I'm Baaaaack!

After a significant flight delay, we got home around 1:30 this morning. We slept until about 7:30 a.m. and recuperated today. We had such an excellent vacation, but it was really nice to sleep in my own bed and feel that hot sun today.

Yesterday we spent some of the day at the Como Zoo, which had a place called Como Town with rides and such for the kids - but it was closed. Guess they only run during the weekends until the summer. We still got to see a lot of animals and the kids had a blast... in fact, they forgot all about the rides. It didn't take too long to get through there and we had a lot of time until our flight, so we went with family to a Chuck E. Cheese in St. Paul. What a difference from Vegas - it was clean, all the games worked and the service was great! We ran the kids out of energy there and then we said our goodbyes, and were off to find my grandfather's grave at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery. My aunt had given me pretty good directions considering I was looking for one headstone in over 176,000, so it took me only about 15 minutes to find it. I'm really glad I got to visit and spend some time there. Pretty sobering when you walk through and see all that are laid to rest there. The rows and rows of white headstones are overwhelming.

I hadn't walked in five days so when I walked today my body reminded me I'd been a lazy slug (who ate poorly on vacation, I might add). I'm sore and tired... So I'm going to get to bed and leaving you with my favorite picture from the zoo:

Vacation Part III

We spent all of today at Sue/Gary's house with family, barbecuing brats and hot dogs and watching the kids play with bubbles. Bubbles are the magical formula, you know. They played with them pretty much the whole day. The weather today was absolutely perfect... sunny, warm (like 70 degrees) and a slight breeze. We sat outside the whole day, and my red face proves it. Madison played ball with my Uncle Bob for awhile; she can hit a ball pretty good, and her throwing accuracy was just crazy, so I am guessing I need to look into t-ball for her this summer. Tomorrow it's off to the zoo and the Fort Snelling National Cemetery to visit my grandfather's grave. Hopefully I'll be able to find it, there are over 172,000 veterans buried there! We go home tomorrow night, and while I'm sorry the vacation is coming to a close, I'm happy to be going home!

Vacation Part 2

Today we finally got rolling out of the hotel room at like 11:15 - we'd slept until just after 9:00 (I wish that was true at home and not due to a time change!). A bunch of family met over at Aunt Sue/Uncle Gary's house so we visited all day. I have a second cousin that's about Madison's age whom she got to play with and they had an absolute blast. A few of us took a small walk down to Minnehaha Falls, and despite the wind today, it was sunny and much warmer. Here's a picture:

You'll notice white stuff on the back wall... uh yeah, that's not Oreo filling, it's ice.

The next couple of days we'll still be visiting family, and on Monday we're going to the Zoo!

Vacation Part I

Hello from Minneapolis! As I type, it's about 39 degrees and raining like crazy. BUT, it's really not as bad as we'd anticipated, which I'll just chalk up to humidity.

Since we'd made last minute plane reservations, we got tagged for the ultra security check, all of us. So we had to empty all our carry-on stuff, get the wand and pat down treatment, etc. I have to say, however, that they were really good with Maddy. They decided not to wand her and freak her out, and just opted to pat her down. The lady pretended she was tickling Madison so it was really quick and painless.

Madison rode the plane like a trooper - she definitely doesn't have flight issues - and an older couple commented when we landed that she was really well behaved, especially for her first plane ride. I had all kinds of keep-the-high-energy-kid-entertained stuff and she fell asleep for about an hour of the three-hour trip.

We are still on Vegas time so at midnight last night she still wasn't asleep, so that was rough, cause we were really ready for serious sleep after all that travel. But we didn't get up until like 9:30 this morning, so no biggie, I suppose it's better than changing her routine all around.

Today we spent the day at the Mall of America, which is SOOOOOOOO huge. We didn't do any shopping but did visit Nickelodeon Universe, and the Underwater Adventures inside the mall. For those of you in Vegas, they were much like the Circus Circus Adventure Dome and Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef, but a little bigger.

Driving here is very different, thankfully we got a GPS system for the car. I'd be absolutely lost otherwise, and it's giving us the ability to venture out more for what we'd like to eat, etc.

The funniest part of being here is some of the huge cultural differences, and I have the perfect example. I went out last night to get a few things at a local convenience store, and I looked all over for beer. There was... uh... no alcohol in the store. I asked and apparently it's a little different in these parts - can't just buy this stuff anywhere - and good luck if you're wanting to buy it on Sunday.

We are supposed to get snow tonight and tomorrow morning, but Sunday and Monday are going to be beautiful - thankfully - I'd really like Madison to get a good look at how green and beautiful it is here!

I'll leave you with this, but there is more at Flickr:

The picture isn't the best quality (think the batteries are dying) but if you look closely, you can probably tell the movie theme this display is all about.

Change of Plans... Slightly

Due to the economy our airline scaled back all their flights since I'd planned the trip, and decided not to let us know. When I checked on our flights last night, I found our whole itinerary had been changed! A lot of phone calls and a lot more money later, we're still leaving today for Minneapolis, and in the end that's all that really matters. So we're off in a couple of hours, and I'll definitely be posting about all the fun in Minnesota. The silver lining is that we're coming back about 7 hours later on Monday, so we'll be able to get more fun in. I packed our clothes this morning and couldn't help but laugh at the cold-weather clothes I had to dig out...

Happy Trails!

I'm Baaaaack!

I'm back home safely from MN... it was a gorgeous 82 degrees when I stepped into the parking garage at McCarran airport. Ahhhh, it's good to be home. :)

I picked up Madison early and we spent some time together this afternoon. There's no better feeling than to have your kid jump in your arms, give you the biggest hug and say "I missed you sooooo much!"

I'm posting a couple of pictures from the trip:

This was taken just after I arrived, it's my Dad and I in front of one of my aunt and uncle's home. This is a scenic picture in front of their house... I am so thankful I got to witness Fall, since we really don't see it here in Vegas!

You can get a better view of these and a few more pictures at Flickr, you'll notice the link to my page on the right... I didn't get as many as I'd like, but my Dad's wife got plenty and I'm sure I'll get copies to add. You can find the Minnesota photos in the "Minnesota 10-07" set.

I Guess I Needed a Parka

Hey from balmy Minnesota (42 degrees). As the desert rat I am, I can honestly say there is absolutely no way I could ever settle in a place this freakin' cold. Today was windy, freezing and I saw snow flurries now and again. My skin is way too thin for this climate. I can say, however, that it's time I return again for happier times and bring Madison with me. Next summer's trip just may be to this part of the country.

Having been raised in the military, I never lived near my extended family. I was reminded today how much I miss seeing them - I have one huge family on my Dad's side! I got to spend time with cousins and second cousins I'd never met, as well as family that I have some of my best memories with. The funeral was absolutely beautiful, and watching family who'd just lost their father and husband minimized any fears I'd been feeling. I can't even imagine what they're going through, and I am so glad I made this trip to be there for them. Dad did pretty good until they did military burial... I think we all pretty much lost it when they did the 21 gun salute.

I called and talked to Madison tonight and I miss her so much! I can't wait to get home tomorrow and see my bubba. I'm also looking forward to much warmer weather! I hope the first part of your week has been fabulous. I'm looking forward to posting about much happier subjects when I return, and I have pictures I'll be sure to get up as well.

I'm Leaving, On A Jetplane

So I'm all packed and ready for my trip to Minneapolis tomorrow. I am not prepared at all for this mentally; see, I don't do funerals. Who likes funerals anyway, right? I have some strange anxiety with the whole experience, and I'm not sure why. I've been extremely fortunate in that I've not actually had many funerals to attend - but I've never actually stayed through a whole funeral, because I freak out at some point and escape. I was told a few days ago that this will be a growth experience and a chance to face my fears. Since I have no choice but to see this whole thing through, and it's important that I be there for my Dad, I'm going to focus on the growth part over the next few days.

I'm taking technology with me (duh, right?)... so I might just be posting from MN. Hope the start of your week is fabulous!!