Mars! Or Vegas...Same Difference!

Ava and I took a trip out to see Curt over Labor Day weekend and we had the best time! Let me start by saying this: Just because there is NO humidity in the air doesn't mean that it "doesn't feel that hot". An oven in an oven people, and 100+ and up is just plain hot. You can't sugar coat it and fool me with your nonsense. I'm not sure what Ava and I would have done if we were out there for the entire 6 months because Curt said a few weeks ago it was around 110-115. We would have been in hibernation, for sure. The car was almost impossible to cool down even with the air conditioner blasting.

I'm happy to say that Ava warmed up to Curt within minutes. I think all those web chats we have really helped keep Dada in Ava's pretty little head. As soon as she saw him, she immediately got bashful and tried to bury her head in the stroller. She then refused to take her eyes off of him as we waited for the baggage and although he was desperate to pick her up, and didn't want to scare her. By the time we got to the car, though, she was climbing him like a tree. Phew! She remembers her Daddy!!! From that moment on I pretty much became a blur in the background and she really only wanted me when it was time to sleep. We have a solid routine down and it's comforting to her when it's time to nap or go to bed for the night to keep things as consistent as possible.

We did some short trips out to see the local sights. We hit up Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, Mt. Charleston, and of course The Strip! I really wanted to see the Grand Canyon but it was just entirely too far of a car ride with the baby. I did see it from about 25,000 feet from my airplane seat, so that was pretty cool. (PS: Las Vegas looks like Mars, don't you think???) Speaking of the airplane, Ava was a great traveler-again! She managed to nap on both flights (direct, thankfully) and while she was awake she provided fellow passengers with some hearty entertainment with her many facial expressions and animated rounds of peek-a-boo. I was blessed with some wonderful and very helpful people sitting all around me that were more than willing to help take care of Ava. On a side note, flying Southwest was without a doubt the best traveling experience I've ever had, especially after my US Air nightmare.

Curt's room in Las Vegas isn't more than a small space with a bed, dresser, desk, a small kitchenette, and a teeny tiny bathroom. Uhhh, not the luxury digs we stayed in on the strip. Half of the lights in the room don't work and it has nothing to do with the actual bulb. The kitchen and bathroom were filled with 70's style orange counter tops and the shower head in the bathroom was eye-level...TO ME! I'm only 5'2'' and it was eye level!!! I think the air force needs to bite the bullet and invest in some small, but much needed, face lifts in these sad little rooms. I'm just sayin'...

On the other hand, my Uncle Mark was actually in Las Vegas the same weekend we were there on a work trip and he set us up in The Palazzo for one night and it was FANTASTIC. I think we need to thank his firm for footing that bill, ha! :) Talk about plush... It was fantastic and the view from our room was amazing. We took Ava to the hotel for our sleepover and it was just a really fun night for our family. We went out to dinner and toured all the hotels that we could get to. Bright lights, Big City is a busy place to explore, no matter what time of day it is. When we were checking out of our hotel the next morning around 8 am there were still loads of people still gambling and running around in the clothes they put on 12 hours earlier. Man, talk about feeling old! :) I'm secretly happy those days are long behind me. No all nighters for this girl... Thanks, anyway!

Curt is hoping Ava and I decide to come out and see him in November and stay with him until he's done in December. He misses us too much and vice versa... We just want his schedule to calm down a bit before we come out and invade his small space once again. So...here's to counting down til we see DaDa again!

As always, I leave with some pictures. All my FB have already seen these...but here ya go again!