just voted. And now, we wait.

For the ultimate in modern convenience, they have set up a drive-up mail-in ballot drop-off downtown in front of Centennial Hall. You don’t even have to park!

I parked and walked over because I didn’t know we could just drive up

My paranoid mind did briefly think, “Is this a legitimate drop-off?” But there were news crews all around, so I was hoping it was the real deal.

So that’s done.

I’ve had an interesting morning. First of all, thanks to daylight savings time, the boys are up before the alarm, so that’s nice.

But my waking thought this morning was, “Holy Crap! I forgot my best friend’s birthday. And I was WITH HER THAT DAY! Running the race!”

Guilt, guilt, guilt. What a terrible friend I am. In all the October hoopla, I totally spaced it. She didn’t even say anything! I followed up my guilt with a slew of emails to May and our friends about what a bad friend I am.

Then after breakfast, Zander came bounding up the stairs, doing a funny dance and doot-doot-doot-ing a little song, then “Bonk!” he hit his head hard on the door frame.

I watched the whole thing, and ran over to comfort him. I hugged him close because I couldn’t stop smiling. After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I sang, “doot doot doot doot doot - BONK!” and started laughing. He smiled through his tears and crying. So I kept singing that little song, and by the end we were both cracking up.

Then I took them to school and dropped off my ballot.

And now I’m going to jump in the shower and pull the boys out of school early so we can watch Uncle Mike’s first public dive at the restaurant at the Denver Downtown Aquarium. Fun!

Despite my complaining about being uber busy and also getting old, life is good.

I IM’d with Fran yesterday, and then had him call me so that he could hear Zevan play the piano - the melodies of Star Wars Main Theme and The Imperial March. That was fun. I took the boys to the park for a playdate, and then they played with each other instead of the kids we went there to meet up with. It was a beautiful afternoon - sunny and moderate. Perfect fall weather.

I had a great night last night at the climbing gym. I was able to do the bouldering route all the way around and over the cave when I came in fresh.

The whole front wall was set with new routes, and we tested the ratings on a few. We knocked down a few as easier than rated, bumped one up as harder than rated and found that the 11 and 11- were both dead on.

Good times.

After climbing, we went to Ruby Tuesday for some grub, and as the hostess led us back to our table, my happy song was playing in the dining room.

Sweet.

And May and I just gabbed. About her trip. About programming stuff. About life. We laughed a lot, as we tend to do. And we made plans to run this morning

I came home earlier than usual so had time to watch an episode of Fringe with Doug. I really like that show. The writers on that show are sharp - John Noble’s character, Dr. Walter Bishop, is my favorite part of that show. HILARIOUS!!! Love it.

I stayed up late watching more TV and went to bed at a reasonable 12:20 AM.

And today I’m having a fun time on Facebook catching up with the family and friends on the East Coast - cousins and all.

Yep. Life is good. Sometimes stressful, sometimes hectic, definitely full, but good.

Forgive me readers, for I have lapsed. It’s been 12 days since my last post…

Sounds like I’m in the confessional. In a way, I guess I am. (That’s a Catholic reference, people).

I’m slowly working my way out of my funk.

I have been spending too much time on Facebook. But I’ve tracked down some friends - from when I was stationed in Grand Forks, from my first two years at Rutgers, from high school. It’s been kind of fun. And a total time suck.

I’ve been crazy busy with work projects. I have a new system with post it notes on a white board. It’s helping me stay slightly more organized.

I’ve been re-watching The OC on SoapNet and answering The OC trivia questions on Facebook. I know it’s crazy, but I just loved that show. Total escapism, lots of humor and I just think Ryan Atwood (portrayed by Ben McKenzie) is totally hot.

Plus the new tv season started! We’ve been watching Fringe, Supernatural, Eureka and My Name Is Earl. I also just watched the premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. Project Runway is finishing up. And I’m waiting for Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Lipstick Jungle to start again. And of course, The Daily Show. It’s the only way I can get tolerable news of the presidential campaign. Is it over yet???

The boys are great. Zander’s loud and Zevan’s been having tantrums over nothing, but otherwise things are going well. Zander’s eye is better, Zevan’s chin is healing. Zander reads so much now. And Zevan is totally into drawing pictures - particularly of Jedi. They like school. We’re in a good routine with the grandparents. We’ve been to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science twice since we got our membership. We just got back from the last class of this month’s preschool zoo class. The boys made porcupines out of play doh and pasta.

I’ve got my routine down for my running workouts with May. Mondays are long runs on the Santa Fe Trail. Wednesdays are a 5 mi run in Ute Valley (super technical). Fridays are a 5 mi run in the Garden of the Gods (hilly) and Tiffany started with us this week. Tuesday nights are climbing. I really want to fit in one more climbing workout, but I’m not sure when I can do that.

The fall series starts Oct 5 - I’m looking forward to those races!

We’ve got a birthday party to leave for in half an hour. I need to wrap up the gift - okay, bag up the gift. And Mapquest directions.

So that’s it for now… Kind of boring, but it is what it is.

The night before the race, I got all my stuff ready - pinned my bib on my tank, put my chip on my shoe, stocked my belt with necessities (ID, money, hotel key) and nutrition - Clif Blok Shots - Margarita flavored. I checked my iPod and it was about 80% charged, so I left it to charge fully.

Kristine arrived around 10:00 PM. We set the alarm for 5:15 AM to give us time to get to the start at 6:00 AM.

I first woke up around 4:00 AM - UGH. I went to the bathroom, then tried to get more sleep. I am not sure if I actually fell asleep, but I rested at least until about 4:50 AM and got out of bed. I started getting washed up and dressed. Kristine got up when the alarm went off.

Things were going smoothly, I got my stuff together, checked my iPod and… it was now uncharged! It was down to the last red bar. WTF? Crap. I swore a few times, rechecked the cable, and decided to try and charge it for 15 minutes. We were going to leave around 5:30, but didn’t leave until 5:40.

We started the trek towards the gate. And then realized that the start was at the OTHER end of Downtown Disney - a bit farther than the 10 minute walk to the front gates.

We walked briskly - there were A LOT of people with bibs on, even behind us. As we neared the parking lot, we saw fireworks start to go - the first wave had gone. Corral A, B, then C would start. As we neared the starting line, I noticed I was in Corral C! Kristine was in Corral D. I asked someone where Corral C was and was informed- they already left. Oops.

So I booked it towards the starting line, fiddling with my iPod to get started. I think I might have been the last person in Corral C to cross the starting line. Mickey and Minnie were on the platform at the start. I waved mightily at them, then looked up to see Donald and Daisy in the monorail up ahead and waved, too.

I was off! And it was HUMID!

Course Map

My adrenaline was pretty high, I think - the first few miles were kind of a daze. We started down Disneyland Drive, where I caught up and passed the back of the Corral C pack. We turned the corner onto Katella - I remember the pretty palm tree lined street, and not much else.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I had decided that I would not check my pace on the iPod throughout the race - I thought it might drain the barely charged battery. Then another left onto Harbor for Mile 1. The clock read 0:18: something - so I started at least 6 minutes after the clock was started.

We ran through the parking lot, just water for me at the first station - I drank a few sips then poured the rest onto my head, then turned into the entrance of Disney’s California Adventure and were headed around Paradise Bay towards the pier when we hit Mile 2. I think the clock was at 0:30: something now. The first 2-3 miles of the race is always slow going as I try to find my pace and work through the pack.

We continued through DCA, then went through the tram area, and headed into the Disneyland entrance. I passed several characters - more like floats - that I wasn’t as interested in taking photos with. I got my first photo with Flik from A Bug’s Life, then a few minutes later, Buzz Lightyear.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

We took a side route around to Tomorrowland, which looked VERY much like the Disney World Tomorrowland, and continued around through to Fantasyland for Mile 3. We went under the Sleeping Beauty Castle. We passed the 5k chip mats (37:10). Then I got a picture with the Finding Nemo crew.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

We ran through Frontierland, Adventureland, then back out the park through the Tram Area, got just water at the next aid station - again a few sips and the rest on my head, and then onto Disneyland Drive for Mile 4.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Once we left the park - it was just a run with a lot of people. We turned onto Ball Road - another few sips of water for me, then I decided to grab some Powerade, too. Then we hit Mile 5. I was feeling good, running all the time. My sciatica was twinging a tiny bit, and my right ankle, too, but nothing major. We turned onto Anaheim Blvd, and when we hit the first medical station, I decided to go ahead and grab some biofreeze. I quickly smeared it on my ankle and right glute, and kept going. The humidity was crazy. To get the biofreeze off my hand, I swiped at the back of my neck, which was drenched with sweat and the water I kept pouring on my head.

We hit Mile 6 on Cerritos - and I was pleased to notice that I was making up good time. I was calculating about an 11 minute mile off the start clock and the previous miles. I had already made up nearly 3 minutes. Another water stop as we turned onto Lewis Street.

All this time we saw lots of police officers, cheerleaders, marching bands. And families of the runners. A dad near me saw 3 boys cheering on their dad, and lamented, “Where are my kids?” I empathized and said something about it being nice to have family on the route. He then said that he only lived 5 miles from where we were. Oh. I was glad to have the excuse that my kids were in Colorado. I felt bad for him.

We passed the 10k chip mats (1:09:54). There was a group of Hawaiian dancers on this street (I think) - and there was a cute group of little girls in their grass skirts and leis. Adorable!

We turned back onto Ball St for mile 7 - over halfway finished - YAHOO! I decided to dig into my Clif Blok Shots and had one - yummy! Back onto Cerritos for Mile 8 and another water/Powerade station. We crossed the Orange Freeway, took a short jaunt down Douglass Road and got onto a nice dirt bike trail. That was a nice surprise for me. I like trail running. Another Clif Blok Shot gave me more energy.

The past few miles were pretty boring, and I relied on my iPod to keep me distracted. I kept hoping that it wouldn’t quit working before the finish. Each mile was a triumph.
As I was running down, I heard Rob Bass’ Joy and Pain and sang it to myself. A guy next to me said - “Keep singing - sounds good!” So I felt bolstered, sang the chorus a bit louder and used that energy to pass more people as we came upon Mile 9.

Joy! And Pain!
Like Sunshine
And Rain

We passed the 15K chip mats (1:42:51).

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Then we came around Angel’s Stadium. Here there were even more cheerleaders, bands, girl/boy scouts. We hit Mile 10, another water station and I had another Clif Blok Shot. “Only 5k to go!” I yelled. “Almost there - WOO HOO!”

We hit Mile 11 as we turned onto S Anaheim Way, and I was so happy! We went through a tunnel and then back onto Disney Way. I caught and passed the 2:30 Clif Pace group - and I was feeling good as we hit Mile 12. Just 1.1 to go!

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I got a picture with the Monsters, Inc. crew and Elastigirl as we re-entered Disney’s California Adventure and then blew through Downtown Disney for the finish. As we passed the 13 mile clock, I was bummed to see it read 2:30:10 already.

I rounded the corner to the finish, and saw the clock ahead at the finish read 2:28!!! - so I started booking it! I really wanted to finish under 2:30:00.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I heard my name from the announcer as I crossed. YAHOO! I ran the whole thing!

I grabbed a bottle of water and a glove full of ice from the medical tent. I shoved the ice glove down my back and chugged the water.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Then it was a blur - chip removal, then I got my medal. Shortly afterwards, I got my Coast to Coast medal for doing both the Walt Disney World Marathon and this one.

I grabbed a bagel, banana, and mandarin oranges from the food tent. I got my photo taken with my medals. As I headed out, I saw the Pushing Daisies booth. They were giving out free pies courtesy of The Pie Hole. And I answered a trivia question and got a free Pushing Daisies Pie Cutter. (What was Ned’s beloved dog’s name? Starts with a D…
Digby!)

I checked out the overpriced tees and tanks from Disneyland commemorating the half - I had my tech shirt and it was nicer than anything I saw hanging there.

I walked back to the hotel. I started running a cold bath, then ran down to get 2 buckets of ice for the bath. I poured them in, took off my shoes, socks and tank and got in the tub with my shorts and running bra. Not cold enough. I went down and got 2 more buckets of ice. I got back in the tub and dumped those 2 in - Perfect. I closed my eyes and sat there until all the ice melted. I was beginning to think the water wwasn’t so cold anymore, so I checked the temp with my hands - BRRR - still super cold. I sat for a while longer.

Finally, I decided to get up, drain the tub and start my hot shower. Ahhhh…

Christine came in while I was in the shower - she finished and was doing okay - YAY!

I went online to check my official time

Distance	HALF MAR
Clock Time	2:28:56
Chip Time	2:21:23
Overall Place	4016 / 10849
Gender Place	1722 / 6407
Division Place	327 / 1021
Age Grade	48.2%
5K	37:10
10K	1:09:54
15K	1:42:51

2:21:23 Chip Time - YAHOO!!! 10:47 Pace overall - not too shabby.

I’m definitely a half marathon kind of gal.

It’s true. I really do. I don’t have much time to do it anymore, but I wish I did.

When I was in junior high, high school and college, I spent time in the arcades. Frogger, Missile Command, Joust, Dig Dug, Centipede, Gauntlet, Rampage, Crystal Castles and my all time favorite - Tempest. At home we had an Atari system - Pitfall and Space Invaders were my favorites to play. We even played Castle Wolfenstein on our Apple IIe.

After I joined the Air Force in 1988, I guess I lost interest. We were always going out and partying (or staying in the dorms and partying) when we weren’t working/eating/sleeping/working out.

Then I think I was anti-game for a while. I really wasn’t interested in having a game system in the house.

In 2001, through a radio station giveaway at my dojo, I entered a drawing and won an XBox. I immediately thought that I would just give it to my nephew Tyler.

Until I took it home and tried it. Then I was hooked. I think the first game I got was Munch’s Odyssey. I really had fun with it.

Then came Halo.

Cue Halo Theme

I was hooked. I picked a great game to be my very first first person shooter game. We played cooperative campaign all the way through on Easy, Normal, Heroic and Legendary. Throughout my pregnancy with Zander, we played nearly every night. After Zander was born, I swear the familiar sounds of us killing aliens lulled him to sleep at night. When friends came over, it was all about multiplayer - and the joy of hearing “Killing Spree” as I mowed down all my friends with a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher.

As Zander got a bit older, I wasn’t able to play as much. Zander and I spent a good deal of time watching Dad play Morrowind. Then Zevan was born. And later in 2004, Halo 2 was released. Of course we got it. And the discovery of wielding multiple weapons and the ability to use an energy sword made the game really fun. What sucked was that it had a cliffhanger ending. And Halo 3 would be created for XBox 360. Which we still don’t have. And I have not yet played.

When Zander was 4, we introduced him to video games on our XBox. Cars, Finding Nemo and Godzilla. Then we had to take Godzilla away until he turned 5 because it made him overexcited and prone to tantrums. Then we got a Nintendo 64 which got him introduced to more kid friendly games like Yoshi’s Story (which I love but am not very good at) and Pokemon Snap. And Zevan got into the games as well.

And then they graduated to a GameCube. And now they’re playing games that I actually enjoy playing with them - like Teen Titans or Lego Star Wars. And that they actually ask me to play with them.

Nothing warmed my heart more than, “Mom, you have to play Teen Titans with us. We always get farther on the level when you play with us.”

It’s even more fun when Doug comes in, and we invite him to join us. Yep, it’s pretty cool.

I’m glad I’m a mom that likes playing video games.

This haiku sums it up -

So, yippee for me
I manifested a Wii
Oh, thank you, Karma

So today turned out pretty good. Took the boys to school, worked, chatted with a neighbor, went for a 3 mi run, worked some more, showered, picked up Zevan, had my annual with Dr. Baer (best OB/GYN ever), went to the mall with Zevan for lunch (and picked up a Bionicles game for $6 for the GameCube), ate a dark chocolate caramel from Rocky Mtn Chocolate, picked up Zander, came home, tried unsuccessfully to take them to the library (they wanted to stay home and play), worked, did laundry, picked up around the house…

At 6:25 PM, I left for the climbing gym. And had a fabulous climbing night. I climbed two 5.11s (mostly clean), a 5.10 (not so much) and a 5.11- I left the gym feeling powerful and pleased. May climbed those, too. And Lisa joined us for the last 3 climbs. We did push ups and dips tonight, too.

Then we went to Ruby Tuesday to meet up with Candy and Megan. Good food and conversation. It had been a while since we ALL were together. It was really nice.

Then I realized that I forgot to get new inside shoes for Zander for school. He outgrew the ones from last year. So first I stopped by King Soopers to pick up random essentials, but they had no shoes. I went by Wal-Greens, just as they closed. I decided to just go to Wal-Mart.

On the way there, I envisioned this scenario in my head:

I casually go by the electronics counter, looking around. “May I help you?” someone asks me.

” Do you know if you will get in any more Wiis?”

“You’re in luck. A shipment just arrived.”

Or something like that. I played it over and over in my mind.

So, I did casually go to the electronics area, looked in the usual spots for the Wii, and didn’t see any. An employee was locking up a case, and as he stood up, I asked, as casually as possible, ” Do you think you’ll get any more Wiis in?”

“Yes. We have one.”

I asked if I could please have it. He teased me and said it was up for the highest bidder, and that was for $300. I raised my eyebrow at him, thought for a second, and just grinned and said, “Pretty Please?”

“Okay.”

He did try to upsell me and said he’d have to get management approval to sell it separately. I mentioned the ad said nothing about a bundle package. He said that they only get Wiis back in stock if they sell an accessory with it. I acted appropriately concerned ::), then said I was already overextending myself by buying the Wii. The managers were in a meeting, of course, so I had to wait. So I went shopping for Zander’s slippers for school.

I went back a couple of times, and the meeting was still going on. So I waited patiently. When I saw the clerk again, he told me I was in luck and gave me a big speech about how I the manager was doing me a HUGE favor, etc, etc.

I didn’t care. I just smiled and let him go on. I was getting a Wii for $249 plus tax -

Photos from Day 4

I awoke around 7:30 AM and looked over to see that Zander was awake in the sofabed. I went over to snuggle with him and then got up to start the packing.

Stuff was strewn about the room, so I took a semi-structured approach, working across the hotel room in sections. Zander and I chatted as I unpacked, then I opened the darkening curtain so that we could get some light in. Zevan and Doug got up, and the boys played with their new stuffed animals/souvenirs while Doug showered and then we both continued packing. Doug took the boys to get breakfast, while I packed and showered.

We asked the boys what they would like to do today and they chose the zoo to see some animals that we didn’t get to see yesterday. So I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese while they finished loading up the car. And then we checked out and headed to the zoo.

We asked the boys what animals they wanted to see today that they missed. Zevan said toucans (?) and Zander said koala bears. I also really wanted to see the koala bears. Zevan also definitely wanted to ride the Skyfari sky ride.

We walked up to through Absolutely Apes and the Parker Aviary on the way to the Owens Rain Forest Aviary. We spotted a lot of the birds from the guide board. I found myself wishing they had the guide cards in the aviaries, like they do at the Wild Animal Park at Disney World.

We then walked through Sun Bear Forest and passed the Lion tailed Macaques on the way to catch the Express Bus to take us closer to the koalas. We got on the bus and took a nice ride up to the next stop, which took us around the elephants and giraffes. When we got off the bus, we took that loop by foot and leisurely observed the elephants, who were much closer to us than we usually get to see at our own Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. They also have more elephants than we do.

We also viewed the giant anteater, capybaras, tapirs and few more species. Then we took a short walk over to the Koala Exhibit. They were all asleep, curled around branches in the trees. Oh, they were so ADORABLE! I just love them.

We grabbed lunch at Sydney’s Grill, where we discussed the timetable for the rest of the trip. We figured that we had enough time to take the Skyfari, visit the polar bears, take the Skyfari back to the exit, and then leave with enough time to return the rental car, and get to the airport on time.

We all decided that if we had time and money, we wished we could stay longer in San Diego. Zander even said he’d like to live here. Yep, me too!

Another discussion ensued about Zander and Zevan wanting to add yet another animal to their collection. Lots of begging and pretty pleases from the ZBoys. I refused. Then I realized that I do have some leverage - their allowance. So we asked them if they would be willing to give up 2 weeks worth of allowance in order to buy another stuffed animal from the zoo. “That’s $10!” Zander exclaimed. After a couple of minutes, he decided it would be worth it.

So we finished up lunch and headed toward the Skyfari area, took it across, visited the polar bears, and then took the Skyfari back to the exit.

When we hit the gift shop on the way out, Zevan was able to immediately pick out a Komodo dragon. Zander had a much harder time deciding. He really deliberated over several animals, and couldn’t make a firm decision. I mentioned to him that it is harder to pick something out when it’s his own money. He finally decided on a peacock.

And we headed out to return the rental car - and now here we are in the airport, waiting to board our flight.

Bye San Diego!

Photos from Day 3

Zander and I woke up together this morning - and I suddenly noticed that he wasn’t sucking his thumb. And I thought for a bit, and realized it had been a long time since I saw him sucking his thumb. Holy cow! He has stopped sucking his thumb!

I smiled, and said, “Wow, you stopped sucking your thumb, didn’t you?” He nodded.

I gushed about how proud I was of him doing it all on his own, and about what an amazing kid he is. He beamed.

We both got up and got dressed while Zevan and Doug slept. I suggested that he and I go grab breakfast. His reply? “That sounds good, but Dad and Zevan might worry about us and wonder where we are.”

I told him it would be okay. In fact, Doug stirred and asked us what was going on right before we left, so we told him our plan. I grabbed our swim suits and we walked down to the laundry room to throw them in the dryer (they were still wet from swimming last night).

Zander and I had a nice breakfast together in the continental breakfast room. We made waffles Then I stopped by the lobby to get information about going to the beach this morning. And we got the swim suits out of the dryer.

After breakfast, we came back to the room. Doug was on his laptop, and Zevan “scared” us when we opened the door.

I got Zevan dressed and asked him and Doug what they wanted for breakfast. I went down and grabbed food for them (waffle and boiled egg for Zevan, toasted bagel with cream cheese for Doug). While they ate, I packed a beach bag, a bag with a change of clothes and a bag for the zoo later.

After they ate, we put on swim suits and headed out to Mission Beach. It was a nice short drive, and we were able to park and walk right onto the beach. No beach tags required.

The boys got right into the water. Zander said to me, “This is awesome, isn’t it, Mom?”

They really enjoyed the surf and waves. As well as playing in the sand. We took pictures and video. It was really nice.

Afterwards, we went up to rinse off in the showers. Zander wanted to change into his dry clothes, so we took him to the car to do that, and the rest of us stayed in our swimsuits and got lunch. I got a steak sandwich and cheese whiz fries. Doug got a calzone, and the boys each got a HUMONGOUS slice of pizza. Easily over twice the size of a Poor Richard’s slice. Craziness. We ate outside. It was a nice day.

After lunch, we drove back to the hotel. The boys wanted to rest a bit. Doug and I both showered and changed. Zevan just changed. The ZBoys laid down for maybe 5 minutes. Then they were unable to nap or snuggle. Doug and I laid down for maybe 15 minutes. We would have rested longer, but the kids were antsy, so we just decided to head out to the zoo.

We were able to find a free parking spot close to the entrance - score! We took the requisite photo in front of the San Diego Zoo sign of the boys, and then went in. Zander really wanted to take the bus tour (included in our 3 for 1 pass), but the line was long, so we decided to head over to the reptile house first. That was fun - we were able to spot the reptile in each exhibit but one (and it was iffy that there was something actually in that one).

After the reptile house, we took the sky ride over to the Polar Bear Plunge. We checked out the pigs exhibits along the way. The first viewing area was a snore - there was one polar bear, asleep, on top of the rocks. When we got to the 2nd display area, there was a polar bear in the water, playing with a ball. We watched him for a while, and then went outside so the boys could climb on the silver polar bear statues. As we left, there was a big commotion at the first viewing area, apparently the sleeping bear need to take a dip. Zevan asked, “Mom, is that the same bear that was on the rock?”

We then headed down in the direction of the panda bears. We went by the zebras, then birds of prey, past the entrance of the Ituri Forest down to Panda Reserach Center. The line was long, but moving quickly, so we got in line. Well, Doug and Zander got in line, and Zevan and I went to get us ice cream to eat while we were in line. I was able to get a cup of swirl soft serve with two cones, so that made things easy for us. The pandas are just such cool animals to look at. The dad, Gua Gua was fairly active and had a dirty butt. In the 2nd enclosure, we saw the mom sitting around, and the baby was conked out wrapped around a branch in a tree. So cute!

We headed back to the Ituri Forest. We saw tons of animals - hippos, okapis, guenons, turacos and more. And of course, I *had* to see the tigers. We did get to see the mom pacing back and forth at the top of their enclosure. The best part was that we got to see the cutest baby tiger cub, romping around a bit closer to us, and then back up by his mom.

While viewing the animals near the aviary, Zander suddenly announced that he had to go to the bathroom immediately. We, of course, were no where near a bathroom. We rushed through several exhibits, got to the tree house and finally got to the bathroom. Zander went with his dad, and Zevan came with me. And he had to poop. Of course. So I stood in a cramped stall while he went to the bathroom. In the handicapped stall next to us, I heard another mom with her young child also on the toilet. I over heard him asking for something and she told him that she left them in her purse (not with her). So from under our stall, I asked, “Do you need flushable wipes?” and stuck them under neath the wall. Her son was delighted and she sounded relieved and appreciative. Her son struck up a conversation with us. I found out that he was also 4 years old, and had had a Speed Racer birthday party, and lived in California. They finished before we did, so we never did see each other.

Zander came in to check on us. I told him that Zevan wasn’t ready yet, and Zander left to report to Dad.

FINALLY Zevan finished up and we got out of there and back to looking at animals.

We continued through the Itrui Forest for a good long time. I think we got turned around quite a bit. I really wanted to see the gorillas. And it felt like we kept going around wherever they were. We did see lots more animals - like pygmy hippos and alligators, and lots of different monkeys, carnivorous plants and birds. We did finally find the Gorilla Tropics, and were worried that we saw no gorillas in the first few viewing areas. Then we finally did see them - the whole troop. It was really fun and amazing to watch. We also saw the orangutans and a few more simians.

We headed out of the Ituri Forest, towards the zoo exit, which was near the bus tour station. As we were figuring out if we should go, Zander said he changed his mind and didn’t want to take the bus tour. Then, of course, Zevan said that he really wanted to go on the bus tour. So, I bought two bags of chips and we headed over to the bus tour line. Which was actually pretty short. We missed the first loading, but got right on the second one. It was a nice tour of the park - quick and covered a lot of ground. It also showed us that we basically missed about 2/3 of the zoo. So we did get a quick peek at the Cats and Dogs, the elephants, giraffes, koalas and wallabies, and so much more.

After that we hit the gift shop and headed out to the car. We drove directly into downtown to get dinner at The Fish Market. By the time we got there it was late. I dropped Doug off at the door to get us on the list. The boys and I drove around looking/waiting for a parking spot. It didn’t take as long as it did when we went to Little Italy, but it was still a pain. We walked over to the restaurant where Doug was waiting for us. The wait was going to be fairly long. So we had a potty break, then I grabbed some kid activity books and crayons from the hostess station. We worked on those a while. finally, they took us to our table. Which was outside on the terrace. Doug and I never got seated out there - it was pretty cool! But then it turned out that the heater over our table was broken. And then Zander insisted it was too cold for him and he couldn’t stay out there to eat.

Doug, Zevan and I were crestfallen. But there was no talking him out of it, so they said they would give us the first available table inside, and hopefully it wouldn’t be too long. Zander kept complaining, so Doug took him inside. Zevan and I continued to wait outside. When the waitress finally got us for our table inside, Zevan totally fell apart. He started crying and saying he wanted to eat outside. I didn’t know what to say, I wanted to eat outside, too. So I brought him inside. He was inconsolable. The hostess brought over chocolate, and that didn’t appease him. I think it was just too much - he was tired, it was late. I was beyond frustrated with Zander - he was the only one who wanted to come inside, and he got his way. I wished that he could have just stuck it out and took one for the team, but that’s just not a concept for 5 year olds. Oh well.

Zevan never recovered. When the food arrived, he was sad and having trouble keeping his eyes open. He took one bite of rice and none of his snapper. He put his head on the table and promptly fell asleep. Zander took like 5 bites of his food and announced he was tired and wanted to go home.

Doug and I exchanged “the look.” And we ate quickly while I told Zander that we understood that he was tired and wanted to go. And not to mention it anymore. At all. In fact, it would be best if he just waited quietly. I finished eating, and took the boys to the car while Doug took care of the check. Again, Zander tried to complain, and I just said that was enough and not to talk about it anymore. I was brusque and curt as we got into the car.

I know I expected too much from them so late. It’s just so hard when it is always about the kids and never gets to be about what Doug and I would like to do.

We picked Doug up and headed back to the motel.

And here we are. Everyone else is asleep but me. I’m going to do a bit more pre-packing now, and then go to bed.

Photos from Day 2

Zander was up first today and crawled into bed with me and Doug from their sofabed. We snuggled for a while, and he chattered with us. I finally decided to get up out of bed and try out the free internet.

Bad idea. Immediately, I found that 2 of my clients had some fairly urgent issues that I needed to take care of. The boys chattered and irritated me because they were being loud and I was unable to think straight. Doug took them to the continental breakfast so I could finish working in peace.

Once they were out of the room, I was able to think clearly and solve each problem in turn. Then I cleared out my inboxes (marked SPAM, deleted stuff that I didn’t need to read, and sent a couple of replies). I got dressed and packed the backpack for the day (3 bottles of water, 1 diet coke, sunscreen, antibacterial gel, flushable wipes, tissues and lip balm).

I headed down to the breakfast just as they were coming back. It was actually pretty good. They had boiled eggs (the one I opened had a nearly all green yolk - yuck), and I ended up toasting a sesame bagel and schmeared it with cream cheese and a cup of hot chocolate. I was sorely tempted by the Lucky Charms, but passed on those.

I brought my breakfast to the pool area, where the boys were wading and ate quickly. We stopped by the room to pick up the backpack and I filled a plastic bag with ice from the ice maker to keep the drinks cool for as long as possible.

Note to self: next trip, bring the backpack cooler and those blue gel ice packs. Oh, and the car boosters - hello?!

Doug went to the office to get directions to the Wild Animal Park. I went back up to the room and grabbed the audio book. It took us 30 minutes to get there. We paid for preferred parking - and got to park in the first 2 rows! Again, so worth it.

From the entrance, I suggested heading straight for the Journey Into Africa safari. It was on the complete other end of the park. Along the way we stopped to see a few animals, but I really wanted to get us to the main attraction first. It was hot. And thankfully, the park was full of misters and quite a few shady spots. And I noted things for us to look for on our way back.

We took the Rift Lift down and had been observing the Air Balloon ride from the moment we got to the park. I wondered how much extra that ride would be. I was shocked to find that it would be $20 EACH for anyone over 2 years old.

Okay, we’re not spending $80 frakking dollars to do that. Hello?! Zevan was SO disappointed. When we passed it after the safari and water playground, he cried for 15 minutes over it. It was so sad. I kind of wanted to carry him over and pass him off as a 2 year old and then maybe just ride with him. But that would have left Zander and Doug out, so I had to hold my ground and let him cry about it. It was so sad.

But back to the safari ride. It was REALLY cool. Zander was a little bit touchy and rude however - I think it was the heat and low blood sugar) - and it was work to try and enjoy the ride despite his attitude.

We saw so many animals, but the saddest story was of the white rhino - there are only 7 left in existence. 2 in San Diego and 5 at the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. Sadly, these are probably the last of their kind. It turns out that females will only reproduce if they have a female best friend with them. And they keep the same best friend for life. It’s such a sad story.

We saw lots of giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, rhinos, African birds, gnus, ostriches, kudu, zebras and impalas. Our tour did stop briefly for a medical emergency, which turned out to be a young boy in the tram car in front of us who totally lost his lunch. Poor thing. I had been using the quickly melting bag of ice to cool us off during the ride. Otherwise, that might have been us.

After we disembarked from that tour, we planned to grab lunch somewhere to get everyone’s blood sugar to normal, nice levels. On the way we took a detour through the Lion Camp. At first, we were disappointed to see empty display areas. But then we got to the main area and they had just released the lions into the exhibit with hunks of meat. It was a good sized pride - a male, maybe 2 females and lots of cubs. They gave us a good show in the main area. Then they all bounded through all the display areas that we initially found empty. They settled in on the first display we saw, which had a big drum that the male lion sat on, next to the display window, while the others climbed in and on a gutted car there for their play. One cub tried to climb on the drum with dad, only to be roared at and sent back down to the ground, settling on being able to paw at dad. It was AWESOME!

We headed back up, past the balloons (where Zevan had his big tantrum) and then through 2 sets of mister tents, and stopped at the Savanna Cool Zone to cool off. Zander refused, but Zevan got right in there and got soaked. I got wet, too - it was so refreshing. I did pull Zander in there, he was more than reluctant, and then let him go while Zevan and I played around some more. Then we headed up to get lunch. Back up the Rift Lift, there was a snack area at the top. The menu was limited and there was nothing there to interest me or the boys. We consulted our map and headed to Samburu Terrace.

A burger for me, grilled chicken sandwich and Corona for Doug, and chicken tender kids meals for the boys (3 chicken tenders, chips, raisins, animal cookies and small drink - all in a souvenir bucket with souvenir cup - a pretty good deal actually). We had a nice lunch on the terrace overlooking the grounds. Once we were all fed and hydrated, things were nice and happy again.

After lunch, we walked through the Heart of Africa area - okapis, ground hornbills, warthogs, elands, duikers, flamingos, storks and more. What I really wanted to see was the cheetah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real live cheetah before. And I got to see a couple of them. Far away, under a fallen tree, and I mostly just saw their heads. It was a little disappointing, but still cool. We even fed the ducks (and catfish).

We headed again back up past the balloon ride and up the Rift Lift. This time we stopped and I bought the boys hats. Zander chose a really cool hat with good sun protection, a floppy brim and neck covering. He looked so cute in it with his big grin. Zevan chose a primary colored baseball cap with a propeller on top. That looked unbelievably adorable.

We passed the gibbons (did you know that males are black and females are tan?) and saw the cutest baby female gibbon. The boys and I went to the Lorikeet Landing and got nectar to feed the lorikeets. Doug has a bit of a bird aversion, so he opted out. The Lorikeets were not shy at all about getting the nectar and the boys were able to feed many of them. However, the birds were a little bit agressive which led to spilled nectar and at one point, a lorikeet grabbed the nectar cup right out of Zevan’s hand.

While I was trying to get him some more nectar from my cup, a lorikeet landed on my shoulder from behind! I brought my cup over to the bird to eat, then held my arm straight to see if he would let go of me. I looked back and he was chewing on the strap of my backpack! Then he walked down my arm to my outstretched hand and started lapping up more nectar. I was freaking out just a little bit. Finally I shook him off, unable to stand it anymore. (A similar thing happened to me at the Budgie Buddies exhibit at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - a bird landed on my chest right as I walked into the exhibit with my food stick).

I refilled Zander and Zevan’s cup with my remaining nectar and let them feed the birds some more. It was actually really cute and I think I got some good pictures.

After that we stopped for a root beer float on our way across the park to The Poop Show at the Discovery Center. It was a campy show, a bit too punny but cute for the kids.

After that, we went around lemur island, where we caught a glimpse of a baby lemur, then we got an ice cream cone to share, went back near lemur island to feed the ducks at Zander’s request. I’m not exactly sure when, but we also saw red river hogs, dik-diks, babirusa and more.

Finally we headed out for the day. We got back to the room and no one was hungry for dinner yet, so we all went out to the pool for a swim. It was nice and we were the only ones in the pool for a long time.

After about 45 minutes (maybe more) we all headed up to the room for a shower. We reheated the boys meals from Little Italy the night before and Doug went out to grab Popeye’s for us (lame, I know, but I really think I wanted comfort food). The boys worked on several pages of their workbooks, and then finally went off to bed. Doug went to sleep early, too. And I have been typing this entry (and finishing yesterday’s) ever since.

And now I’m going to bed - tomorrow we are going to the San Diego Zoo!

Photos From Day 1

The alarm went off at 5:30 AM. I ignored it until Doug came over and poked me, “Time to get up, honig.” I barely stirred for a minute, then slowly got up. I put my toiletries bag and 2 pairs of shoes in the suitcase and zipped it up and took it downstairs. I got the boys dressed and showered and dressed myself. My dad showed up at 6:00 AM to drive us, and we were out of the door at 6:15 AM.

As we checked in at the airport, I realized I forgot my cell phone - I left it in the charging station, next to Doug’s phone. He then realized that he also forgot his phone. Oops. I called my dad from the payphone, but it went directly to voicemail. Oh well.

We got through security with no issues (and 11 bins!), and got to the gate. I went to Pikes Perk and grabbed some stuff for breakfast - a steamer for the boys, one for me, an extra hot latte for Doug (skipped the extra shot since it was so early), a strawberry turnover (yum), blueberry muffin (eh) and everything bagel with cream cheese.

The boarding and flight were event-free as well. Although they put us in a funny configuration that would leave one of the boys on their own in a row or a single seat. So we swapped seats with someone so that we each could sit with a boy. Not sure what happened in their row, but Zevan alternated between resting and I let him play 2 full races of the Cars Leapster game.

After we landed, and walked on the tarmac to the baggage claim, we waited a while for our luggage. After a long while, it arrived, Doug picked it up and then casually asked me, ” Did we bring the booster seats for the car?’

Off we went to catch the shuttle to Budget. A 25 minute ride later, we got there, and another 25 minutes and we were in the rental car on the way to Target to buy booster seats. Renting boosters would have cost us $10/day/child = $80. 2 boosters from Target = $40 - and I could upgrade the boosters in my dad’s car.

Boosters and water bought. Now where? After much debate from Zander, we finally decided to go ahead and hit Sea World first.

After much research, I decided to get the 3 for 1 pass - unlimited admission to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park for 5 consecutive days. It really is the best value. I could have saved even more if I planned ahead and bought them from Costco online in time to be delivered before we left. Just a hint to anyone that might be planning a trip to San Diego.

We got there and I decided to pay the extra $5 for preferred parking. That was definitely a good call and well worth the money. I got to park within the first 5 rows from the entrance. Great for getting started, and I knew it would be good at the end of the day.

We started with lunch at Shipwreck Reef Cafe. Zevan REALLY wanted trout, which they didn’t have, but they let us get a side order of teriyaki salmon for only $4.99 with Doug’s seafood entree. I got the burger (pitiful thin little thing) and Zander got a chicken fingers kid’s meal (typical fare).

After lunch we checked out the sea turtles, which were accessible from inside the eating area of the Shipwreck Reef Cafe.

The rest of the day we went from one end of park to another - following the whims of the boys as well as some of the shows scheduled.

We petted and fed dolphins (and a bird stole one of the fish right out of my hands!), watched sea otters, observed moray eels and bat rays, watched a sea otter presentation, trekked over to Arctic World to see beluga whales, polar bears and a huge walrus (that kept chewing, spitting out and chewing and spitting out meal of a fish - disgusting), watched a dolphin show, then the killer whale show - (Shamu and the other whales were awesome - the cheesey “believe” theme and music were unimaginative and overwrought), then trekked across the park again to get on the sky ride, and caught the sea lion show on our way to the sky tower ride before finally heading home.

Zander’s favorite thing today? The Sea Lion/Seal show. Zevan’s favorite? The sky tower and sky ride.

When we got back to the room, the boys changed into swim suits and we headed out to the pool. They had a great time. The pool started at over 3 ft, so Zevan wasn’t able to touch the bottom, except for the stairs, and Zander was barely able to touch bottom with his head above the water. They both mainly started out with the swim rings. After Zander was “warmed up” he swam without the ring. They both are doing really great in the water.

We spent a while in the pool, then came in for a shower and got ready to head out for dinner in Little Italy. It was really late - and of course, even later since the boys were still on Colorado time. I dropped Doug off at the restaurant and searched for a parking spot. I drove around for about 20 minutes - not one spot available for 10 blocks. I stopped at two different lots that were closed for repair. I finally found an open lot about 4 blocks from the restaurant. Just as we arrived, they called for our table. Whew! It took a while to get our order in. Then it took a REALLY long time to get our food. By the time it arrived, the boys were heads down on the table, nearly asleep. Doug and I ate quickly. Zevan ate a few bites before conking out at the table. Zander rested and whined about being tired and maybe took one bite. He was really tired and then fell asleep on the table. Zevan and I went to get the car while Doug paid (and Zander slept). I did stop next door for gelato before getting the car…

We picked them up, and Zander was beside himself with exhaustion. They both fell asleep on the way home and we carried them inside to bed.

Doug and I were tired, too. I read a few chapters and found myself unable to keep my eyes open. Doug was still reading when I fell asleep.

It was a big day.

I’ve been worried about Zander. Lately, he’s been having some trouble with his confidence. He’s been really tentative in his physical skills.

I think it started when his swim instructor for Level 2 said that Zander had all the skills to swim, but lacked the confidence to actually do it.

Then after a few weeks of climbing just fine at the climbing gym, he was suddenly anxious and nervous and didn’t want to try any new routes. He would climb the one route he knew he could do, and he was done for the day. Meanwhile, Zevan would try 3-4 routes and just really work at getting to the top.

Most recently he has been very tentative on his bicycle. On the slightest downhill, he wants to get off of his bike and walk until it’s level. At the same time, Zevan comes barreling down the same hill, “here I come!”

I know I’m not supposed to compare them, but I’m just stating the facts here.

I’ve been trying to be supportive and understanding, but it seems so sudden and odd when he’s excelling at so many things like reading and writing and patience and helpfulness.

And then today, at the climbing gym, I was trying this 5.10 route on the traverse-y wall. I tried to start it a few times, ended up sideways and thought, there’s no way to do this. I can’t do this route. For a split second, I tried to go straight up, but immediately decided that the hold was too far and I would never be able to reach it. So, I gave up on it, and started on a nearby 5.9 route up until the one hold I needed to reach, then finished on the 5.10.

Afterwards, while Lisa climbed the same route, I decided to give a new V1 route a try. I tried several times to start it, and thought, this is crazy - how can this possibly be a V1? I can always climb V1s - this must be misrated.

So Lisa basically had the same results as me on the 5.10 route - we figured that we both must be too short to get to the hold we needed to get to. Then I asked her to try the V1. She got much farther than I did, then stalled, too, about 3 moves later. We were both flummoxed.

Kyle walked by and we asked me to show us how to do both routes. He got right up on the 5.10, and pulled himself up easily. We were so surprised that we asked him to do it again, noticing this time that the wasn’t even maxed out, and that it should be totally reachable for either of us. Then he simply said, “You can do this.” Still skeptical, I got on the wall, and found that he was right, I could do it. And it was actually easy. Lisa tried, too, and was able to get up the same way.

Then we asked him to show us the V1 route. Again, he just pulled up on the wall, and smoothly climbed to the top. He came back down, and asked where I got hung up. I showed him where. He gave me a few pointers, and again simply stated, “You can totally do this.”

I got back on, remembering his movements, and was able to get most of the way up. About halfway, I lost my footing, and slipped off, I hung there for a while, trying to find the foot holds, with them directing me, “a little higher. to the right. higher. almost there”

By the time I got my footing, I thought for sure I was going to drop. “You’ve got it,” he said. And somehow, I did. I pulled myself up, and got to the top. Whew! When I got down, I thanked my coach Kyle and made Lisa go up and do the same.

We laughed at how convinced we were that we couldn’t do it. And that once we got some direction and encouragement, it was totally do-able.

So then I thought back to Zander. And I guess I’m already doing what I can for him. Encourage him, let him know that he CAN do it, and let him go.

I just wish there was a way for him to actually believe me when I tell him that he can do something. For him to at least give it a try instead of giving up right away.

It’s a hard thing to balance. I guess we’ll keep working on it.

First a primer about me and my love for action movies. I love movies where things get blown up and there are guns and martial arts fighting and epic battles with swords (The Matrix is still one of my favorite movies ever). I love James Bond (Daniel Craig rocks) and Jason Bourne (Matt Damon!). I love superheroes, fantasy and science fiction.

Last night we went to see The Dark Knight. I think Christopher Nolan is a great director. Memento and Prestige are really good - entertaining and suspenseful with a twist.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD - you have been warned.

The Dark Knight was really spectactular - totally lived up to the hype. Best Comic Book Movie. Ever. So true to the characters (except that one weird thing where Batman bent the barrel of a gun - what was that about?) and the story totally hung together and even surprised me (in a good way).

What I wasn’t ready for was a scene where the Joker (played in most sinister way by Heath Ledger) has Gordon’s family hostage, and he is threatening to kill Gordon’s son in front of his dad, mom and brother. The portrayal was so real and tense that my emotional and physical response while watching it was incredibly visceral.

When the movie ended, I burst into tears from the emotion of that scene, even though it wasn’t close to the last scene. I totally sobbed about it in the bathroom, then again in the car. Doug was surprised by the intensity of my reaction - as was I.

I said I needed to put it on my list. What list? My list of movies that, as a mom, I’ve had a hard time watching. Most of the time it was because of a single scene or act that I simply wasn’t expecting - with the death of/violence against a child

In recent years, that list includes

Pan’s Labyrinth - the gorgeous and most heartbreaking movie I have ever seen. I was depressed for days after watching it, wishing that I had never seen it. It was so painful to watch.

The Kingdom - in the beginning of the movie, there are deaths of children from a terrorist attack that nearly made me want to turn off the movie and not watch anymore. I did continue watching and enjoyed the action and drama. But the early violence haunted me throughout.

Bridge to Terabithia - I watched this on a plane on the way to NYC. I knew nothing about it. It started out all fun and fantasy, so I was totally thrown by the death of the girl. So not expecting it.

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 th