Driving me crazy

I'm not sure when I became a country bumpkin, but I'm guessing it came on gradually after spending a few years in Rocky Mountain House and now living in an even tinier town, but we definitely have become hicks. For example, in the Las Vegas airport, alone, we had several experiences my kids have never had (not to mention the actual plane ride). Preston had his first ever ride on an escalator and he was completely enthralled. We also rode on a tram to the baggage claim area which was the first time any of them had travelled on anything like a train. Then, we took a bus over to the rental car centre, and it turns out my kids' only previous experience ever on a bus was a school bus.
Anyway, in Las Vegas, I rented a car and it was an unbelievably terrifying experience for me. Because I wanted to give the kids a few experiences in the city, I drove all over town. I made quite a few wrong turns and then had to correct them. Traffic was heavy and I had to change lots of lanes and find exits and all the stuff that is boring daily routine for people who live in cities. But I was terrified. I've never been so relieved as when I handed back the keys to that rental car which I had managed to return on time and without crashing!
My biggest car mishap on the trip wasn't even in Las Vegas. We flew from Kalispell and to get there from here you have to drive through a canyon in the mountains for over an hour. On the way to Kalispell, the roads were wet and slushy as it had recently snowed, but was relatively warm. I used a lot of washer fluid on the way and I was sure that I would need to refill the washer fluid if Iwanted to make it back home. So, I went to the first gas station after leaving Michelle's and bought washer fluid and filled the tank. Then I noticed that it wasn't actually the washer fluid tank that I had filled--it was the coolant tank! After a few moments of severe panic, I recovered my senses, went back into the store and bought coolant. Then I drove back to Michelle's and we mostly emptied the tank by syringe and then added the coolant. In the meantime, Michelle called her dad, her brother (who in turn called half of Cardston) trying to get advice to see what we needed to do. It turns out that my mistake will probably not wreck the car afterall! And, since most of Cardston and all of the family know my stupidity, I thought I'd publish it for your enjoyment too!

Soaking in the sun in Las Vegas

One of my favorite things about going to Las Vegas was spending time in the sun. Apart from the first day, which was a little cool, we had beautiful sunny weather. Joe and Haylee live in a great development which has several artificial lakes. These pictures were taken one day when I went with my parents and the kids for a walk where we went to three of these lakes. The kids loved the ducks and searched in vain for turtles, which apparently live in a different part of the lakes. I also got to go for 2 runs while there, one around the neighbourhood and one on a path through a wash to a nice park where we played with the kids.

I want to thank Joe and especially Haylee for their hospitality to us on our trip. We had very comfortable sleeping arrangements and Haylee helped me with directions to find our various outing locations. She also cooked nutritious meals which I greatly enjoyed, and watched the kids while I ran and took Alyssa shopping for Sunday clothes. The whole trip was extremely pleasant on many levels and highly therapeutic to a winter-worn little family like ours.

Las Vegas Photo Shoot

Preston at the lake

Sara (Joe and Haylee's daughter)

Alyssa

Austin with his grandpa Prete

Grandpa Prete with Sara and her sister Hannah (age 3)

Las Vegas, Pt. 2

In Las Vegas, we spent every morning with Haylee and the kids. I loved going for walks and runs in the nice weather and very pleasant neighborhood. Each afternoon I took the kids to some kind of kids attraction. On Thursday we went with my mom to the Lied Children's museum. The first floor has interactive exhibits that cater to the preschool crowd and upstairs they have some amazing interactive science exhibits, including a booth that creates hurricane force winds, a lifesize camera, an exhibit where you pedal to create a bolt of electricity, a virtual reality video game centre, and much more. We had a great time there, as you can see.

Trip to Las Vegas, Part 1

I took Alyssa, Austin and Preston to Las Vegas during the Family Day/Presidents Day week which we had off school. We got a great deal on flights with Allegiant Air and left Rob and Mark behind, since Rob had to work a couple of days and Mark doesn't travel well. We stayed with Joe and Haylee and enjoyed a visit from my parents who were there for two days during our trip. These pictures are from the park at Town Square. The kids had a great time playing in the hedge maze, on the stage, in the play houses, tree house, merry-go-round, etc. For me, it was a warm afternoon in the sunshine which was exactly the therapy I needed.