Provence, backlighting a cathedral in Prague or gleaming off the sound at my grandparents’ house in Connecticut.   

There is magic in these mornings, even for a night owl like me.

If you have all of the talent in the world and no one to help harness it, success will be limited.  Super cheesy, I know, forgive me for channeling Dale Carnegie right there.  

As you stare at your taupe colored walls, hear the hum of computer fans and listen to office chatter, you may wonder how it is possible to build a great, cohesive team in a land of ringing phones and cubicles.  The answer is that you probably can’t.   The environment your team is in has a lot to do with how they interact with one another.  That is where off-site teambuilding programs help.

Now before you start to involuntarily twitch at the thought of trusting your co-workers to catch you when you fall, the old teambuilding “stand-by” routine, realize that these kinds of programs have come a long way.   So whether or not you book a full experience at a resort, or piece something together yourself, here are a few hints.

The most important thing when teambuilding is to get your team out of their usual routine.  Get out of the office.  You need lots of face time and trying to accomplish that in an office of ringing phones and constant interruption will be difficult, if not impossible.

Create new and interesting circumstances to challenge your staff.  Critical thinking is extremely important in most every occupation and it helps to expand your thought processes.  Puzzles, scavenger hunts and team activities like white water rafting are great starts. 

Form teams at random to break cliques.  Not only will this expand connections and friendships, but it can help decrease office politics.  When no one is behind a desk and all are on equal footing, you may be surprised at who emerges as the leader, the brain and the clown.   And when you are trying to haul an “injured” coworker in a gurney during a survival exercise,  your best teammate may be the person you least expected to shine.

Things our sales staff learned from our own teambuilding experience.

We are very happy Sam is a rock climber, cyclist, runner and all around nice guy, or all of us would have fallen off the railroad ties.

Class clowns, Kelly and Heather, (aka Laverne and Shirley) are good for breaking tension, but bad when everyone is trying to concentrate and not fall off of the balance board.

Tara is a good sport and allowed herself to be strapped into the aforementioned gurney.

DeAnna and Greg keep us going in the right direction…always…usually…most of the time.

Peggy, our sales admin, is the glue that holds our lot together.

As we gear up for summer vacation, the web is flooded with the usual articles about traveling and the hassles associated with them.  It seems that the same subjects get recycled year after year.  In an effort to become a part of the solution rather than the problem, here are some common travel headaches and (more importantly) fixes for them. 

Airline Baggage Wars 

The challenge:  This is a particularly fun topic made all the more relevant as airlines started to impose fees for checked bags.  As you have seen, now they have created a whole new kind of problem, boarding wars.  As travelers attempt to carry everything they can on the plane, bin space is now at a premium.   The lack of bin space then created a whole new kind of problem, which is people trying to board the plane as soon as possible to avoid checking their bags.   This makes the boarding process longer, causing airlines to lose money while the plane is on the ground.   Spirit Air decided the way around this issue was to charge for the second carry-on bag, which has caused an uproar, because they also charge for checked bags.

The solution:  In a perfect world the airlines should charge for the second carry-on, but not the first checked bag.  Cost conscious travelers can save their money by spending time checking and waiting for their bags.  Time strapped customers (business travelers and the like) can pay the carry-on fee to avoid waiting in lines.  The average passenger, thus, won’t be scrambling to get on the plane first.  Airlines board the plane faster, still make money on baggage fees, and make their frequent fliers happier. 

Until that happens, shop well and pack light (watch George Clooney’s movie “Up In the Air“).  I pack clothes that will go with one color shoe, so I only have to pack one pair of heels (ie, black or brown only) and a pair of comfy slip on walking shoes for the plane ride. I use a carry-on compliant suitcase with wheels and roll my clothes to keep them smaller and wrinkle free.  I’ve heard bowling bags are wonderful, they don’t roll, but you can pack a ton in them.   Sites like Lucy, Title Nine and Travelsmith have awesome wrinkle free versatile clothes and other great travel options for you.  

Airport Hassles

The problem:  Most major airports were a pain to deal with before new TSA screening rules and many are unbearable after them.  We know how it goes, leave your house at least 3 hours before your domestic flight to give yourself an hour to get to the airport, park in a long term lot, take a shuttle to the terminal, check in, go through security, take another shuttle or tram to your gate…

The solution:  Choose the lesser of two evils, or in this case, the lesser of two airports.  I know, I know, “I like to fly non-stop” you say.  But let’s be realistic, smaller airports mean you can cut your pre and post flight time (often) to under an hour, especially if the little airport is closer to your home.  That extra connection can save you precious time and precious sanity.  Websites like Kayak give you the ability to search airports within a region at the same time, so you can check all options at once.  It usually is worth the extra connection to fly into Burbank and not deal with LAX.  Beckley airport is only 20 minutes from Glade Springs and takes a whopping ten minutes to exit, checked bag in hand. 

Obnoxious Travelers

The problem:  Noisy, impatient and ill-prepared travelers. You know who they are, the drunken businessman, the edgy grandma who crowds the gate at boarding, the college student with four carry-ons and an I-phone, and yes, the screaming infant.   On a plane, in a restaurant or at a hotel, they can take a good experience and turn it bad in an instant. 

The solution:  Be prepared for these people!  Nothing irritates me more than when people feel the need to talk about, harass and look down upon the offending person. I once read a blog where a guy was going crazy because a mother and her two children had the audacity to eat at McDonalds during his lunch hour.  The nerve!  Like the mall at Christmas, you have to understand that you are venturing into public and *gasp* there will be annoying people there.   So pay attention to your particular security line for offenders, ask for a table further from the triplets, bring ear plugs for the widget salesman and just relax. 

The Botched Trip Plans

The problem:  For whatever reason, something has gone wrong on your trip.  Lost bags, blown transmission, hurricanes, incorrect reservations, you name it.  Things fail to work out as planned in life all of the time, but when traveling, it is more stressful because you are not in your element.  Being caught off your guard far from home turns a seasoned pro into that lost little kid at the mall. 

The solution:  Since most of us don’t have a personal assistant (aka, my sister) to call when all heck breaks loose, we need back up plans.  It sounds hokey, but buying the right travel insurance is indispensable.    They provide emergency assistance for most anything, including cancelled flights or incorrect reservations, medical emergencies, translators, legal assistance, cost reimbursement.  When most travel companies are unforgiving for life’s circumstances, travel insurance is your ace in the hole.

Travel agents are also making a come-back as the people to book with because you can call them to help with anything that may happen along the way.  They can help with that emergency rebooking, hotel switch or just commiserate with you when you need them.

Also, make sure your cell phone works where you are traveling or buy a throw away phone.  Even if it is only for emergencies, this can be a life saver, so call your carrier before you leave home. 

Most importantly, the best travelers are the ones who realize they can’t control everything.   Enjoy where life takes you, even if it isn’t where you expected to go.

By: Kelly Flores, Onlines Sales Manager

1)      Pick a time that is most convenient for you based on your type of job.

This sounds obvious, but many people in different professions choose when to take a break based on factors not remotely related to their work.  They book based on school calendars, bonus point promotions or when they can get the best deal.  This may save a few dollars or keep your kid’s teachers from sending homework on the trip, but they aren’t always the most convenient time for you to get away.  

For instance, if you are in sales, stay away from the end of month and end of quarter timeframes.   My parents used to pull us out of school for a week every October, and we were none the worse for it. 

2)      Choose one contact to take over your work for you.

Not much is worse than your customers needing an answer and getting bounced around all over the place.  To keep the distractions to a minimum (and to keep 20 different people from calling you with the same question) appoint one single point of contact in your absence. 

And give them parameters to make decisions in your absence.  Something along the lines of, “feel free to give them 5% off if it gets the contract in while I’m gone” or “as long as the concession isn’t more than $50, I trust your judgment”.  This also sets up your staff to be autonomous when you are at work, freeing your time for other endeavors.

3)      Start off small.

If you are that person who hasn’t used a single vacation or sick day in a decade, it may just be flat out overwhelming for you (and your coworkers) if you were to go on sabbatical for a month.  So start off small by taking a long weekend or two to get used to being away before jumping into that two week golf trip.

4)      Be firm, you are on vacation!

Again, another obvious one, but make it count.  You work hard for your time off and it won’t help one bit to be stressed over your holiday.  Make sure your voicemail and email auto-responders are quite clear you don’t want to be bothered unless it is a dire emergency.  Try these phrases:

“I will be on holiday from June 1 to June 10 and unavailable by phone or email.  For urgent matters, please contact my colleague…”

Or, if you want a little more wiggle room…

“I will be on holiday from June 1 to June 10 and little access to phone or email.  For urgent matters, please contact… Otherwise, I will be checking messages once every 2 days.”

In America, workers are awarded fewer vacation days than in any other industrialized nation and unfortunately we spend most of those days glued to our smart phones.  It is important to remember that your level of productivity decreases when you are burnt out.  Bosses should know that as well.   If you have a great holiday, you will return rested and re-energized, not frustrated and ready for the next trip. 

And the beautiful thing about vacationing at Glade Springs is that we are in the mountains.  We may have good cell reception and internet access, but your secret is safe with us….