Lights Out!

I can't believe that I forgot to mention this in the last post... the last week of October we were without power!

It was a lovely Friday afternoon. I had just gotten home from the grocery store and the pizza store. I opened the refrigerator to put away the food and I noticed the light didn't come on. Weird. So, I checked the lights in the kitchen. Nope. Checked the circuit breakers. Those were fine. Hmmm.... Then we heard a bunch of sirens and watched as several fire trucks pulled into our building. That's not good. The alarms weren't going off on our floor, I figured that was a good thing. I ended up calling the front desk to see what was going on. They didn't know much, so I went to go visit Sonya in the office. Apparently there was an electric arc on the electric buss for that caused a fire and knocked out the power to floors 37 and above. Hm. Not good. Since it was Friday, she went ahead and booked the theater room for us. Ben was able to grill our pizza and we were able to watch Peter Pan on the big screen. The kids were impressed by that! We got a note that night that the soonest the power would be restored would be Monday.

We needed electricity just for a few things.... WiFi and the refrigerator (and an occasional charge for phones and laptops). We bought an extension cord and used the hallway power (that still worked, strangely) to power these things. And we had a fine weekend.

But then Monday happened. The office found out we were using power (and by we I mean everyone else in the building that didn't have power). They left notes saying we couldn't use hallway power and then cut the power. We scrambled and ran around town looking for a generator. We found one that was "as quiet as a conversation." Apparently that conversation is between deaf people who don't realize they are deaf because it was LOUD. We knew we couldn't run that without completely ruining the lives of those below us. So we borrowed some coolers from Bobby and called it good.

No power didn't prove to be too big of an inconvenience. Ben used his phone to hot-spot WiFi for his computer. The front desk would charge our phones. Eating out was a nice treat. We did have hot water, so we could still shower, wash dishes, etc. Laundry was becoming an issue, but my friend Rose came to the rescue and let us have a clothes washing play date. We grilled a lot. Ate meals by candlelight. In some ways, we didn't really miss it!

We got periodic updates. The unit was a custom one, so it had to be fabricated. Across country. It was hopefully going to be finished on Wednesday and over-nighted here and installed on Thursday. Fingers crossed. Well, it did get finished on time! And on Thursday power was restored. It was a huge relief on multiple fronts - mainly because Ben and I were leaving and I hated the thought of leaving Grandma, Grandpa and the kids powerless while we were gone. Phew!

Brian's Birthday Party

When we first moved to Vegas, we spent a lot of time at the Platinum Hotel. The location was good. Prices decent. We had a kitchen and washer/dryer. But most of all, the staff were amazing! Most of our contact was with the valet guys. They knew us by name and were always super friendly. Especially to the kids. In addition to the valet crew, there was a guy, Brian, that worked security. He would pop into the lobby when he saw us and blow bubbles for the kids. The kids LOVED this. When we moved into our condo, Adelyn was missing her friends at the Platinum. So, one day we made cookies and pictures and went for a visit.

Fast forward to last week. Adelyn started being sad that we weren't at the Platinum. Somehow she got it into her head that it was Brian's birthday and that we should make a cake and have a party. Wasn't sure about the party part, but I figured we could always bring a cake over. Adelyn was so excited!! I let her pick out a cake mix and frosting at the store (pink and pink because she insisted he loved pink). We made the cake and headed over there.

Unfortunately... Brian no longer works there. Adelyn was so disappointed. But I give her tons of credit - she handled it so well! After talking through our options, she decided we could give the cake to the valet guys. So we stepped outside and were immediately greeted by name! It was a slow time so we chatted for a few minutes with them. It felt like seeing friends again!

Getting Our Greek On

The end of September was the Greek Food Festival. We decided that sounded like fun. Parking was a little on the crazy side, but it didn't take us too long to find a spot. The kids had fallen asleep on the drive there, so I fed Genevieve in the car while we let them rest.


Our first stop was for food, of course. We had way too much... gyros, pita and hummus, Greek fries, saganaki (fried cheese), loukoumathes (deep fried dough with honey) and of course baklava.


Near the food tent they had a stage with live music and dancers. Adelyn thought it was too loud, but we enjoyed watching and listening.


After our tummies were stuffed, we walked over to the rides. Adelyn and Odin picked the kid Ferris wheel to go on, followed by a bounce house. They both had so much fun.


By then we were ready to go. Mostly because it was getting chilly and for some reason we didn't think to pack jackets. Silly us.


On our way out we bought Adelyn a scarf with coins sewed all over it (think like a belly dancer). It seemed like all the little girls were wearing them. Odin wanted one too, but the nice lady at the booth found a light-up toy for him instead. Adelyn has been having fun with the scarf. It makes a bunch of noise when she dances. :)

Thirteen Years

On September 15, Ben and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. Well, we celebrated the weekend before, but you know what I mean.

Rick and Mickey came into town for the weekend, so we took full advantage! On Friday we went shopping. I did a horrible job of packing non-maternity clothes when we moved back to Vegas. I literally did not have anything to wear for a nice dinner. Oops. We found an awesome store at Fashion Mall. Can't remember what it's called, but I could have bought just about one of everything in the store and would have worn them all. Only down side of this store is that it is expensive. Of course. So, I settled on one dress for Saturday night.

Friday night we had friends in town, so we met up with them for a drink and a walk around the Linq and the Strip. It was fun to see them and spend time with them.

Saturday afternoon, Ben and I headed over to Mandalay Bay for their day club. Krewella was playing at the pool. We had a lot of fun. The girls rocked it!

That evening Ben and I went out to dinner. It was my pick. I almost went for Steak n' Shake, but decided that since the kids like that place, I should pick a place that they don't like. So we went to Sushi Roku. We had some excellent hunks of fish. So good. They gave us free dessert. So nice!

After that we walked around the mall a bit, mainly to get out of it. But we stopped by a cool gallery. We found a print we both really liked. Turns out it could be ours for the low price of $6800. Hmm... Maybe not. Then we went on a hunt for dessert (don't judge! it was our anniversary!). The first place we tried to go to didn't exist. So we walked to the Mirage. That place didn't exist either. We ended up at BLT Burger. They have awesome shakes. So we got that. So full.

On Monday, our actual anniversary, was busy with laundry and running around getting things for Ben's trip to Peru the following day. We ended up at a Greek restaurant for dinner. The kids didn't really like it, but Ben and I were in gyro heaven! Their pitas so so good!

And thus concluded our 13 year celebration.

Getting Settled

We have been back in Vegas for two weeks. And what a crazy two weeks it has been!

When we got here we had a mattress, two folding chairs, a memory foam pad, a highchair and a pack n' play. And a few random kitchen things. Not much to live on. We started off looking on craigslist for furniture. Turns out that is a lot of work. We wasted so much time! In the end, we did get a bed for Adelyn and that's it. We found a nice furniture place (after going to two separate ones that ended up to be being out of business). We ended up with a couch and rug for the living room, dining room table and chairs for the dining room (duh) and a mattress. And just in time!

Friday night we had our first event at our house. We ended up having about 30 or so people over. It was a busy day of shopping and food prep. First guests started arriving around 9 pm. We had a great time and it was fun to see the different social groups collide.

Saturday Mickey came to town for a few days. And on Sunday Rick joined us.

It is so nice to have some furniture. It was getting challenging to eat every meal on the floor. And I'm sure Rick and Mickey appreciated a mattress versus sleeping on the hardwood floors. We are still on the look out for a few more pieces, but we've actually been enjoying the minimalist lifestyle we have started. 

First Play

I will admit that while there is some sketchiness around the libraries in Vegas, they also have a lot of things going on.

On Friday, May 16 the kids and I went to a puppet play at one of the libraries. It was free. And it was a real play too (meaning a traveling puppet troupe, Tears of Joy, was in town for the event, not just the librarians doing a show). It was pretty neat. It was "Malika: Queen of the Cats." It's a Palestinian story about a poor lady who was very generous and kind. She is rewarded with a gift from Malika. Towards the end, Adelyn whispered to me, "Can we go now?" I thought this was a strange question since she seemed to be enjoying herself. The play ended about 5 minutes later. They had a Q&A session. Adelyn raised her hand. I was a little scared about what she might be asking, so I asked her what her question was. Sure enough, she wanted to ask why it was so long. Silly girl. Fortunately, she wasn't called on. But when we left the theater, she did ask the one puppeteer why it was so long.

Cinco and MOPS

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. We sort of celebrated.

In the morning Ben wanted to go rock climbing (indoor. He joined a local place). We decided to take the kids along so they would know what we were talking about. We got there about 10:30 to discover that it didn't open until 11. So... we found a park a few blocks away. Turned out to be a pretty awesome park. Very creative equipment in a woods theme. And there was a splash pad too. We will definitely be back there! Once it was 11 we headed back.

We watched Ben climb a few runs. Then the kids said they wanted to try. So, we got them geared up. Adelyn did great. Until she decided that she was scared of how high she was (maybe 3 feet off the ground). We tried to show her how the belay system worked. That backfired. She was caught off guard and ended up hitting her leg against the wall. Oops. Odin did great too! Until he was too short to reach the next hand grip. But we were proud of the kiddos for trying. We will try again when they are a little older.

After climbing we went to Chipotle. Yum. That was part of our Cinco celebration. When we got home we had a pinata for the kids. Note to self: an almost 4 year old and a 2 year old can't really break open a pinata on their own. They thought it was fun hitting it.  Daddy had to give it a few good whacks to get it open. The kids were excited to find bouncy balls, watercolors, place mats, bath stuff and some Oreo cookies.

Today the kids and I attended our first MOPS meeting. I have thought about it for some time. And now that we're here for a month, I figured we could check it out. The one we attended meets twice a month during the school year. So, this week and in two weeks we can attend. Then not again until the fall.

I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out it's a pretty large group. I think there were about 35 of us. When I went to drop off the kids I found out that Adelyn and Odin would be in separate classes. Hmmm... He's really not used to being without mommy AND big sister. I let the lady in that room know that he might not be thrilled with the arrangement and that she could get me. He made it about 40 minutes before they said he was crying. So he got to join mommy and the other moms. I am very thankful that he is a pretty chill guy. He had some fruit with me and then was happy to take notes on the guest speaker and finally put some puzzles together on my phone.

Adelyn had a good time, but she did say it was a long time (it was 2 hours). I had fun. The ladies at my table were very nice. And we all come from very different backgrounds. We had some nice discussions and laughs. Now to get Odin on board with going back...

Home Sweet May Home

We got back to Vegas on Monday, April 21. The staff at the Platinum were happy to see us. But we knew we couldn't stay there forever. So on Wednesday we met with a Realtor to look at some rental options.

We looked at 6 different condos. Some were immediately out. Others we weren't so sure on. Both Ben and I looked online for more options that night. The next day we were off to see a few (6!) more options. Same story as before. On Saturday we looked at a few more. We decided that a few of the options that we looked at could work. But none were perfect. Not that we need perfect. So, we quickly changed gears and started looking at places that were available for a month. We only had a few options since May was almost upon us.

We looked at one at the Trump Towers. It was beautiful. Gorgeous views from the 59th floor. But... it was too small. A lot of the square footage was taken up by a ginormous master bath. And it was only one bedroom without a nice size living room. Sadly, we passed on that.

Our other option was a two-bedroom unit at Sky. It is only on the 5th floor with not much to speak of for views. But it has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a nice layout. We took it. So, we have a place for a month. Yesterday we moved in. So far, I like it. There's a CVS on the bottom floor, which is nice in case we need something quickly. Like yesterday. The kids and I needed cookies. :) The kids did great with our move. So as a special treat, we got some fudge stripe cookies and had a picnic on our patio.

During this month we plan on keeping an eye on the listings to find a place. In June and part of July we will be in Minnesota to spend time with Ben's brother and family. We will need a place when we get back.

And yes, I know I haven't written about Japan yet. I really need to. Just been busy with life.

Ah, Cars

Sometimes I hate how dependent we are on cars. But today I'm just thankful for the timing of an oil change. I made a routine appointment the other day for an oil change. While they were going through their multi-point inspection, they found a leak on the steering column. Thankfully, it is still under warranty. And thankfully they found it before it actually caused an issue. So, so thankful! Especially since Ben has been gone. I can imagine the kids and me stranded in the middle of Vegas... just kidding. Everyone here is super nice. And I've been to the dealership before, so they know me. Sort of. I would have been fine. But thankful again, that I didn't have to deal with a broken car.

Speaking of being thankful, a few years ago I started posting something I was thankful for every day during November. Last year on Thanksgiving, one of my friends posted on Facebook that she was thankful that it was Thanksgiving so that people would stop posting thankful posts. I was hurt. I liked reading what people were thankful for. And I think it is a great reminder to be thankful. Stop and think about it... when was the last time you said you were thankful? I know how easy it is to get swept up in life and not even realize all the good around us. Our trip to Haiti helped bring things into perspective. And "forcing" myself on a daily basis to find something I am thankful for only makes me happier.

Back to my friend. Part of me was unsure if I should post this year. I began to wonder if I was driving other people nuts. I talked to Ben about this. He was quick to say "Her, her." (An inside joke sort of thing that basically means, who cares what she thinks). He encouraged me to do it. He even suggested that I tagged her in every post so she would not only read it every day, but get notified. I laughed at the idea. But I'm not that mean. :)

Lost Vegas

While on our road trip, we told the kids we were on the way to Las Vegas. Adelyn thought we said Lost Vegas. She was very concerned about what was lost. It took several days and several explanations before she finally understood that it was Las, not lost.

Our last week in Vegas we decided to do something fun each day. That would force us out of the hotel and be something to look forward to.

Monday Odin was sick. So we only managed to get to the hotel pool.

Tuesday we went to Silverton Casino. They have a 117,000 gallon fish aquarium. They have several different types of stingrays in the tank. A couple of times a day they have feedings. We got there just in time for the 4:30 show. It was pretty cool. The SCUBA lady was hooked up with a special helmet that had a two-way radio in it. She could hear any audience questions and could talk back to us. They also have mermaids in the tank. Unfortunately, they are only there during the weekends, so we didn't get to see them. After that we headed over to the one Steak n' Shake nearby. Adelyn only ate the whipped cream off of her shake. Lucky Daddy helped her out with the shake.

Wednesday we decided to check out the Farmer's Market in Summerlin. On the way there it started to rain. (Did you know that Las Vegas has a monsoon season? Me neither. But it has started). I'm not sure if the rain or the time of year made any difference, but we were underwhelmed at the number of vendors selling produce. There were plenty of food stands and other stands though. And we did manage to find figs, strawberries, and beefalo. Yep. Beefalo. A crossbreed between cow and bison. Supposedly it has the nutrition of bison with the taste of beef. We made it into chili, so it's hard to say.

Thursday we went to Crystals at City Center just to walk around. Ben had been there before so he knew there were a few things the kids would find interesting. Odin wanted to keep walking into the stores. It was pretty cute. We all spent some time looking at these cylinders that had water tornadoes in them. It was pretty cool. While walking back to our car the kids spotted the monorail that runs from Monte Carlo to Bellagio. So, we hopped on that and rode that around.

Friday we went to our friend's house again. The kids ended up in the pool this time. We had a nice visit and Ben made some delicious burgers for us (Mike was out of town).

Saturday we went to Boulder City to check out Hemenway Park. I had heard from a guy at the dealership (we had our tire fixed the day before) that at the park Bighorn Sheep are known to graze. Sure enough! There were probably about two dozen that we just hanging out at the park. They didn't seem to mind that we were there. We could get pretty close without them walking away. When a big tour bus came though, they did kind of huddle up a bit. It was so cool to be so close to wild animals with nothing between us. Not sure if I would have thought it was so cool if it had been a pride of lions though.

Sunday the kids and I let Ben sleep while we tried out the local Dunkin Donuts. We enjoyed our donuts and then we went to a local park. It was pretty nice. We were the only ones there. That wasn't too unusual to me, but it was at a community center and I thought it a bit odd that no one was there either.

Monday we headed over to the Flamingo to see the flamingo habitat. There were different types of flamingos, ducks and swans swimming around. And some of the most active koi I have ever seen.

Tuesday Adelyn woke up under the weather so Odin and I went to get a trailer hitch installed on our car while she rested and Ben worked.

Wednesday we went to the DMV to get our drivers licenses. It was pretty slick. We were even able to register to vote. In case you were wondering, we could use the hotel's address as a physical address and our new PO Box as a mailing address. Seems strange to me, but according to the DMV that is typical in Vegas. We spent the rest of the day packing up because on Thursday morning we flew to MN for a visit.

Our Next Move

We have been talking about our living options here. While living in hotels can be nice (housekeeping), it also isn't all that practical. So, we've been talking about what we want and need in a place. Here are some of our options:

Renting/Buying in Henderson
Henderson is a lot like Maple Grove. It's a newer city with a lot of really nice housing options. Our friends live there and say that the schools are the best in the area. It also has the typical local parks and shopping and dining options that we are used to. But, one of the reasons we moved out here is that a lot of our friends end up in Vegas from time to time. So the problem with Henderson is that it's about 20 minutes away, so it would be a lot of back and forth when we're hanging out with people.

Renting close to the Strip
Ben likes this option so he would be close to the action. And, as mentioned before, it would be very convenient when people come into town to see them. This would be the first time for me living in an Urban area. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that.

Renting in Downtown
Tony Shea of Zappos.com fame is working on a project to revitalize the downtown area (think the original Vegas). They are doing a lot of really cool things there. We went and visited one of their properties the other day. They have work areas set up so that anyone can hop in and work. Ben likes that a lot. They are planning out the community to really be a community. In a lot of ways it will be like our Utah place. I like that idea because it should be very easy to connect with people (we have already received a list of families with children of similar ages). Down sides of this option is that some of downtown is still a little sketchy. While our building would have security, the greater area might not be the best. And we would be away from the strip.

Our days of hotel living might be coming to a close as we gather more info and figure out exactly what we want in a place. I will say one thing, after living in hotels for so long, I have realized how little space we actually need. While I would love a little more space in some areas, like the kitchen, having a smaller space isn't as bad as I thought.

I Miss My Kitchen

I know that I am incredibly blessed. I know that some people don't have a roof over their head or know where their next meal is coming from. But, I really miss my kitchen. Both places we have stayed in Vegas have had kitchens. But very limited kitchens. The other day I thought it would be a nice treat to make cookies. Then I thought about how I didn't have a mixer. No problem, it would be a good arm workout. But then I thought about how I would have to buy sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, etc. Without any canisters or anything to store the excess ingredients, this sounded like a pain. But then I remembered that there is refrigerated cookie dough all ready to go. Perfect! Except... when I got back to the room I discovered that we didn't have a cookie sheet. Or any bakeware for that matter. Grr.

I guess one benefit of my limited kitchen is that I wash dishes after every meal. Sort of have to given we only have 4 spoons, 4 forks, 4 plates, 4 bowls...

Kitchen items purchased:
Cookie Sheet
Pitcher
Cheese grater