During some tournament downtime, Autumn made a red velvet cake.
During nap times we started playing the game Brandon bought me for Valentines Day, Final Fantasy XIV.
I'm fully aware 90% of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, but in my world, this is one of about 3 versions of a perfect weekend. This is the "nerds only" version, where everyone gets to be a kid for 48 hours. Meals aren't really planned, we actually stop to get enough soda for a weekend (normally not found in our house in any great quantity) and no makeup, pigtails and comfy sweats rule.
There are no schedules, no bedtimes, no wake up calls, no projects.
As a rule, both Brandon and I prefer to stay home. We love to do this nerd thing, but also to paint or sew or garden or read or order in all weekend with a great bottle of wine while we avoid outside commitments. It's tough to get us out of the house.
But sometimes we do get out and...oh I don't know...do something like...go to Vegas.
::
Vegas. I have been there many times. First as a fairly young child of about 5 I guess. Since then, I honestly can't tell you how many times I've been there, simply because many were when I was so young, the trips are kind of crammed together in my head. It's a mashup up of Circus Circus, red carpets and lots of mirrors. Sparkly gold gilded smoke filled rooms and shows.
One spring break in college stands out. I went with my best friend. One of the best trips of my life, so much laughing. It was on that trip that my mom and I transitioned from mother/daughter to our brand of mother/daughter/friendship. I think we all have a period of time or moment when we look at our parents and see real adult human beings, rather than our perfect or imperfect mom and dad. We start to cut them some slack and understand that they are just regular schmoes like us. It was on this trip that I looked up and saw my in my mom a person, a woman independent of the nurturer who raised me. It was a good trip and a different Vegas experience.
A couple of trips up when I lived in Phoenix, but was too poor to do anything but people watch, which is really the best use of one's time in Vegas.
And now again on a business trip, which meant yet another version of Vegas. Early morning seminars and speakers. Suits + heels = blisters from running from one venue to the next. Business cards, names to remember, happy hours to have just enough to be charming, not enough to be loud. Oh the balancing act, it was exhausting.
I brought my baby girls to see the bright lights, glitz and glamor. The spectacle of entire regions of the world confined to several city blocks. To see shows on such grand scales it boggles the mind and some on such a small cheesy scale you can only say "that's Vegas baby".
We stayed at Caesars Palace, the same place the guys from The Hangover stayed. This was huge for the girls. Autumn got to stand in front of the Bellagio at midnight and watch the same water show they watched after the big heist in Ocean's 11. I don't remember if I had a Vegas movie memory the first time I went, but it absolutely came up again and again with my kids, a product of our nerd movie weekends I'm sure.
Every morning Autumn and I would wake up around 4 am and fight to get back to sleep. After it was clear we were not transitioning to the new timezone, we'd watch the sunrise. Every single morning I sat on the floor with my oldest baby girl, coffee in hand, in front of the giant window facing the strip...watching the sun come up over a city that ignores the night.
And every morning Autumn would say "hey Mom. We're in Vegas."
What will stick with me about this trip, is seeing my girls actually have some fun together. We are smack in the middle of teenage/tween/puberty/bratty little sister/mean big sister years. They almost never laugh together and cannot be in the same space together without bickering about absolutely everything. They appear to be used to it, or feel like this is all normal. But I hate it, I hate them being unkind to each other and refuse to give up the fight for civility in my home.
This didn't stop on this trip, but be still my heart...they actually had some fun together.
I learned that most places in Vegas do not want you snapping photos inside. And I barely had time to do any touristy photography anyway. But when I look at all the pictures of the trip I'm so thankful I got these.
Apparently 65 degrees is too cold for swimming in Nevada. Wimps.
But pools make fantastic natural light photos studios:)
As always, you can see more shots of daily life at my other little blog project Wings for Maria .
6 days in Vegas is a long time. On the second day my mom got deathly ill, on the fourth my dad. I desparately missed my boys. It was difficult to balance being where I should have been for work and networking and being where I wanted to be... taking care of my mom, spending warm, sunny afternoons with my girls or even feeling like I should never have gone at all, leaving Brandon home with the baby for so long.
It wasn't like running around Circus Circus with a bag of quarters.
It sure wasn't like spring break in college.
Even with the hiccups, it was better. I was there as a professional in a role I can be proud of. I was there as a daughter in awe of what her parents have accomplished. I was there as a mother wanting to show her growing daughters yet another glorious take on how to live your one wild and precious life.
It was a good 6 days in Vegas and this was a good nerd weekend at home.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
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