THE DRIVE
We headed out Wednesday night at 9:15 PM. I drove the first shift – about 3 1/2 hours. When we got to Denver, C470 was closed! So we turned around and headed up I-25 to 225 to 70 instead. The boys were up LATE just watching city lights and traffic. Zander didn’t fall asleep until nearly 11 PM! They both woke up each time we stopped for potty breaks and gas. So much for sleeping through the entire drive.

My parents drove the next 2 shifts and then I drove the final 3 1/2 hours into Las Vegas. The bummer about driving at night is that you don’t get to see the beautiful scenery of Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

DAY 1 (Thursday)
We got to the Grand Desert Resort around 11:15 AM (the drive was 14 hours), but there were no rooms available for early check in. I took the boys to the pool for a while. It was HOT. Crazy hot. Like over 100 degrees hot.

Then we went to my godfather’s house for food (pancit and crabs) and to wait for a room to be available. They called us at 1:30 PM, but of course, we were eating. Zevan ate rice and pancit. Zander refused to eat anything there. After we all finished up, I took him to Taco Bell and brought it back for him to eat. I slept, they watched TV, my parents, godfather and his wife chatted. We finally headed back to the resort around 6:30 PM. We stopped at Whole Foods on the way back to pick up some groceries.

The boys fell asleep on the way back. Zander crashed hard. I took Zevan to the pool and Zander was out cold. Zevan and I had a nice time in the pool together.

When we got back, Zander was still asleep on the sofa. I put him in the bed. My parents were crashed out on their bed, tv blaring. I shut off their TV, light and closed their door.

I popped some popcorn and Zevan and I curled up on the sofa and snacked. He laid on me while I checked my email (I was able to get a decent free wireless signal). Then we both went to bed with Zander.

DAY 2 (Friday)

Zander got up at 6:30 AM – big surprise. We all got up pretty early actually. We headed down to the South Pointe Casino for their fabulous breakfast buffet. Just $5.95 per person, Zander was half price and Zevan was free! All the breakfast foods you could ever want. Custom omelettes, bacon, french toast, pastries, fresh fruit, cold cereal, oatmeal and so much more. We totally filled up there.

I went over to the Spa Costa del Sur to see what appts were available. It was my mom’s birthday, so Dad and I treated her to a facial. We ended up booking right away for that morning. My dad was going to take the boys to the bowling alley, but there were no lanes available, and they weren’t interested in seeing a movie with him, so my dad took them back to the resort pool. My mom started her facial at 10:00 AM. I got the boys squared away and was back in the spa by 10:20 – with plenty of time to spend in the spa facilities. Sauna, eucalyptus steam room, hot tub, and the cascading shower… I think I spent most of my time in the steam room and cascading shower. So nice…

And then my treatment –

Goddess of the Sun Ritual
The ultimate in Goddess pampering. Starting with a full body exfoliation with coconut cream combined with your choice of an infusion: Coconut, Starfruit, Passionflower or Pineapple. Once fully exfoliated you will then receive a hydrating body wrap with exotic nut oils from the South Pacific along with a cool stone facial and warmed scalp massage. This treatment brings out the Goddess in you. 80 minutes

My favorite part? The Vichy shower – 9 shower heads moving back and forth while you are lying down… Divine!

Once I was wrapped up and she started the scalp massage, I don’t remember anything until it was done. So relaxing…

My dad came and picked us up. We went to the California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. I ate quickly and headed over to H&M for shopping while my parents and the boys finished up.

My first trip to the dressing room, I had 16 items to try on. While I was in there, the ZBoys came in looking for me. Two more trips through the store and back to the dressing room. I only ended up buying 3 items in the end – a pair of skinny purple pants, a purple/black dress and a turquoise halter top.

While I would have LOVED to shop more, the boys were restless, so we headed back towards the resort. My parents dropped the us off at the MGM Grand Casino. We got there just as the lions came out to play. A brother and sister, just 16 months old. Totally playful and fun. We spent a good hour there, then got some ice cream. We took a quick walk over to M&M World, and i let each of the boys choose from the wide array of colors and flavors and each left with a small bag of m&ms. I called my dad and he picked us up.

My dad had to exchange some shirts that he bought at Old Navy the previous day for another size. We drove there with him, but there were no parking spots nearby. I dropped him off and the boys and I went over to Borders, where I bought a copy of Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich.

After a LONG time, my dad was finally done with his exchange and we picked him up and headed back to the room for dinner in.

After showers and pjs, the boys were in bed, and I was exhausted. I checked email, did a little bit of work, watch Step It Up and Dance with my dad and went to sleep.

DAY 3 (Saturday)
We all got up around 8 AM. We puttered around, trying to figure out what to do for breakfast, and just ended up eating cereal with milk. My parents had plans with my Godfather, and they dropped us off at Mandalay Bay so I could take the boys to the Shark Reef Aquarium. First we checked out the huge aquarium in the lobby. The boys climbed and gave me some good photo ops. We were there before the aquarium opened, so we stood in the long line at Starbucks for a steamer and an apple turnover.

Finally we walked through the casino/hotel all the way back to the aquarium. I bought tickets and we still had 5 minutes to spare before the doors officially opened. Once they did, we each got an audio tour wand and headed in. The boys really liked the audio tour and having their own wand. The quickly got the hang of punching in the numbers for each exhibit. We saw a golden crocodile and a water monitor first off. And it was a really nice tour. All in all, it took us about an 90 minutes to get through – we took our time and listened to each presentation. We all got to touch horse shoe crabs and rays in the touch tank. We also spent a long time looking for and at the sea turtle in the last tank.

After the aquarium we went to the gift shop and I bought the boys two good sized plush sea turtles. I also ended up buying the photo they took of us when we first came in – since it was likely the only picture of the 3 of us I would have from the vacation.

We headed out to the tram that would take us to Excalibur. Zander and Zevan were very excited to walk through the castle. They were thrilled that it actually had a moat AND lots of knight’s armor displayed.

We crossed the street to the MGM Grand and had lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. I had my first drink of the trip – a rainbow colada, mmm…. The boys had sundaes after they finished their lunches.

We went by the Lion Habitat after lunch. Two different lions were there today, these were older lions, so they mostly just laid on each other. They were really close to us, and really beautiful lions.

After that, we took a cab back to the resort. We went up and changed and then headed down to the pool. We had a fun time- the boys have really come a long way in the water. Zander can swim about 10 ft to me underwater. Zevan can put his head under for 9 seconds now and bob one time. I took some video of the boys swimming.

After a shower and change, we all headed over to The Outback for dinner. I was looking forward to a nice leisurely dinner and a Patron margarita.

Not to be. Zevan was complaining that his butt was itchy and was irritable and crying about it. After we ordered, I took him to CVS and and picked up some medicated wipes and hydrocortisone. And I fixed him up there in the van. Oh, the joys of motherhood.

When I got back to the restaurant, there were NO parking spots. None. I drove around 3 times. I finally found a spot and we went back in. Of course, my parents and Zander were pretty much done with their dinner and Zander wanted to go. I was irritable with hunger and just asked curtly if I could have a few minutes to eat.

I ate quickly – warm steak and lukewarm salad – I didn’t have time or energy to ask them to reheat my food. I was pretty annoyed. Zevan had grilled chicken and fries. My dad took Zander for walk outside.

We made an attempt to see the Bellagio Fountains on the way. Zander kept saying he didn’t want to go. When we got there, we couldn’t find any place to park. After the first two parking garages, we gave up and headed back to the resort.

It was pretty late. The boys got a bath and into bed. I did some preliminary packing, did a load of laundry, checked email, then read my book for a long time before falling asleep.

DAY 4
Checkout day. My parents were up early, and I got up and started gathering everything to pack up. We had to be checked out by 10 AM. As I was packing, my mom let me know that they were going to church at 8 AM. She looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and told her there was no way I could pack and get the boys dressed to go in an hour. She mentioned finding a later mass, and I told her that it was fine – they should just go and we’ll be ready to go when they return.

While I packed, the boys had a breakfast of blueberries, peach yogurt and cereal. I let them play with their Leapsters. We all got dressed and then I packed up our suitcase and snacks and put them in the car. I packed up our swim bag so we could go swimming after check out and put that in the car. My parents got back and I got the rest of their bags in the car as we emptied out the refrigerator and pantry. We packed the cooler and then we checked out. Whew!

My parents went to Chinatown with my godfather and his wife while the boys and I went down to the resort cafe for breakfast (the boys had breakfast burritos and I had a breakfast croissant). Then we changed in the locker room and got into the pool. I read for a while on a lounger. Then I joined them in the water for more fun and a few more videos.

We showered and changed in the locker room. I grabbed a drink from the bar – an overpriced premium Patron margarita that was oh so tasty. The boys got juice and chips for a snack. My dad called while we snacked. I told him to pick us up in half an hour. He *thought* I said to leave where he was in half an hour. We were in the lobby a long time waiting – I actually dozed off while the boys climbed and clamored over me.

He picked us and we went over to the Bellagio to catch a fountain show. While we waited, there was a really great display of trainsets and Americana near the lobby. The boys loved it. And they really enjoyed the fountain show. It was crazy hot outside, but we got a tiny bit of shade and being near the water helped. After the fountain show, we spent more time looking at the displays inside. Then we headed back to the car.

We picked up lunch for the boys and headed to my godfather’s house. More yummy crabs for me. We hung out there, repacked the coolers and then finally headed out around 7:00 PM.

THE DRIVE HOME
I took the first shift and drove for 4 hours. The boys actually fell asleep by 9 PM this time and stayed asleep the whole night. Around 11:45 PM, we stopped for gas (we were nearly on empty, and I was nervous we wouldn’t find a gas station on time). We pulled in to a station at Elsinore, CO. They were closed but the pumps were open.

As we finished filling up, I noticed two children – a boy and a girl, about 5 and 6 years old, playing near the station. I didn’t see an adult anywhere around. As we pulled out, I circled the lot and confirmed that there were no adults/parents nearby. My parents actually suggested that these children were ghosts. I had to admit, it seemed an awful lot like those 80s horror movies. We passed an open garage door on a home about 150 yards from the station, and I wondered if they had snuck out.

I had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at the next stop to do that. There were police having a coffee there, so I went over and told them about the children I saw. They called dispatch to send someone over there. I felt better about that.

My dad took the next shift. I slept in the back. I awoke briefly when they stopped to switch so my mom could drive. Then I went back to sleep. The next time I woke, we were stopped again – at the Colorado border, just outside of Grand Junction. I took another shift of driving. We stopped for the last time in Castlerock for breakfast at BK.

I took the boys to the bathroom. I picked up Zevan so he could pee, and he said he had to poop. Since I was already holding him, I told him to pee first. He did. And at the same time, he pooped. On my shorts. And my sandal. YUCK. He had also messed in his pants. GREAT.

My mom knocked on the bathroom door, and I let her stay with Zevan so I could clean up, go to the car and get a change of clothes for Zevan and me.

I came back, we all cleaned up and then FINALLY sat down to eat. I’m not a big fan of fast food breakfast, but it was convenient and I knew the boys would eat it, so there we were.

After eating, my dad took the last shift into town. It was so nice to get to our exit and head home. We dropped my parents off first, unloaded their luggage and cooler.

Then I took the boys home. Unloaded our luggage and cooler and cleared out the car.

We were home! YAY!

Tonight the ZBoys and I are embarking on a road trip to Las Vegas with my parents.

I’ve been prepping for a while now. The van has had an oil change and now has 4 brand new tires. I took EVERYTHING out and vacuumed and Armor-All-ed it. I put in a bag of books and toys for the boys. We’ve got a first aid kit, my toolbelt, a blanket and jumper cables.

Our suitcase is packed and already in the van – filled with our clothing, toiletries and pool accoutrements. I’ve got DVDs and audio books on CD for the boys already in the van. I charged and packed up their Leapsters. I brought the Uno cards.

I have their booster seats set up with their seats slightly reclined because we are driving through the night. We have 3 drivers – and 12 hours of driving time ahead of us (not counting potty stops and meal stops).

I’ve got snacks – pumpkin seeds, Craisins, beef jerky, Mini Fruit Roll Ups, dried edamame beans, trail mix and graham crackers. I still need to stock the cooler with water, juice and diet Coke.

I’ve got to grab my laptop and running shoes and I think I’m done. Anything else I forget we can buy when I get there.

I’ve got 2 plans/goals in Las Vegas – 1) Shop at H&M and 2) Spend a half day at the Spa Costa del Sur

Other than that, it’s pool time and visiting sites time with the ZBoys and meals with my father’s high school friends, including my godfather, who actually lives in Las Vegas.

Some possibilities
Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage
The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
Lion Habitat at MGM Grand
M&M’s World
Lied Discovery Children’s Museum
Zoological – Botanical Park
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix
The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel

…And of course the fountains in front of the Bellagio

The volcano is under renovation until October, bummer.

If we do 2 or 3 of these things, that would be more than enough. I plan on spending as much time as we can at the resort pool (and hope that they have cabanas for shade… )

From RT’s blog

Here are the instructions:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the next three sentences
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.
(I don’t tag/forward/chain mail anyone, even if it means my imminent demise. I’m still here, limbs intact, BTW.)

Sparks burst and then vanished. “I’m asking you how far you are willing to go to achieve that.”

     He’ll tell us what he knows, ” I repeated, after a moment.

That’s from Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka.

It’s been ages since I posted… and a lot has been going on.

HEALTH
I’m on the losing end of a battle with a sinus infection that will not die. This is the one I had in April, and I thought I was rid of it, but it came back. I’ve already been through one round of antibiotics and treatments from Dr. Callahan, and it’s still lingering.

Tomorrow I will start the next round of antibiotics – the kind that will make you violently ill if you ingest any alcohol – even mouthwash or marinade.

FITNESS
I’ve been running about 2-3 times per week. Climbing 1-2 times per week. On Monday I did the Incline in 46:33 with Rose Ena and May and May’s 2 nephews.

NUTRITION
Pass.

WORK
Work has been steady, all maintenance and current clients. That’s my goal through the summer. When the kids are back in school, I’ll be more open to accepting new clients.

FAMILY
Doug and I have been enjoying NetFlix selections – movies and most recently, the 3rd season of Weeds and the first half of the first season of Californication. We’ve enjoyed a few date nights these past few weeks as well.

We took the ZBoys to see Kung Fu Panda – a movie that we all enjoyed.

The Zboys have been going to their Summer Blocks program, enjoying the new backyard ponds at my parents’ house, and a kiddie pool at Doug’s parents’ house. They are also attending currently attending swim lessons – Zander has really improved – he can back float, front float and bob under water – 5 times, as well as hold his breath underwater for 5 seconds. Pretty amazing stuff. Zevan is also doing well, although he had some issues during the first few classes this session. He can also bob a couple of times and put his head in the water.

Zander is now an amazing reader. He can read so many words! He reads every sign and poster and words he sees. It seems like it all happened so quickly.

Zevan is reading well, too. He’s read the first 4 Bob books (Level A, Set 1) to me. I’m so excited for both of them.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

We had a fantastic 4th of July at Tom and Georgiana’s house – with an awesome, civilized fireworks display viewed from the Cheyenne Mountain Resort Golf Course.

We have had visits from out-of-town friends. First, Keith and his daughter Autumn, who have been living in Australia for the last 3 years. We had lunch at my parents’ house, and we met up with the ZBoys for a free swim at the Aquatic Fitness Center.

Most recently we had a visit from Jimmy, Rose Ena, Rob and Ariana. The Zboys thoroughly enjoyed their company – as did Doug and I. We had a great time – hiking Seven Bridges Trail on Saturday, a couples night out on Saturday night, a BBQ on Sunday, the Incline Monday morning, dinner at Il Vicino Monday night, then the zoo and a sleepover on Tuesday (Rose Ena accompanied me to girls night out while the guys stayed home with the kids and watched The Mist) – and finally breakfast at Denny’s this morning before they headed to Ouray for camping.

MEDIA
I’m hooked on the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I finished High Five and am next in line for Hot Six at the library (all 9 copies (including 2 large print) are checked out. Seven Up is ready for pick up. Oh, and I just found out that there was a new Atticus Kodiak book by Greg Rucka Patriot Acts was published last year!

I’m watching reruns of The O.C. – I really miss that show. For my reality fix, I’m watching Design Star – and there is even a likeable contestant from Colorado Springs to root for, Matt Locke!