Really?! It's been 4 years?!

For our 4 year anniversary we went back to where it all began,  Las Vegas!

At Mobile Mini's company Christmas Party this year we won a 2 nights stay at Excalibur Las Vegas and we knew right a way when we wanted to go.  This would be our first trip to Vegas since we were married there on April 4, 2004.  We thought it was fitting we would be returning our 4th anniversary.  The first day we drove up early that morning from Phoenix and arrived about noon.  We borrowed Reed's dad's truck because the bug is a little less reliable every day and we didn't want any surprises. So, we left the bug at Reed's parents house.  When we got there we parked in the self park lot, the king of cheap didn't want to valet the truck.  We hauled our bags clear to a side door of the casino and were immediately accosted by time share people.  The minute Reed heard 'Discount Tickets' and 'Free Money' I knew we were sunk.  Sure enough Reed set up an appointment for us to go on a 3 hour tour the next morning.  Oh FYI the next morning, is April 4th, and for those of you paying attention, that's our anniversary.  What a romantic I married!  Last year it was the water softener guy to get a gift card to Home Depot.  At least he was gone in 20 minutes.  So after our little speed bump we were off to the front desk which, for some reason, you have to travel clear through the casino past all the slot and tables to get to.  After we checked in we wandered around Vegas and ended up at the Planet Hollywood in their mall there and we ate at a little Italian Cafe.  It was kind of funny to see exactly where they had gotten too in the changes from the Aladdin to Planet Hollywood.  All of a sudden it went from modern and marble to middle eastern and stone.  After that we headed back to our hotel for a couple of hours to rest.  We got back to the hotel around 2 and when Reed woke up at 7:30, I was falling asleep.  When I woke up at 10, we commented on how wild, crazy and exciting we were.  Here we were in Vegas and had spent pretty much the entire time sleeping so far!  We woke up the next morning to go on our romantic tour of the time share.  We grabbed some Starbucks and got on the bus with the other suckers.  We kept practicing our straight faces the whole way there and practiced saying NO!  The lady was nice and fun to talk too.  There was no hard sell the whole time we were speaking with her.  After our tour was done and we stated we wanted our free stuff, she dumped us in the hard sell room.  Again, we told them no.  Then we got dumped into the next hard sell room where the lady was obviously livid we hadn't bought and Reed and I kept whispering to one another, 'I hope they let us take the bus back'.  When we got out of there back on the bus, and back to our hotel, we went to the Canal at the Venetian to ride the Gondola, just as we did 4 years ago that day.  Our gondolier was really nice and he sang several songs to us.  He sang an Italian Aria, his favorite Dean Martin song, and the song from Lady and the Tramp.  He was so glad to finally meet people who had been wed in the Venetian and were still so much in love.  He gets asked all the time if people who get married there, stay married.  After the Venetian we headed over the the Paris for the Buffet there.  That is where we had our Wedding lunch.  After that it was back to the room and more napping.  The rest of the trip was less eventful but we did make it to Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay and we rode the Coney Island Coaster at the New York New York.  We had a perfect view of the Coney Island Coaster from our room and would sit there and watch it.  It was a lot of fun.  We had a good time but I am not in a hurry to get back.  It's a dirty city.  I have seen enough hookers pictures to last me a lifetime.  It was kind of funny, there was a street preacher there trying to save souls by shouting biblical phrases and preaching to the crowds.  He had a very large sign telling sinners, whores, gamblers, ect., to repent before the last days and in huge red letters at the bottom of the sign were the words AND MORMONS! I told Reed I have never been so sad I didn't have a book of mormon with me.  :)  

So here is what happens when you leave your car at Garry Goodman's house:

I told Reed it's officially time for a new car when someone feels safe putting bullet hole decals on your car.  I love you Garry!

The runner...

First off, I used this picture because Reed doesn't like it. :)  Today Reed participated in Pat's Run.  It's a race to benefit the Pat Tillman foundation.  For those of you who don't know who Pat Tillman is, he was a football player from California that Graduated from A.S.U. and went on to play pro ball with the Arizona Cardinals.  After 9/11 he gave it all up and joined the Army.  He was killed by friendly fire serving his country.  His family started the Foundation to carry on his legacy of leadership through action. http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/Anyway,  Reed had a lot of fun he finished in a half hour and we will know his official stats later in the week.  There were over 16,000 people there this year.  It's pretty cool, when you run into the stadium they broadcast you on the jumbotron.  I am glad Reed has found a hobby he likes so much!  Next up, The Wiskey Row 10K in Prescott Arizona!

Sunday Walks and Starbucks...

Today Reed and I started a new tradition, Sunday walks and Starbucks.  We took the dogs for a walk along the cannel this morning and as we approced the major road I commented to Reed that if he has his wallet we could go to Starbucks.  It turns out he did have his wallet so we kept walking to the Starbucks and bought us some drinks and pasteries and the doggies a bottle of water.  On the way back home we stopped at Petco to buy the doggies a collapsable water dish and they happily drank an entire water bottle.  We then started the journey home.  We left around 8:30 and got home around 11:00.  The dogs have been sleeping all day long.  It turns out long walks are good bark control.  They have been quiet and sleeping all day.  Reed decided this will become our new sunday tradition, Sunday walks and Starbucks.

I've been bad...

Sorry I haven't posted for a while.  Last weekend Reed traveled to New Orleans for a teaching convention.  He actually managed to make it to two of the classes and the rest of the time was spent seeing the sights and eating crawfish.  While Reed was off stuffing his face, I stayed with his parents in Apache Junction so the dogs and I would't be all alone.  On Saturday we drove down to the Arizona Science Center to see the Titanic Exhibit that I have been begging Reed to take me to since before it even came to town.  I have been fascinated with the Titanic since I was a little girl.  My mother actually let me stay home and watch news coverage when the found the ship.  I still have the National Geographic somewhere with a story on the wreckage.  When you enter the exhibit they give you a card of someone who traveled on that fateful voyage and you have to wait to the end to see if they lived.  I was issued a name of a woman who was a third class passenger so I knew she would be among the dead.  The exhibit was fascinating and I actually learned a lot more than I had known before.  There were a lot of people on that ship that were not scheduled to be.  There was a coal workers strike and to conserve coal they moved passengers from the smaller ships to the larger Titanic.  Oddly enough there was actually a man who was counted among the dead who was shanghaied the night before the voyage.  I am sure he was amazed to learn of what would have been his fate if not for the Shanghai. They had an iceberg replica so you could feel what the water would have felt like.  The stories of the families that we lost or broken by this is haunting.  When I came to the end I learned of the fate or Mrs. John Bourke, not only was she lost but her husband and he entire family that was immigrating from Ireland.  They were park of a larger group of immigrating Irish who hoped to settle in Chicago.  The exhibit was amazing and I would gladly go again.  We then ate at a new restaurant in the Arizona Center and talked about the exhibit.  

While Reed was gone Winston cried constantly which really didn't help me because I missed him enough to cry too.  When I picked him up at the airport a group of women said to me "You must be Kim.  Reed missed you a lot."  It was nice to hear that he missed me too.  He brought me back a photograph of an old street corner in New Orleans and some paintings on old roofing tiles.  It was good to have him home and Winston hasn't left his side since.  

On Thursday night I connected with my old friend whom I hadn't seen in ages, Laney Cheney. Her little family was in town to see her sister and an exhibit on the life of Christ at the Mesa Temple.  I talked her into bringing her family over and staying the night.  We stayed up and talked until 1 am or so.  It was nice to see her and get caught up.  You never realize how much you miss someone until you see them!  We made a big breakfast for them in the morning before the hit the road and I got to spend time with her children.  What a fun little family.  I was so sad I had to go to work.  I was so happy she sacrificed time with her family to come see me and meet Reed.  Well I think I'm caught up for now!

"Oh ya, there was a shooting..."

Yesterday when I went to pick up Reed from parent teacher conferences I told him that the Cellar Only Store (that sells Sofas) and the AM/PM Gas Station were completely taped off and blocked by his school he simply stated "Oh ya, there was a shooting...". He then told me that the school had struggled with the decision of if they should look down or not, they decided against it. OK it's a little messed up he so calmly stated that there was a shooting. It's kind of sad that a shooting didn't evoke more emotion from him. It didn't even hit me until I dropped him off this morning how messed up that was!

The runner...

He wore that silver medal all day Sunday and then wore it to school on Monday too..

I married a runner...

So Reed has a new hobby, running.  It turns out he's good at it too!  Today he did the 5K Character Counts Race in Phoenix for his School, the Cesar E Chavez Community School Bull Dogs.  He placed second in his age and he was in the top 20 overall!  I am so proud of him.  

Winston didn't run, he's just the school mascot!