Had Noah's birthday party last week. On the one hand, its hard to believe he is three years old already; on the other hand, it sometimes feels like he has been around forever. Party was fun, at a park with pony rides, Backyardigans cake, lots of toys and general merriment.
We are preparing to race in the 2nd Annual Urban Adventure Games this weekend. Last year, Ben and I raced as a team (check out last year's video here) and had a super-blast. This year, we had some Friends that wanted to race as well but thought it best they not race as a couple. So, Ben is racing with Shawn, Tiffany is racing with another friend Alison, and I'm racing with yet another friend, Heather. A couple I know from work is also racing this year. I'm very excited. Last year, Ben and I kind of signed up last minute, kind of on a whim, and were sort of on our own. We did run into some people we knew there but it wasn't the same. This year its kind of cool with a whole group. I doubt we will race together so much, that can be kind of difficult. But the pre-race activities and post-race festivities will be way more fun.
At any rate, wait for the forthcoming videos on both of the above activities.
It's coming.
I promise.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Vacay-tastic
Okay. We are back from vacation. Had a great time. Missed the kids, nice to be away but also nice to get back to real life, even if that means following the dog around with the squirt bottle while he chews up kid toys, and taking away dessert for kids who don't eat their dinner. I guess my point is, I loved the vacation but I am also very grateful for my kids and husband and our daily existence, even though it is not nearly as flashy.
So, we flew out to Vegas, got to the hotel at midnight-ish, and decided we might as well immerse ourselves into the atmosphere and so we walked the Vegas Strip and did a little gambling. Now, understand, neither Ben nor I are hard-core gamblers by any stretch of the imagination, but we also wanted to make the most of our time and enjoy the Vegas experience. So we plunked $20 in a penny-slot machine. By some stroke of dumb luck, I pressed the "max bet" button (which, for idiot gamblers like myself, means the 1-cent bet per "line", times 20 lines, times 25-cents per line. Equals a bet of $5.00 on a penny-slot.) That one bet won us about $170. After that, we gambled randomly here and there, but with no intention of piddling away our winnings, and probably ended up about $140 to the good.
The downside to winning so much so quickly (I mean, this was our first 2 hours in Vegas) is that one assumes that winning is always so easy. I, not having much exposure to slot machines, certainly assumed so. Thankfully, I had Ben with me, who was the much more realistic gambler of our little twosome, who kept reminding me that such luck was not likely to continue, and that the casino was essentially betting on us to stupidly bet away all our winnings. So, the smarter voice won out, and I grumpily only gambled away another few dollars or so instead of wasting it all.
Here's me at a random slot machine. Not the one we won on. Just some random machine. Come to think of it, I don't think we even played on this one. 
On Wednesday night, the date of our actual anniversary, Ben scoured the review pages and Vegas insider guides and decided upon the Venetian for our dinner reservation. The Venetian is a hotel on the strip that has a mini-Italy setting. It was fabulous. The ceiling was painted sky blue, with clouds, to give you the impression that you're outside. There was a river running through the interior with little gondola rides; and little shops lining the "streets" as if you were dining in Venice. We ate at a very nice Italian restaurant, drank nice Italian wine, and generally enjoyed the unique environment.
Later on in the week, we went up the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. About half the size of the real tower, but still pretty cool.
Us at the top of the tower. Not that you can tell. We had someone take a picture of us (instead of this self-portrait courtesy of Ben), but it turned out horrible. In a decent twist of fate, I took a picture of them as well, which also turned out horrible. I tried three times and got nothing but a blurred mess. Thank goodness I was not the photographer for this picture or it would have turned out even worse.
Some of the Strip from the Eiffel Tower. MGM, our hotel (in green) in the back right.
The Bellagio water show from the Eiffel Tower
And again
view from the Indian hut
My favorite picture. We didn't do the SkyWalk (which you see in the background) but the sights were amazing nonetheless. 
Me at Guano Point.
The teeny-tiny panoromic
Authentic Indian tepee
Almost dropped my water bottle down the canyon. Here's me retrieving it.
Peering down the canyon
I liked this rock. I tried to climb over it to the other side, but Ben started to freak out on me. As in, "yes, I have an insurance policy out on you, but I'd still prefer that you not climb over that rock."
Okay, this picture is staged. I was trying to pretend like I was clutching the rock and retrieving a water bottle at the same time. Come on, humor me. 
Ben, videoing some more. Another of my faves.
So, we flew out to Vegas, got to the hotel at midnight-ish, and decided we might as well immerse ourselves into the atmosphere and so we walked the Vegas Strip and did a little gambling. Now, understand, neither Ben nor I are hard-core gamblers by any stretch of the imagination, but we also wanted to make the most of our time and enjoy the Vegas experience. So we plunked $20 in a penny-slot machine. By some stroke of dumb luck, I pressed the "max bet" button (which, for idiot gamblers like myself, means the 1-cent bet per "line", times 20 lines, times 25-cents per line. Equals a bet of $5.00 on a penny-slot.) That one bet won us about $170. After that, we gambled randomly here and there, but with no intention of piddling away our winnings, and probably ended up about $140 to the good.
The downside to winning so much so quickly (I mean, this was our first 2 hours in Vegas) is that one assumes that winning is always so easy. I, not having much exposure to slot machines, certainly assumed so. Thankfully, I had Ben with me, who was the much more realistic gambler of our little twosome, who kept reminding me that such luck was not likely to continue, and that the casino was essentially betting on us to stupidly bet away all our winnings. So, the smarter voice won out, and I grumpily only gambled away another few dollars or so instead of wasting it all.
Here's me at a random slot machine. Not the one we won on. Just some random machine. Come to think of it, I don't think we even played on this one. Me and Ben at the fountain at our hotel (MGM Grand)
On Wednesday night, the date of our actual anniversary, Ben scoured the review pages and Vegas insider guides and decided upon the Venetian for our dinner reservation. The Venetian is a hotel on the strip that has a mini-Italy setting. It was fabulous. The ceiling was painted sky blue, with clouds, to give you the impression that you're outside. There was a river running through the interior with little gondola rides; and little shops lining the "streets" as if you were dining in Venice. We ate at a very nice Italian restaurant, drank nice Italian wine, and generally enjoyed the unique environment.
Later on in the week, we went up the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. About half the size of the real tower, but still pretty cool.
Eiffel Tower from the street
Us at the top of the tower. Not that you can tell. We had someone take a picture of us (instead of this self-portrait courtesy of Ben), but it turned out horrible. In a decent twist of fate, I took a picture of them as well, which also turned out horrible. I tried three times and got nothing but a blurred mess. Thank goodness I was not the photographer for this picture or it would have turned out even worse.
Some of the Strip from the Eiffel Tower. MGM, our hotel (in green) in the back right.
The Bellagio water show from the Eiffel Tower
And againThe highlight of our trip was the Grand Canyon excursion. We signed up for a guided tour that picked us up from Las Vegas, drove us the two-hours-ish trip to the Canyon in a double decker bus. Now, understand, we did not take advantage of the second-decker, mostly because I suck. We had about a 15-minute drive to the tour-guide main office where everyone confirmed their individual trips, and we rode on top deck of the bus for that time. I subsequently informed Ben that there was essentially no way we could continue on the top of the bus unless he wanted me completely miserable for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, trooper that he is, Ben happily agreed to follow me to the first-deck of the bus, where very few other tourists ventured (top deck is apparently very prestigious). As it turned out, the bottom deck came equipped with tables, so I think we rode in more comfort than most.
Now, prepare yourself for some interesting pics, and some gratuitous pics. This is more for my own benefit so that I catalogue the memories of this vacation before they disappear; but feel free to follow along.
We stopped briefly at the Hoover Dam. I didn't get a good picture of the Dam itself, but this is a picture of the bridge at the dam where you cross from Nevada to Arizona. Each of these "towers" has a clock with "Nevada Time" (left) and "Arizona Time" (right). I thought that was cool.
We stopped at a little mini-mart for bathroom break, drinks, etc. I adored it. I decided I absolutely love the desert. It's so.......there. While I love a breathtaking mountain-view as much as the next guy, there is something very natural, very calming, about standing in the middle of desert-land, nothing in sight but tumbleweeds and sand. And giant skulls.
Once arriving at our destination, we checked in at our helicopter tour. I don't think either of these are our actual helicopters, but it was one that looked like this.
View from the helicopter. Holy crap I loved the heli-tour. I thought I would be a nervous wreck, and I was for a few minutes, but even during my near-panic attack, I loved the helicopter. I have never flown in anything besides a plane (and I have a hard time believing it is natural for people to fly in planes), so the helicopter was amazing. It was like a hummingbird, just flitting and flying wherever it wanted, leaving laws of gravity and physics in the dust.
More heli-pics
Upon landing, we made our way to a little hut to await our next adventure, a hike down to the river. Note that this entire trip took place on an Indian reservation, owned by the Hualupai Indians, who ran the show and made the rules. These people knew what they were doing; they ran a fabulous tour.
Bye-bye, helicopter!
Ben, videoing the surroundings
view from the Indian hut Here's our pontoon, getting ready to drop off another tour and pick us up.
Pic from the pontoon on the Colorado River. And some random guy. I think he was German.
Another pontoon pic. And another random German guy.
My favorite picture. We didn't do the SkyWalk (which you see in the background) but the sights were amazing nonetheless. 
Me at Guano Point.
The teeny-tiny panoromic
Authentic Indian tepee
Almost dropped my water bottle down the canyon. Here's me retrieving it.
Peering down the canyon
I liked this rock. I tried to climb over it to the other side, but Ben started to freak out on me. As in, "yes, I have an insurance policy out on you, but I'd still prefer that you not climb over that rock."
Okay, this picture is staged. I was trying to pretend like I was clutching the rock and retrieving a water bottle at the same time. Come on, humor me. 
Ben, videoing some more. Another of my faves.Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Killing Time
Waiting at IND to board the plane. Naturally, Ben brought as many electronic devices as one can feasibly take on a plane, including laptop, iPad, PSP game console, two digital video recorders, digital camera, and of course cell phones. So, we are adequately equipped to play around whilst awaiting boarding time. Ben is downloading magazines on the iPad and playing silly games and I am, well, typing a blog.
I am so much more relaxed than I was this time last night and pretty much all of today, until bags were checked. The day went remarkably smooth considering all we had to get done.
Kids dropped off -- check. They were excited to see my dad and stepmom, and their cousin Isabelle who is staying over for a few days to help watch the kids. They don't get to see her all that often but I have a feeling they will love her.
Dog dropped off -- check. This was a little rockier, as he is staying with my friend, a recently certified dog trainer, at her home. With her two other dogs. Giant dogs. Canada tends to get along fairly well with other dogs but there was still a little clash as the three of them tried to stake their territories. I think it will be fine.
To airport on time -- check. We did online check-in last night, so it was a breeze once we got here. Traffic was no issue even though we were right at rush hour. Piece of cake.
Anyway, now that all of that is done, I am finding myself practically giddy about our whirlwind trip that is finally upon us. Its always a little sad to be without the kids for that amount of time - but, they will have a blast, and a mentally refreshed mom (and dad) will be better for them also. That's right. I'm taking this vacation for the kids. What can I say, I'm devoted.
I am so much more relaxed than I was this time last night and pretty much all of today, until bags were checked. The day went remarkably smooth considering all we had to get done.
Kids dropped off -- check. They were excited to see my dad and stepmom, and their cousin Isabelle who is staying over for a few days to help watch the kids. They don't get to see her all that often but I have a feeling they will love her.
Dog dropped off -- check. This was a little rockier, as he is staying with my friend, a recently certified dog trainer, at her home. With her two other dogs. Giant dogs. Canada tends to get along fairly well with other dogs but there was still a little clash as the three of them tried to stake their territories. I think it will be fine.
To airport on time -- check. We did online check-in last night, so it was a breeze once we got here. Traffic was no issue even though we were right at rush hour. Piece of cake.
Anyway, now that all of that is done, I am finding myself practically giddy about our whirlwind trip that is finally upon us. Its always a little sad to be without the kids for that amount of time - but, they will have a blast, and a mentally refreshed mom (and dad) will be better for them also. That's right. I'm taking this vacation for the kids. What can I say, I'm devoted.
Monday, July 12, 2010
For the record....
I do not torture or beat my dog with the vacuum cleaner. But you'd never know it by his reaction to it.
Right now, I am sitting in the recliner, silently cursing Ben for not packing. I think he has started the job, but I am uber-stressed about tomorrow's agenda, so him being slightly not-done-yet is giving me an excuse for my high-strung-edness.
Itinerary for tomorrow: work in the morning, since I have way way way too much to do and probably should not be justifiably taking a vacation. Work until 11:45 and then rush to pick up the kids and meet Ben at home to pick up the dog. Hopefully arrive at my dad's at or near 3pm to drop off the kids for their Gma & Gpa Parker vacay. Rush to friend's in Broad Ripple to unload the dog for his week of training. Race to the airport for our evening flight to Vegas, layover in Denver. Arrive at Vegas at 10:30ish Vegas time (which sounds like some sort of alternate dimension, it just feels like they have to measure time differently in Vegas) and collapse into our hotel room probably around midnight.
Last time I was in Vegas, I was roughly 14 years old, with my dad and sisters. I distinctly remember entering the casinos, which was legal, as long as we walked straight to the snack bar without stopping.
As for Ben, the farthest west he has been is St. Louis, as he regularly reminds me. Compared to him, I am quite the worldly traveler. I am very much looking forward to our desert vacation. The two of us have been absolute tornados of stress lately, so I think this is just what we need.
Right now, I am sitting in the recliner, silently cursing Ben for not packing. I think he has started the job, but I am uber-stressed about tomorrow's agenda, so him being slightly not-done-yet is giving me an excuse for my high-strung-edness.
Itinerary for tomorrow: work in the morning, since I have way way way too much to do and probably should not be justifiably taking a vacation. Work until 11:45 and then rush to pick up the kids and meet Ben at home to pick up the dog. Hopefully arrive at my dad's at or near 3pm to drop off the kids for their Gma & Gpa Parker vacay. Rush to friend's in Broad Ripple to unload the dog for his week of training. Race to the airport for our evening flight to Vegas, layover in Denver. Arrive at Vegas at 10:30ish Vegas time (which sounds like some sort of alternate dimension, it just feels like they have to measure time differently in Vegas) and collapse into our hotel room probably around midnight.
Last time I was in Vegas, I was roughly 14 years old, with my dad and sisters. I distinctly remember entering the casinos, which was legal, as long as we walked straight to the snack bar without stopping.
As for Ben, the farthest west he has been is St. Louis, as he regularly reminds me. Compared to him, I am quite the worldly traveler. I am very much looking forward to our desert vacation. The two of us have been absolute tornados of stress lately, so I think this is just what we need.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Beachy
I keep meaning to post something about last month's vacation to the beach. Here's a video at least. Ben and Sophie are not included because of Ben's back injury that occurred about 15 minutes after our arrival at the campsite (a story deserving of it's own blog post, but one i won't get into right now), and I decided me with all three kids at the beach by myself might be a bit much, so Soph stayed back at camp and napped. Not to worry, though, Ben and Sophie both eventually made it to the lakefront.
Let there be patience
Just got back from the kids' last night of Vacation Bible School. Noah called it "Patience Bible School" which I find absolutely adorable. The boys really enjoyed it. Noah was a tad under the age limit, but did a great job. Travis led him from station to station dutifully, he is an excellent older brother. Sophie didn't partake, but tonight when we were a little early to pick the boys up, and sat in the back watching them do their little VBS songs and dances, she waved her arms in the air and bopped her head back and forth and generally charmed the living daylights out of anyone who glanced in her direction.
Also tonight, we put the finishing touches on our upcoming trip to Vegas to celebrate our ninth anniversary. Very excited to get a few quality moments of alone time with Ben, kids will stay with my dad, and Canada will stay with my friend, the recently certified dog trainer. Clearly, a win for all involved.
Been very worn out lately. Trying to get to the bottom of that as it doesn't fit well with my three children, husband, new puppy, management job, summer activities, exercise goals, and housecleaning. And life in general.
Also tonight, we put the finishing touches on our upcoming trip to Vegas to celebrate our ninth anniversary. Very excited to get a few quality moments of alone time with Ben, kids will stay with my dad, and Canada will stay with my friend, the recently certified dog trainer. Clearly, a win for all involved.
Been very worn out lately. Trying to get to the bottom of that as it doesn't fit well with my three children, husband, new puppy, management job, summer activities, exercise goals, and housecleaning. And life in general.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sickly
I woke up this morning at 5ish, around the time Ben got up early to head out to Cedar Point. Pretty much as soon as I woke up, I knew I wouldn't be going to work today. I'd spent most of the night up coughing and my throat, chest and head ached something awful. So, by the time I had to get up for real (read: kids were wreaking havoc and I couldn't responsibly ignore them anymore), I rolled out of bed and stumbled my way downstairs to call into work. I had a scheduled meeting with the CFO this morning that I'd spent a good part of yesterday preparing for, so I also called him to let him know we'd have to postpone.
Got myself as minimally ready as possible to drive the kids to my mom's. I felt (and looked) like death warmed over. I herd the three kids out the door, and as luck would have it (bad luck, that is), the dog slips outside at the last second. I've got Sophie in my arms, and my first instinct was to drop her and grab him before he crossed the street, but luckily my motherly side took over before I acted on that impulse. Instead, I shuffled the kids out to the truck and gently placed Sophie inside, told the boys to stay put while I wrangled the dog.
Now, I knew I had not strapped Sophie in the car seat. But, in past such occurrences, her favorite thing to do is clamber into the front seat and pretend to drive. So, off I go to fing the dog, who has made his way to the neighbor's house where I can only assume he claimed all manner of flowers and shrubbery as his own. A few minutes of chasing and pretending my only intention was to smother him with loving and possibly feed him a steak, and I finally had him.
I cross the street back to the house only to find Sophie's back end sticking out from underneath the Mountaineer. By the time I had Canada safely in the house, she had managed to crawl all the way under the truck and emerge from the other side. Presumably Travis had opened the door, she slithered her way out and decided to check the oil filter or something.
I suppose my day went uphill from there. Got some antibiotics from the doc, feeling somewhat better. My evening ended with all three children screeching in mock terror as I vacuumed. Travis doing so because he pretends the vacuum cleaner is a tornado coming to whisk him away; Noah because he believes it's an alien spaceship descending on the house to unleash some sort of bad guy; and Sophie because her two older brothers are doing it and thus she has deduced that it is in fact the socially acceptable - nay, expected - response in such a situation.
Now, I need to put the kids to bed, because Sophie is sitting on the kitchen table trying to peel a banana by herself, and Noah has found the squirt bottle used to deter the dog from inappropriate behavior, and I don't even want to wait to determine what he'll decide to do with it.
Got myself as minimally ready as possible to drive the kids to my mom's. I felt (and looked) like death warmed over. I herd the three kids out the door, and as luck would have it (bad luck, that is), the dog slips outside at the last second. I've got Sophie in my arms, and my first instinct was to drop her and grab him before he crossed the street, but luckily my motherly side took over before I acted on that impulse. Instead, I shuffled the kids out to the truck and gently placed Sophie inside, told the boys to stay put while I wrangled the dog.
Now, I knew I had not strapped Sophie in the car seat. But, in past such occurrences, her favorite thing to do is clamber into the front seat and pretend to drive. So, off I go to fing the dog, who has made his way to the neighbor's house where I can only assume he claimed all manner of flowers and shrubbery as his own. A few minutes of chasing and pretending my only intention was to smother him with loving and possibly feed him a steak, and I finally had him.
I cross the street back to the house only to find Sophie's back end sticking out from underneath the Mountaineer. By the time I had Canada safely in the house, she had managed to crawl all the way under the truck and emerge from the other side. Presumably Travis had opened the door, she slithered her way out and decided to check the oil filter or something.
I suppose my day went uphill from there. Got some antibiotics from the doc, feeling somewhat better. My evening ended with all three children screeching in mock terror as I vacuumed. Travis doing so because he pretends the vacuum cleaner is a tornado coming to whisk him away; Noah because he believes it's an alien spaceship descending on the house to unleash some sort of bad guy; and Sophie because her two older brothers are doing it and thus she has deduced that it is in fact the socially acceptable - nay, expected - response in such a situation.
Now, I need to put the kids to bed, because Sophie is sitting on the kitchen table trying to peel a banana by herself, and Noah has found the squirt bottle used to deter the dog from inappropriate behavior, and I don't even want to wait to determine what he'll decide to do with it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)