Vegas Vacay

Hey my daughter--

I am sitting on a runway in Las Vegas, waiting to taxi to the runway.  Crazy.  They said when we do finally get to the runway we will be twelfth in line to take off.  Holy cow!  This is actually the first glitch I've had on my trip to see Aunt Kirsta.  If you don't count getting strep throat...

Dad took off two days from work to watch the littles so I could come see my sister.  Isn't he the best?!  I left on Thursday morning early early, and everything went smoothly--we even had a rainbow to our left as we landed like a blessing on our trip. We landed early so Aunt Kirsta brought Ivy and Will with her to pick me up and then we dropped them off at school.  She fed me some delish French toast made with French bread that she had made and then we got ready to go to the temple.  The only problem was that I was starting to feel undeniably sick, so we decided to stop on our way and get a rapid strep test at an urgent care.  When it came back positive, she told me she wasn't going to take me to the temple and expose all those old people to strep, so we went to a drug store for medicine and then a taco place for the best tortilla soup I've had in my life.  It was seriously amazing.  It had fresh avocado and Manchego cheese cubed in it and was spiced with a mix that made my taste buds sing.  We went home and took a nap before picking up the kids from school.  I met several of her friends at the pickup and we stopped at a really fun park where we just sat and visited while Ivy and Will played with friends.  I remember being able to do that once, but I'm certainly not there now. It felt luxurious not to have to help people play at the park!  I got to watch Aunt Kirsta help her kids with homework, then we had FFY for dinner and Kirsta, Faith and I watched The Age of Adeline after Ivy was in bed. That Blake Lively is just gorgeous. And the movie was pretty fun too.  Sometimes all you need is a chick flick with girls you love.

Friday I was still pretty sure I was sick, but Advil is my friend, so after we dropped off the kids at school we drove to Boulder City and walked on the trail they made from the old railroad track that brought supplies to build Hoover Dam. It was overcast and beautiful, and the light sprinkles from the morning brought out the smell of creosote that I told Kirsta reminds me of lizards and my childhood.  After that I was ready for lunch and another quick nap.  The lunch was some amazing nachos at Taco Y Taco, and the nap was after a short thrifting stop where we giggled lots and got a couple of puzzles.  The nap was short but helpful. That afternoon we went to the church to help with the primary program practice and pizza party they had for the kids at the church. (Aunt Kirsta is in the Primary presidency now.)  That night we went to a rare book bookstore in the Palazo casino, where a lady in their ward works, and she told us about her job and the books there.  It was fun to drive by the lights of the strip to get there, walk through the wasteland of the gambling, the opulence of their high end shops, and then end up at this really academic library-type experience with some fun middle aged Mormon mommies.

Saturday we did a fun short yoga video together, took Ivy to gymnastics and went grocery shopping at Walmart while she tumbled.  We came home and had a quick lunch (I was pleased to score the leftover tortilla soup) before jumping in the van with everyone to go see Oatman, Arizona.  Oatman was a boom town during the 1920s where they mined gold that helped to fund WWI.  Then it became a ghost town, but people kept staying there, and the wild burros that kept getting fed in the streets there stayed too.  Now it is kind of a tourist trap with an obnoxious herd of burros that demand to be fed.  One of them bit Aunt Kirstas shopping bag open and spilled her stuff on the street.  It was fun to see several babies though.  They sport stickers on their foreheads telling people not to feed them anything.  We also saw one very pregnant burro who was almost as wide as she was long.  Kirsta and I felt sorry for her.  After we left, Bill treated us to dinner at a Hibachi grill in Bullhead City that was delicious and entertaining, and we played with the kids at a park along the edge of the Colorado River that seems to be a congregation spot for the homeless.  All of us took turns hanging upside down by our knees and trying to do pull ups.  (Just us, not the homeless.)  Kirsta and I laughed remembering when you were teaching her to do pull ups when you were a little girl.  "Wiggle up, Aunt Kirsta! Wiggle up!"

Today was Sunday and it was one of the most restful I've had in quite some time.  It is wonderful to be able to take a break from your regular life. Especially on the Sabbath.  They had the primary program, as I mentioned, and it was adorable, of course.  Then it was Aunt Kirsta's day to teach sharing time.  She is amazing.  It was so much fun to watch her just come alive teaching those kids.  She sparkles!  And she has them all in the palm of her hand.  She played a jeopardy type game with them about being a missionary to give the music leader a break, and I got to be her pianist, so I got to face the kids and see their cute faces as they loved all the stuff she had them do.  Ivy got to sing a solo of Search Ponder and Pray for the junior primary.  She has a really sweet and true little voice.  And Kirsta had them do other fun things like dressing as a missionary in Tonga and learning to say the church name in Spanish and trying to eat a new food and smile (jicama) and sewing a button on a shirt while we sang I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.  And primary is just the best place ever to feel the spirit.  This afternoon we went to visit the Machans, who are in Vegas now.  They looked so great! Lindsey had a baby girl a couple of months ago and she still looks great.  And they are hilarious.  And they asked about you.  They still love you. We hurried home to have dinner before I had to leave to catch my flight--salmon. They really spoiled me.  Aunt Kirsta made home made fortune cookies for dessert.  They were about fifty steps up from any fortune cookie I've had before.  And so much fun!

Now I'm about halfway through our flight.  My progress has been in fits because my neighbor has been surprisingly talkative.  It's been fun to hear about his life.  I'm sitting in the middle seat between him and his physical therapist son.  I think they saw a thin woman and wanted someone who wouldn't take up much of their space, because they invited me to sit here.  Yes, I'm flying Southwest.  Gotta love it.

I hope you've had a marvelous week, sweetheart!  I love you so and I love hearing about the things you do.

Xoxoxoxoxo,
Mom