A Whole Lot of Fun

A few cute girls

a cozy closet to curl up in

an extra hour of sleeping in on a school day

a couple of my cute kids 

an almost season pass to an extra resort

a little bit of sunshine

some good family fun

a break from skiing with the little ones

a lunch on the patio and one little sister  who broke her arm

a drastic drop in temperature and a faceless skier

a full blown snow storm just 30 minutes before closing

a good friend 

and a good laugh

a warm restaurant

good company

and a great meal

an empty chair and a few old friends

a cozy corner in a big room

a little massage time

a friendly competition and a close match

                            

a fuse ball master 

a fun day and four families ready for a repeat tomorrow!

The Good Things vol 3

These are a few of the good things that just happened in my little world.

Miss Brynne received the Character Counts award for displaying all of the character pillars at school today. She was Beaming!!

Ordered two chairs for my living room using a couple of the cute fabrics shown above. Can't wait til they arrive!!

We bailed out of work and school to start the weekend a day early! Rented a little place in Tahoe and are going to spend the next two days making good use of all the fresh powder on the slopes!

Spread Some Love

I just read this great article a friend had shared on Facebook. It was written by a woman who in the middle of a personal life changing crisis was comforted by a complete stranger while those who were closest to her kept their distance, not sure what to say or how to respond.  It totally resonated with me.  I have had a few people who have really been there for me when it's felt like my life was burning down. I have had others who I am not particularly close with who have really reached out to me with a message, a card, a phone call or even just a hug. No words no explanations , just saying I'm here and I care.  I cant begin to explain how much these acts of love and kindness meant to me.

I also just finished reading a book called The Aviators Wife about Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  The life that the public saw and her reality were so different from each other.  It was a great read and totally fascinating to me. It reminded me that we never really know what anyone is going through at any given time.  People may choose to share their shiniest pieces of their lives in social media and they may always have a smile on their faces when we see them, but their insides may be broken or hurting.

I think everyone has their "stuff".  Some peoples stuff is on the outside and its easy to see, and others is so well hidden you'd never know there was anything there.  Either way after reading the article tonight and finishing the book today it just makes me want to do better at reaching out and just being more kind to people in general.  It reminded me how grateful I am for the people I have in my life and reminded me that I can always do better, be more.

Lots of thoughts swirling around in my head and I'm having a hard time getting them onto the page, but I think this is the general gist of it. Read the article and then do something, any little thing for someone you know who might just need to know that they are loved.  Good thoughts going into February, the month of love.

Pushing Procrastination

The problem with procrastination is that sometimes when you push things too far out, you might literally end up pushing them. Out of gas in the middle of after school traffic is never a good idea. 

Out on the Town

After  racing at the track in the morning followed by massages at the Bellagio spa we were ready for a night out on the town!

We had dinner at Craft Steaks at the MGM.  And while it was a great steakhouse, the rolls there knocked my socks off.

After diner we had VIP tickets to Nitro Circus!

 Jeff and Jason were sooo excited to be there.

I had no idea though what to expect. 

What I saw, blew my mind and gave me goosbumps!

The stunts these kids were doing on motorbikes, BMX bikes, skateboards, rollerblades and scooters were CRAZY!! 

 At one point I realized that not only was my mouth wide open but my hands were on my cheeks.  I looked kinda like that kid on Home Alone, but I just couldn't get over the stunts!

The second that show was wrapping up we had a car pick us up so that we could race over to our second show of the night!

 We were a little late but were so glad we made it over the the Michael Jackson Cirque show!

 I hadn't been to any of the Cirque d' Soleil shows before and I was in awe of all the imagery and lights and color and the dancing. Wow!

When we finished Tara was anxious to show me more of the strip that I hadn't seen yet.  I really hadn't spent much time there before this. 

We wandered through the canal street shops 

 It was fun to see such amazing replicas of Venice

 I loved how the sky inside was so realistic too.  Such a cool setting for great shopping!

 Eventually we made it back to our hotel where they have completely decked the gardens out to celebrate the Chinese New Year. 

 Apparently this year is the year of the horse 

 By the time we settled in at a table for some dessert, Jason expressed it best by saying we were on a sensory overload. It was so true!

We had the adrenaline rush of the racing, the relaxing of the massage, the exquisite food, the craziness of Nitro Circus and then the dancing and imagery of the Cirque show and then feeling like we wandered through different countries and different time periods as we toured some of the places on the strip. It was unbelievable that we had fit so much into one day, well only sort of since technically it was the  next day at 4 am when we finally called it a night. But oh what a night!

As we left our sweet suite and the hotel for the last time on Sunday, Jason casually said, "Okay so... we'll meet you guys here next weekend!"  Ahhh wouldn't it be nice!

Fast and Furious

Seriously one of the most fun things I've done it a while

 

These bad boys were FAST! 

You know it's serious when they give you racing suits to put on

and then they took it to the next level and gave us the neck braces and helmets.  That's when I knew we weren't at Boomers anymore. This was the real deal!

 We went all out. There were spin outs and a few minor crashes. 

 They gave us our stats at the end of each race and here's how we came out.  However Tara had a better second race after getting a booster seat!

If you find yourself in Las Vegas with a little spare time stop by Fast Lap, it's just off the strip and a dang good time!

A Few More Carefree Hours

Today was jam packed with so much fun, so much relaxing and a complete sensory overload that it's hard to believe it all happened in just one day.   I have pictures to share and stories to tell about today, but I'll save them for tomorrow. Tonight I'm enjoying my last few carefree hours of this trip and then crawling into my bed. I have loved these couple of days with Tara and Jason and will be sad to say our goodbyes.  I always hate the last night of a vacation. Knowing its the last time you'll be in the exact same places with the same people. The trip becomes a just a memory, a moment in the story that is my life.  I often find myself revisiting various trips and remembering how I felt, or things that were said, certain moments. I love these little gems, bright spots in the story of my life. I am grateful that I am able to travel, to play, and enjoy my family and friends in amazing places.  I miss the carefree feeling of vacation when I'm home and back to wearing the various hats that mothers do: taxi driver, chef, maid, bill payer, gardener, dog walker. The list goes on and is long. I don't mind the various hats I wear but I love wearing the mom hat.  I'm ready to see my kids, ready to snuggle my little girl and hug my big boys.  I'm ready to be home to sign the papers, hand out the money, bring the forgotten things, and answer all the questions.  It's amazing the way a couple of responsibility free days can refresh a girl!