Viva Las Vegas!

When we got married we said we would return to Las Vegas every five years or so. Well, five years went by like a holiday weekend, and in the meantime I had all but forgotten about those plans. I never even brought it up. I don't know if I have mentioned before that my husband is generally opposed to spending money in most situations. Relative to some of my purchases, he sometimes feels obligated to question the level of necessity involved. So Kevin came home from work one day and said, "I think we should go to Las Vegas." I laughed. I mean, usually when we take a trip, I plan everything and I calculate the cost and it usually takes some convincing. When Kevin mentions a trip involving airfare, hotel, and shows...the only explanation I can come up with is that he is joking with me. Except he wasn't. He began researching travel and airline websites. He chose the hotel we liked the most when we were there before. He planned this trip. My girlfriend said, "I think the fact that this is all his idea is just as big of a deal as the fact that you are going!" So true. I am not going to lie about it, I felt guilty for leaving the kids for five days. Excluding them from the fun and imposing on the family...almost like I should be hot lined. But after packing all of the bags and saying all of the goodbyes, the real excitement began to set in. I quickly reasoned that extra time with Grandma was hardly punishment for them and began to think about what this would mean for us. How strangely liberating it was to be able to travel and make decisions based solely on whatever we would like to do! We could eat anywhere without considering the kids' menu. We could be gone from our hotel all day without worrying about having enough diapers or extra changes of clothes. There were no worries about naptime or strollers.

We saw everything we could see. We saw the pirate show at Treasure Island and the dancing fountains at the Bellagio. We saw Criss Angel's "Believe" show up close and personal at the Luxor and went to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. We went on a tour of Hoover Dam. We visited Lake Mead. We shopped. We swam. We said hello to Pete Rose. The real person...not an impersonator. We ate when we were hungry, and we slept when we were tired. We talked about the things the kids would have enjoyed and the things they definitely would not have enjoyed. We walked a lot. We took the city bus and the monorail. We remembered our wedding trip and marvelled about all the changes that have taken place over the past decade. It was an awesome trip. Trust me, there are several scrapbook pages just waiting to happen right now.

Daddy Doesn't Read Books

I keep a book in my purse almost all the time. I read when I am waiting at the doctor or dentist, the license bureau, and during lunchtime at work. Just this week, I read a book on the plane to and from Las Vegas and while waiting at the airport. I love to read books. Kevin does not. His faithful reading includes some news websites for serious Kansas City Chiefs fans. He checks those sites every single day without fail. He knows which KC players had the fastest running times...and who is wearing out their shoes with their quickness...and who caught how many balls in training camp...and who did not. Every day he knows this. However, he seldom reads a book.

Megan is starting to love books. I love how she seems to show preference and choose her favorite ones. Number one on the list is "Eight Silly Monkeys." She takes this book to everyone in the house, regardless of what they might be doing, and hands it to them over and over again until someone reads it to her. Madison and Jaron are usually close by and cooperative when she wants to read. They were outside one day when Megan discovered that Daddy will read to her as well. I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard Kevin say, "Megan, Daddy doesn't read books." Shortly after that I heard, "Eight silly monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head." Well, this quickly became the pattern, and she was hooked. Now, when Daddy is in the house, she takes the book to him. He can be snoozing in his recliner, and she will climb up onto his lap, open the book, and wait expectantly for him to wake up and read. He always begins by saying, "Daddy doesn't read books." And then he does. The thing is, when our kids want a little bit of time with their daddy, he can't help but give it to them. It's one of my favorite things...the fact that Daddy does read books.

All She Ever Wanted

This is the first picture taken of us as a married couple, outside of our wedding photos. I handed my camera to a stranger on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas the day after we got married. We have been married eleven years today. Our wedding was a compromise. He truly wanted to be married all by ourselves, such as at the courthouse. I wanted my grandma to make my wedding dress, and I wanted pictures. We both got our wishes. I got my other wish as well. You know, the one where you marry the person you love. The one where eleven years, two homes, and three kids later you still like each other most of the time. The girl in this picture had no idea what marriage would really be like. She thought she loved her new husband, but she had no idea that the sad times and scary moments would be the ones to strengthen their relationship the most. She had no idea how thoroughly bringing children into the world together could multiply her feelings for him. She had yet to hold his hand at a loved one's funeral or watch him approach her carrying their daughter, with both little arms encircling his neck and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She had yet to watch him playing baseball with the big kids in the yard after a long, hot day at work. The last eleven years have found her richly blessed with love, laughter, and family. I am confident those are all of the things the girl in this picture ever wanted.