Fab Calendar

Why am I looking at other blogs and photos on Christmas Eve? I am procrastinating cleaning and getting the house ready for tonight and company tomorrow.

Before I start scrubbing though, thought I would pass on this GREAT calendar for anyone who is interested in "wall calendars."

View it HERE.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Silent Night.

LOVE This Picture!

I wish this were the Mt. Timp Temple instead of Bountiful . . . then I would for sure purchase the print.

But I do love it so much . . . I might just be tempted enough to get it anyway.

What a great alternative to the "normal" temple picture in everyone's house!

Check out more from Photography by Jess, here .

Dear Santa,

I know it is getting pretty close to the big day and you are probably really busy . . . but I was wondering if I could add something to the top of my wish list?

You see, we have about a foot and a half of snow from our blizzard today . . . and will have another two snow storms before Christmas day so . . .

I'd really like a snowblower.

And maybe a new winter residence in the Bahamas.

(If it isn't too much trouble.)

Thanks!

Survival Guide: Taking The Kids to the School Winter Concert . . . By Yourself

I really hesitated about taking the three of them out the other evening.

I had been to the spring concert last year . . . with Brad and his parents, and still found it a waste of time. (Shhh. Is that just horrible of a parent to say???)

The gym was pretty crowded. And they put the kindergarteners at the very end to ensure that all their parents would stick around with their wiggly toddlers and screaming babies to the end. The very, bitter (I do mean bitter) end.

But, I hadn't been to his "winter concert." Jayden had been practicing his songs so much that Jackson knew them by heart too. Unfortunately, Brad had to work that night, leaving me to go it alone. (Something I'm beginning to get used to.)

So, for anyone else out there who might find themselves in my predicament, here are some tips that I have learned:

1. Make dinner easy.

Whatever the kids want (and will eat) with minimal clean up will do. Why tucker yourself out when you have a long night ahead??

2. Plan to be there early.

Like one hour early . . . if you plan to get out of the door on time. (It seems there is always one child who has to be chased at any step in the "get ready" routine.)

And, if you want to be able to stand at the back of the gym, add an extra hour. For seats, those things that you can rest your bum on, well, you'd better be there three hours early for that!

3. Fill your purse with snacks.

No explanation needed for this one. (Just pretend the goldfish crumbs didn't come from your kids.)

4. Bring some quiet toys/books.

It will buy you at least 10 minutes half way through the performance, when you still have another 20 minutes to wait before your performing child is even on stage.

5. Bring your camera.

Not to take pictures. Well, not of the performance anyway. Even though your "30 minutes early" tardiness made it so that the only spot to stand at was right beside the piano, practically on the stage, there is no elbow room in the packed gym nor is there any sufficient light to make any photo worth while. (Seriously, even at ISO 1600 and trying hard not to breathe and shake the camera, made any shot ridiculous. So did the crazy crowds.)

It is handy to help pass the time before the concert even begins and entertain your preschooler as they try to take photos of you.

6. Bring a stroller.

Hope that your toddler falls asleep on the walk to school and stays asleep in the stroller.

You're probably not that lucky, but at least you have one child bound.

7. Be prepared to be a huge distraction or burn to death in the event of fire.

Since the gym is so completely packed with pushy parents, and you have a stroller, you will never be able to escape out of the gym quickly. Just roll your eyes when the principal advises parents with cranky kids to leave so they don't disrupt the concert.

8. Get to know select neighbours.

You will be spending a lot of time standing beside these people, you might as well use them as a support group. (They are most likely just as miserable waiting for their child to perform.)

But, do be selective. For instance, you do not want to get to know the man seated beside you whom your preschooler felt inspired to pinch on the bum. (Yeah, you really don't want more conversations with that neighbour.)

9. Wear a watch.

It really won't help speed the performance on. Nor will it even tell you how much longer you might have left. (Especially since the teachers have just announced that the show will be paused until all the crazy parents who have seats at the back of the gym will stop charging the stage with cameras.)

But, it gives you something to do other than pay attention to your toddler who is now out of the stroller and ripping decorations off the walls. Or, your preschooler who has found his way (a whole one foot) to the piano and decided to seranade the audiance to his own composition.

10. Be ruthless.

When it is finally over, roll over any one in your way with your stroller. You've been through enough. Get home as quickly as possible and do your best to express just how wonderful the whole experience was. (Make lots of mental notes to help the future concert go easier . . . like planning a family trip out of town.)

Stay tuned . . . video footage to come.

Life In The Bahamas

I have grown up with winter.

I spent almost every freezing day out on ice rinks and hills either sledding or skiing.

But, perhaps I am meant to live in the Bahamas. Or some other tropical climate.

It would certainly explain the uncanny way that all of our winter gear is disappearing as of late.

First, Jayden "lost" his hat.

Next, he ripped his ski jacket. (SO very heartbreaking for me! It's not really repairable, and I really liked it! And, it came with ski pants that are impossible to match any other jacket to.)

Then Avery lost her mitten (among other things). For good, as it seems. (I'm so blue about that one too.)

And finally, Guillermo decided that Jackson's adorable, unique frog hat would be better suited as his chew toy.

Again.

(The first time, he ate part of the tassel. I was mad, but at least it wasn't as noticable.)

Today, as it was laid out to dry, Guillermo seized his moment and munched half of the little red tongue.

I can't decide whenther I should cut the tongue so that it is at least even--or if it will cause it to unravel even more and therefore should just be left jagged.

I wonder, if we lived in the Bahamas, would our sun hats and flip-flops would go missing or get eaten . . . ?

The Weather Outside is Frightful . . .

So naturally, we stayed home from school, running errands, and the gym and played in the blizzard!

Jayden was excited! He went out twice in the morning alone. He couldn't wait for it to be deep enough to require me to shovel the drive way. (I, however, didn't share his sentiments for some reason . . . )

Jackson went out and played for a while, until he was "frozen."

Avery had her first real roll in the snow. At first she refused to walk. (I think maybe she didn't know how to move under all that clothing and wearing something on her feet!) Finally, she got fed up being stuck in one place and tried crawling around . . . until she face planted into the snow and got burned on her face.

Once she got inside and all her clothing was taken off, she was back at the sliding door, wanting to go out again.

After all of our fun, we came in to hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy cane stir sticks.

Now we are watching the blizzard from the inside, where we have our Christmas lights and music on, a fire roaring away, and the prospect of a chocolate fondue for dinner. (Not the healthiest of meals, maybe we'll have to throw in some of my famous fettucine alfredo beforehand to add to the calorie party!)

I Am a Bad Mom

Actually, bad really doesn't describe it as well as horrible.

Today I took the three kids to Costco to get a "few" things and try to beat the turkey rush.

I asked Jackson to go potty before leaving. When we first walked into the store, I asked if he had to go potty.

A good 30 minutes or so went by as we taste-tested samples, made some mental notes of additions to our Christmas gift giving (and receiving) lists.

I was nearing the end of my trip when a cry came out of nowhere:

"I need to pee. I. NEED. TO. PEEEEEE!!"

I knew what the cry meant. I heard the urgency. He had left it to the last minute and ignored all of my earlier instistances.

And here I was, at the farthest corner of the store from the restrooms, with three kids at about the end of their ropes and a heavy cart full of everything BUT dish detergent and a turkey. I knew what a hassle it would be to push the cart to the other end of the store, leave it unattended, try to juggle three kids in the bathroom, while hoping that no one tried to empty my cart for me, and then wheel it all the way back to get the turkey.

"Can I get you a diaper instead? No? Well, you will just have to hold it."

Maybe he could. He's done it before. Once. I think?

I got my detergent and then sat at the turkey freezer for a while trying to find the biggest one for the cheapest price, and then brainstormed with another customer about just how many pounds are in a kilogram.

Then, a high pitched shierk was heard.

From my cart.

And just then I realized that I had taken quite a bit of time. Probably too much.

I just realized that I hadn't heard any complaints about potty needs or what not for a while.

I realized that I had a poor little boy, sitting in my cart with soaked jeans.

And that since I had kids in the cart, my groceries were all on the shelf below the cart.

Fab-u-lous.

Feeling absolutely horrible, I grabbed any old turkey and ran to the check out with a sobbing boy. I hoped that no one noticed the tell tale signs down his legs.

As we loaded the van, a voice reminded me of my failure:

"Mom, you know why I peed my pants? Because you wouldn't take me to the bathroom."

No, not even horrible is the right word. Truly, I am dispicable.

Survival Guide: How To Take Three Kids Christmas Shopping at the Mall . . . By Yourself

1. Hit your head with a frying pan.

Preferably before getting your kids ready to leave. It's amazing how much more enjoyable reminding your kids to get their boots on a million times in a row can be when your head has been numbed by ringing metal.

2. Bring food.

Lots of food. But nothing too messy (it saves you from having red, sticky, sugary residue on that white sweater you bought for mom).

3. Bind as many kids as possible.

For me, I usually just bring my double stroller and buckle in the two youngest. But there are "kid leashes" and straight jackets available online.

4. Bribery works wonders.

Bribe them with the idea of visiting a fun store . . . like Pottery Barn Kids, a fun Hair Cut Place, a stop to get muffins, or a visit with Santa. Or, bribe them with all of those ideas. ;)

5. Make a plan.

Be sure to have a detailed plan of exactly which stores you are visiting and perhaps look at the map to find the most efficient way to travel through the crowds.

6. Space the bribes out.

Make sure you have a reward after every 2-3 stops.

7. Practice your face of disgust.

Ideally, this should be done at least a few days prior to the trip to ensure that it is realistic. It comes in very handy for the times when your child (heaven forbid) should start climbing on the store furniture, crawling under the clothing racks--or worse, under the dressing room doors, or (and I shudder) when a child who is in your care should happen to knock over a manican.

Creating your face of disgust leads others to believe that it just can't possibly be your child because your are so much better than that.

8. Use tracking devices.

Place these on your children before leaving your house so that you can find them faster when they disappear while you are paying for merchandise or turning your back for a second. If you can't find or afford any, a very loud, shrill voice calling the child's name will do. Just bring some cough drops and water to repair your throat. (You are bound to do this a lot.) It may also be helpful to make a mental note of the nearest security office to find lost children.

9. Use your child's crying to your advantage.

If one (or all) of your children begin to scream as you stand in line for the cashier, maintain an annoyed look on your face at the lengthly time it is taking. It doesn't always guarantee results, but every so often someone is sympathetic and will either hurry up, or allow you to go first.

10. Be easy on yourself.

When you have returned home and tucked each child snuggly into bed, don't feel bad that you didn't complete your entire list of things to do/buy. Let's face it, just getting three kids into a car in the winter time is cause enough for a grand award. Reward yourself with a relaxing bath and try again another time.

Or, try to get your husband to take the kids the next time. ;)

Lost

One pink, striped mitten.

Belonging to a compulsive undresser. (Because, really, minus 15 is way too hot to be wearing constrictive clothing like socks, shoes, and even mittens.)

Lost somewhere on the way home from school.

Actually, both mittens were lost, but one was accidentally found when mom raced over it with her van on her way home from preschool.

* * * * * * *

I should have known better than to have put off putting the mittens on strings. I should have known better to buy two sets of matching hat/mitten sets.

And now I am going crazy retracing steps, poking at garbage on the sidewalks, and calling every Gap to find a replacement.

Because, really, they are just too cute.

Merry Christmas!

Wish List

It seems as though my wish list just keeps growing, and growing, and growing.



But with stores like WS to bring forth so many oh-so-very cool (but equally ridiculous) appliances, I can't help it. Take for instance, this:

see here for details


I really don't have any counter space for it. Or cupboard space for that matter. But doesn't it look so awesome for when you need that perfect cup of hot chocolate? (At least in my house, we could use this every day, if I would let them drink hot cocoa every day that is!)



I could store this right next to my (wish listed) griddler, brick oven counter oven, belgian waffle maker, filled pancake press . . . and countless other amazing electrics!

What's on your wish list?

I Had a Dream . . .

The dream was to have a beautiful Christmas tree, well lit, and to have the kids all helping out merrily while we listened to Christmas music. Afterwards, we would sip hot chocolate while singing carols in the glow of the fireplace and tree lights.

The reality, however, was a little different.

We were late getting our tree up this year. (Most years, my tree is up the day after Halloween . . . or at the very latest, the last week of November.) I sent Brad out on one of his few hours of "relaxation" that he has during a week to find us a beautiful (but cheap) real tree.

Naturally, you cannot see what a tree looks like when it is all bundled up, so we have suffered some pretty horrible looking trees in the past.

This year was no exception. Ours is missing the middle of the tree. I'm not sure where it went, but it is gone. (I am thinking of driving over to my mother in law's and cutting some pine branches to graft in. Either that, or buying some large and long ornaments to fill in the void.)

But as I started stringing the lights I soon realized that we were short about 4 strands. We took a break to search through our endless boxes in the basement, but had no luck. So, out we sent Brad again to fetch some lights . . . oh, and some ornament wires and fake snow.

An hour or so later, he came home. We were still one strand short, but decided to make due.

The boys were just going crazy having already waited all day to start decorating the tree. We went ahead, trying to teach them to be careful with the ornaments and --"Oh, don't step on them!!" "No! Stop putting pipe cleaners and dog treats on as decorations!" The kids actually did pretty well, but the parents (er, mother) were a bit of a stress case.

Is it horrible to be yelling at your kids while you are "peacefully" decorating the tree?

Needless to say that after the tree session and a quick make-shift dinner, we sent them to bed so I could clean up the boxes and needles all over the house.

Certainly not a moment I would like recorded forever. So next year I will have to do better. Much better.

I think it did turn out pretty well though, even if the production was a little bumpy. And the tree is still missing the middle part.

For certain though, our living room/studio is really cozy and peaceful now.

At least Brad and I enjoyed the peace in the room afterwards.

And the kids are excited about the presents that have already appeared underneath.

Here is a detail shot of my desk. The last one fell apart after 10 years of being nailed together and moved constantly. We are very happy with this new one though. We love the clean, elegant lines of it.

Titanic Savings

Has anyone been to the mall lately?

(Or am I just one of the last few to do Christmas shopping?)

At first, it feels GREAT. All the sales! Like 50-75% off! On current season items!! It's unbelievable.

It makes me feel like I am on top of the world, being able to stay under budget so well.

Until, of course, I remember the reason it's all on sale. (The near-depression-like economy.)

Every so often, the luxury party seems to break away, and glimpses into reality and the fact that things aren't as grand as they seem begin to seep through.

Like news reports of more companies going under and jobs lost; stores that will be closing after Christmas or have already closed. (Like Gap maternity! I tried to buy a gift card there for my sister in law and every store in the country had closed about 6 months ago.) And of course, the crowds part a bit to show a ragged mother with two kids in tow, visiting Santa, I assume. Their coats were obviously hand me downs, being the wrong colour for the gender . . . and they were well worn and ragged at that. And their boots, even though it has been minus 10 here for weeks, they were still wearing old black rubber boots on their feet.

I wanted so badly to help them out, any way I could. But, sadly I didn't. What do you say, "Here, have $20 and have a Merry Christmas?" Maybe.

And then I look at my three kids, all decked out in warm coats, boots and mits that they seldom even care to wear or keep on.

How did we get so lucky.

And how long will we be so lucky?

I almost feel like the uppercrust on the Titanic. Partying away, living the high life with only a small sinking feeling that something is wrong . . .

Meanwhile, the Titanic is already half submerged.

In Case You Are a Cleaning Genius . . .

who is stalking my blog . . .

Do you know an effective, non-destructive way to get mashed silly putty out of couch upholstery or pillow??

No real reason for asking. It's of course all hypothetical. ;)

If You Are Ever In Austrailia . . .

and need a photographer,



you might want to give this fabulous artist a call:

http://mikeandsals.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

I love the photos she took from her recent vacation. It makes me want to go back there myself!

Blast Off!

Over the last few days, Jackson was having . . . (how can I say it politely?) . . . flatulance issues.

I'm talking, machine gunish flatulance.

So it was no surprise that at the dinner table today, the guns went off.

However, what was surprising was his reaction.

No, "Excuse me!" or "What was that??" or "Ooops!". Instead a little voice chirped,

"I have a blast in my bum."

"A what??" I asked. (At first I thought he said he had a mess in his bum, dreading what that would mean for me as the clean up committee.)

"A blast. My bum is blasting me off to space!"

Well, that's one way to look at it.

National Geographic

National Geographic has its 2008 photo winners announced.

Take a peek:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/photo-contest/2008-winners

My favourites are the Vietnamese girl and the Paris subway. (Wished I had come up with something like that!)

Shhh!

So I took Jackson and Avery out to purchase a Christmas present for Jayden.

We searched the racks at Wal-Mart for something special that was meant for Jayden, and not something for Jackson. (This was much harder than it sounds because virtually everything was a perfect present for Jackson.)

We finally stumbled across the Monopoly Town game that Jayden has been talking about lately and decided to purchase that one.

As we were getting into the van, I reminded Jackson about how the whole present shopping/gift exchange goes.

"We buy a special gift for someone and then we don't tell them what it is so that it is a surprise for Christmas morning. Do you understand?"

(Nodding head.)

I hope that worked, I thought as I drove off to pick up Jayden from school.

The first thing that Jackson said as we entered into the house, in front of Jayden, "We bought you Monopoly Town! Mom, where is it? Where's Monopoly Town?"

Thinking fast, I answered, "Oh, we didn't end up buying it. It is at the store. We just looked at it."

"No we didn't. We bought it for Jayden. Jayden, you like Monopoly Town?"

Hmmm. I guess we need to work at this secret-keeping game a little harder.

Three Ring Circus

So, was it me who made fun of the spectacle that was the American Election and the lack of worthy candidates?

Because now we have our own three ring circus going on in Canada that rivals (if not exceeds) the ridiculous antics of the US Election.

For those of you in the dark, check out:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/12/02/gg-return.html
as a starting place.

This is all happening a mere 6 weeks after an election. Many Canadians are wondering why we even have an election if the runner's up become unsatisfied with the results that they try to topple the government so they can run it.

Clearly, the majority of Canadians didn't care to put any of the three clowns, er, runner's up, in charge . . . so why do they think they can take control of the country?

It's a total mess.

Democracy for you!

Expectations

We all have expectations at one time or another in our lives.

Holidays just seem to bring out the highest ones.

Especially Santa.

I remember when the boys were 3 and 1 and I was so excited to take them to the mall so they could meet Santa and have that special experience.

Warm images of my sweet boys sitting atop of a kind, loving Santa filled my mind. They were laughing, smiling, and enjoying every minute of it while telling Santa about all their hearts' desires.

Unfortunately, reality failed to meet my expectation. A crusty old Santa sat in a chair, waiting for the next kids in line to shuffle through while a disenchanted elf pressed a shutter on a pre-set up camera.

It was my boys' turn and neither Santa or the elf took the time to help them feel comfortable with this strange bearded fellow. It was so bad that I (not appearing camera ready) had to be forced into the photo to hold Jackson.

"$15 please."

You have got to be kidding me!

It was so traumatizing that we failed to go last year.

But this year was going to be different.

Another mall had a sign up for the "Santa Experience." Something that was so popular that when the tickets went on sale the first day, there was a 40 minute line up half an hour before the mall opened.

Crazy parents! What is so special about that, I wondered.

A few weeks later I was passing the booth again and thought I'd ask what it was all about.

For $5 a child, each kid could go an have a group session with Santa for 30 minutes. They would sing, dance, make magic, and read stories. And then each child would have a few minutes of one-on-one time with Santa and you could take the photo.

It didn't take much convincing for me to sign my three kids up.

The big event proved to be fabulous. The Santa was warm, friendly even, and cared about the kids he was interacting with.

The kids sat on the big red carpet awaiting the man in red. They rang their bells to help wake him up from his nap in the cottage that was in the plaza.

Avery, was a little scared when he finally came out. So scared, in fact, that she had to change seats to what was probably one of the best seats in the house.

The kids had a ball! They sang songs like Jingle Bells and Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. They read books like Frosty the Snowman.

Santa even did a magic trick or two.

And then they all stood up to do the Reindeer Pokey. (They really got a kick out of putting their "antlers" and "tails" in.)

At last it was the one-on-one time. And the big expectation for parents.

The photoshoot.

Everyone wants that fabulous photoshoot with their kid and Santa.

But few can actually get it.

In spite of my big expectations, and Santa's help to try and make the kids cooperative, I fell pretty short on delivering.

Looking at the long line behind me, I thought sending each of my kids up one at a time would be too time consuming. So, I tried to achieve the virtually impossible.

And failed. Miserably.

I should have let them go up alone. (Holding a dSLR in one hand while a toddler wrestled in the other to get away didn't make for fabulous photography.) At the very least, I should have walked to the back of the line and tried each of my kids again, individually.

But, as Brad reminded me in the car ride home, it isn't the photo of Santa that the kids will remember, but the fun time that they had.

True. But I will remember the photo.

Super Mom

Today I deserved the title of Super Mom.

Truly, I did.

In the 2.5 hrs that I had between dropping Jayden off at school and then picking him up, I went to the gym, stayed for the entire cycling class, and went grocery shopping with two kids--picking up a very long list of groceries, mind you.

It wasn't easy. No way.

There were so many moments where I wanted to cut my workout short. But I didn't.

And then when I saw that I only had 1.5 hrs left to get to the grocery store, do all my shopping, AND drive to the school . . . I still went ahead and did it.

Our cupboards had been bare for a while, so it was one of those trips. The ones where you walk in and pretty much pull everything off every shelf and push a very heavy cart around the store.

Towards the end of my list, I found that it was 11:25 . . . and I had to pick Jayden up at 11:40. I still had to get through the check out, load my groceries into my cart, then into my car, and drive for 20 minutes to his school.

Yikes.

I flung all the groceries up on the belt like some kind of mad woman. Things were flying everywhere! What a sight.

As she rang the groceries through, I was bagging them like crazy. In fact, some items didn't even make it into bags, they just went in the cart . . . other times, a random, empty bag ended up in the cart.

Surprisingly, the cashier didn't help. Either she didn't see my urgency, or didn't want to get hurt by the flying groceries. I was rather annoyed when, as I signed my name to the receit, she said, "Have a nice day," and turned to the next customer . . . who was too busy reading tabloids to notice that the belt was empty, waiting for her groceries.

But I was late. Very late.

So I pushed the heavy cart as quickly as I could to the exit, only to be stopped, a mere two feet from the door by an elderly lady with a cart taking up the whole middle part of the door. Stalled. No room on either side of her.

"Excuse me," I said loudly.

No response.

Are you serious?? I thought!

Finally, after some time she moved out of the way and we were free to find our car.

Loading groceries into the car was another spectacal. I'd grab two or three bags at a time and fling them in. Several of the bags ended up ripping and spilling apples, grapes, and cans all over the parking lot. I would hurry and pick them up. The bottles of water I had purchased and tried to carry into the car ripped apart and rolled away. Then I grabbed a box of clemintines, and wouldn't you know the wooden box BROKE. Oranges all over the ground!

You've got to be kidding me! Why am I meeting opposition at every point just trying to get to school?!

Once in the car, I hit a red light at every stop light I came to. I did my best at obeying all the traffic signs . . . even the "Do Not Enter" one at the school that would have gotten me into the parking lot faster. Well, every traffic sign except the speed limit. (How else can you explain the fact that I did a 20 minute drive in 10 minutes, while hitting every red light??)

And I made it there only 4 minutes late, with Jayden being kept company by 5 other kids still waiting for their moms.

Super Mom. Most definitely.

(Of course, when I got home and checked myself out in the mirror I realized that Super Moms are not always attractive moms. It seems that in my haste, I forgot to clean up a bit after my cycling class and had hair sticking out in every which direction. No wonder no one wanted to help me. I must have looked like a lunetic!)

The City That Never Sleeps

Oh, la belle Paris! Again . . .
But this time, it was in Vegas, not Europe. However, the hotel and casino is truly one of my favourites on the strip. They did a great job incorporating all the beauty of Paris and France into one giant hotel.
We enjoyed a delicious dinner out on the patio of one of the Paris' famed restaurants, Mon Ami Gabi. We ordered the filet mignon, baguettes, and bananas foster . . . magnifique!

And the view?? Right across from the Bellagio and the dancing fountains. It was perfect.

But what else did we do in five days of kid-free time in Vegas? Well, we certainly didn't waste any time sleeping! (Not even in the morning, unfortunately, our internal alarm clocks were set to Eastern Kid Waking Time so we were wide awake at 5am every day.)

Now, having lived in Henderson and basically "honeymooned" on the strip, and lived close while in Utah to have visited regularly . . . we are somewhat celebrities here. We get amazing deals on hotels (anyone stayed at the Bellagio for free?) and this trip was no different.

As we came off the plane we were greeted warmly by the paps.


They were all wondering how we got such a steal on our hotel package from the Venetian. We were fortunate enough to stay in the Venezia Tower (an exquisite and romantic smaller hotel of the Venetian) AND get a several hundreds of dollars in spa credit that forced us to spend hours in a world class spa every day.

Oh, it was just so hard.

But don't cry too much for us, we made it through all right with a manicure, pedicure, brow waxing, and facial . . . and a hair cut for Brad.

In the package we also got $20 off three meals at our favourite restaurant, Le Bouchon, and a few handfuls of spa passes.


Walking the breathtaking hallways every day was fabulous. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was to have bought tickets to see Phantom (since they were blaring the soundtrack throughout the hallways every day). Instead, we went to Brad's favourite musical, Mama Mia. It was all right, but much more "Vegas-ized" than the Broadway version. (Far more pelvic thrusts than what we remembered from the version we saw on Broadway.)

We met up with some of our old friends. Gosh, there were a lot.


Cam asked me to come on set of the sequel to "What Happens in Vegas" and begged me to make a cameo in the film.


While I gabbed away, Brad had a busy day. First stop was to give Agassi a free coaching session (he's been a little off his game since retirement), a little stress-relief on the b-ball court with Jordan (he won, but only because of a serious height advantage), and then a friendly game of golf with the Tiger himself.

Since it was opening weekend of 007, we thought we'd make an appearance on the red carpet, not to see the movie (just too little time) but to rub shoulders with the other celebrities. It's amazing who came out of the woodwork!


Angelina had the weekend off from Brad (Pitt, that is) and the kids.

And there were a few surprising stars that I thought had died . . . but clearly, they staged their deaths to enjoy the life of luxury in Vegas!


For my mom, I got a photo with Robert Schuller. I spent many Sundays listening to his sermons.


Brad got to meet his idol, Diana. (She is doing REALLY well since the accident, by the way.)


And who could go to Vegas without paying tribute to "The King" himself? He still roams the streets.

After the carpet walk, we took in some more "touristy" Vegas attractions:



Gambling with Ben. He is pretty much a Vegas fixture these days. His poker buddy, Matt, was a little busy to join in. It seems as though he is researching the part of a restaurant waiter in a restaurant around the corner from our house. (No joke! We saw him last Saturday. He looks great!)


George was in town, working on Oceans 14. On his night off he wanted to do something "spontaneous", so we got hitched! (With Brad's permission, of course! He was our photographer!) We did get the marriage annuled the next day though. I just love Brad too much.

In our "spare" time, we thought we'd do some "once in a lifetime" things.


I, for one, auditioned for the 2009 season of American Idol. I think it is very safe to say that I will most definitely not be on the show. Ryan had nothing but praises for me, but Simon is one tough critic! He said I sounded as though I should be on a cruise ship! (Truly, I think that would be great--singing while sailing the Carribean and sunbathing on islands during the days.)


And then I tried to replace the American Flag on the moon with a Canadian one, but wouldn't you know, Neil was right! He wedged it in pretty well. It would not budge.

Things were not all fun and game though. The recession has hit Vegas really hard.

Hotels were going empty. The streets were nearly cleared of tourists, buffet lines were nonexistant, and new hotel construction had been stopped half way.

In fact, spirits were really low in the cab drivers, hotel staff and the store clerks in the mall. (By the way, sales were abundant--which worked in my favour, not so much Brad's.)


President Bush made an appearance to speak to the Vegans. I'm not sure if Brad had taken pity on the Old President or if he was just in the groove of over tipping everyone he met, but he subtly slipped some extra cash over to W's way.

Truly though, we really didn't do a whole lot but spa, shop, and attend a conference. And we spa'd hard! The Canyon Ranch Spa had: a suana, steam room, hot tub, herbal laconium (herbal steam/suana), igloo room (get doused in cold water), rain forest experience (three buttons with three different settings of lights, water temp and pressures, and sounds: cool mist, tropical rain, Carribean storm), heated lounge chairs, napping coccoons (heaven, for sure!), a solarium, a wave room (recline in leather arm chairs while listening to waves lap and watching waves on the ceiling), and a salt grotto (sit in the most comfortable stone recliners, listening to water falls in a warm, toasty environment while spritzes of salt float down).

The deals in the mall were fabulous. The Nordstrom half yearly sale did not disappoint, neither did Macy's triple sales (how can they have three cummulative sales on sale merchandise??), and friends and family discounts ontop of sale merchandise at other stores.

We did start the trip at our favourite Provo restaurant chain that we were so excited had come to Vegas.

Cafe Rio.


I ordered a chicken enchilada . . . and a chicken burrito, enchilada style. A chocolate cheese flan finished off the meal for dessert.

Brad got a steak salad and chips and salsa.


But we also ended it at Cafe Rio too. With basically the same menu, only added a tres leches cake for dessert.

The people in the restaurant must have thought I was a total nut, offering ordering advice to newcomers and taking photographs of the place and food.

But seriously, if they no longer had a Cafe Rio up the road from them but had to travel 2000 miles to get to one, they would take photos too!

We traveled to Vegas two years ago with the two boys. It was a crazy trip, having traveled to Calgary for Christmas, then to Provo (to eat at Cafe Rio), and on to Vegas. Between all the different climates we were traveling to and Christmas presents, car seats, strollers, etc. . . . we had a TON of luggage. (In fact, we even shipped two LARGE boxes home while in Calgary, but still were horribly embarrassed when anyone took our stuff off a shuttle and made a massive pile on the side of the road.)

This trip, we really tried to travel light. And we did begin the trip light.

But something happened during the five days. I'm not sure, but I think it might have been my fault. We had to fill our half-full bags and purchase another duffel bag.


Needless to say, people still stared at us and wondered how just two people could need so much luggage to a few days in Vegas.

It was a great time though. Thanks to our sitter for watching our kids all that time!