Thursday, February 1st:
After I picked Josh up from the airport we went home so I could finish packing for my trip to Vegas. We then got Theo from school and took him to OT. The original plan was for Josh and Theo to take me to the airport at 5:30 PM for my 8:30 PM flight. Right as we were about to leave I got a message from Southwest. My flight was delayed 90 minutes! UGH! We decided I should just drive myself to the airport just in case my flight gets cancelled and I need to come home or stay at a hotel. That way Josh and Theo don't have to come back for me. I decided to head to the airport at my regular flight time just incase the plane decided to take off on time.
I got some dinner, walked around the airport, and then went to the gate to read my book. At 8:27 PM I got a text saying the flight was going to take off at 8:45 PM! There was a bit of a scramble as people came running to the gate. The gate attendant got on the loud speaker and told us that they have a plane and a pilot and they were just waiting on paperwork! YAY!
We ended up taking off at 9:00 PM (just 25 minutes late) and landing at 10:55 PM (just 15 minutes late)! I got my luggage and then headed outside to get in line for the shuttle to the rental car hub. That is the worst thing about the Vegas airport, ALL of the car rentals are "off property" so you have to take a shuttle. I waited 32 minutes in line before I was able to get on the shuttle. The hub was insane. There were people everywhere and the lines were LONG! Luckily, I had booked with Hertz and I was a Gold Member, so I could bypass the line and head straight to the garage. Once I was in the garage I found my name on the list and it told me I could pick any car from the "Gold Area." I found an adorable Mini Cooper, but it had a smoky smell and I didn't want to deal with that. I settled on a Chevy Malibu with CA plates 🙂
[Gotta document the dents!]
I made it to my Airbnb at 12:40 AM (which is 2:40 AM back home). Good thing I took a nap on the plane! My Airbnb was cute, small, and perfect for me. My only complaint is the bed is a little hard, but that wasn't a huge deal.
I texted everyone to let them know I made it safely, unpacked my bag, and crashed!
Friday, February 2nd:
I slept in a bit and then called Katey to see what the plan was that day. I met up with her and Avery and we went to get donuts for breakfast.
I've seen Avery a lot on Marco Polo, but I had never met her! She's soooo stinkin' cute and very sweet!
At lunchtime we went to Emily's work (it was her last day!) and she showed us around the office. We then headed to Cafe Rio 😋 It was so fun to catch up with Emily and Katey in person!
Katey then took me and Avery to her office. She showed me the picture collage tribute to Kenny and his office. It's only been two months since he passed and his office is exactly how it was before he went to the hospital.
We then picked up Scott and Jack from school. They were so excited to show me Hogwarts Legacy (I've beaten it twice) and to talk to me about Harry Potter!
[Avery, Jack, and Scott]
That night Katey took the boys to a dance at the school. Once Emily got off of work I went to hang out with her and the kids and we got In-n-Out for dinner!
I got the girls these adorable Minnie Mouse Sequin backpacks and I brought Easton a Darth Vader lightsaber. I also brought my custom lightsaber, so Easton could see it. They are going to Disneyland in a few weeks and Emily has been talking about taking Easton to get a custom lightsaber! I think they should do it! And the girls will look so cute walking around the park in their matching backpacks!
The next morning we all headed to the park to watch Emily's kids play sports. First up was Easton and his flag football game. When Easton first saw my poster he was a little embarrassed, but then he scored a touchdown and he started enjoying all the cheering!
Next we went to cheer on Livi. She was cheerleading at a game and it was adorable. They had pom-poms and did little coordinated cheers. She did great! But I think she was embarrassed by my poster.
Last up was Addi and her soccer game. This girl plays hard and LOVES the attention we were giving her! At one point she even yelled at me to hold the sign up higher!
After all the games we took the kids to the park which is literally in Katey's front yard! It was perfect!
[Me and my buddy, Avery]
That night Paul took the girls shopping for ice cream Sunday ingredients, while Emily, Katey, and I went to Zupas for dinner.
[Looks like everyone enjoyed their homemade Sunday's]
After a very enjoyable giant salad and soup at Zupas we headed over to 85 degrees for dessert. Everything was delicious! Thanks Paul for watching the kids!
Sunday, February 4th:
In the morning Katey, Emily, and I took Easton and the three girls out to the Hoover Dam.
We walked out on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge and got a pretty spectacular view of the Hoover Dam and the Colorado River below.
[State Line]
The kids, except Livi, were all terrified!
[Very accurate picture of how everyone was feeling about the bridge]
After we got our pictures we hurried back to the safety of the staging area and the Nevada state sign.
Even though it was cold we stopped at Chilly Jilly'z for some ice cream on the way home. The kids were very happy!
That night Emily, Katey, and I went out to dinner at Din Tai Fung at the ARIA hotel on The Strip.
[Chefs making everything from scratch behind us]
We ordered a variety of wontons and dumplings as well as fried rice and cucumbers for us to share. Everything was so fresh and tasty!
[Filled with chocolate!]
After dinner we walked over to the Bellagio to see the fountains. They are already set up for the Super Bowl!
We watched one water show and then went inside to see the decorations for the Chinese New Year.
After the Bellagio we headed over to The Sphere! It's a lot bigger than I realized! It seats 20,000 people on the inside and U2 is playing a bunch of shows there right now.
Monday, February 5th:
I went over to Emily's house the next morning to see the kids before they headed off to school. Duke was feeling a little left out, so I petted him, and now we are best friends.
[Such a good boy]
After we got the kids on the bus, Emily and I met up with Katey and we all headed to the Awana Spa at the Resorts World on The Strip.
We were shown around the spa and then taken to our lockers. We changed into our bathing suits, grabbed our fluffy robes, and headed to the cooling showers.
The first 30 seconds is super cold, but then the shower gets warm for the last 30 seconds. It felt really good!
Next we headed to the co-ed area where there are four pools (ranging from a cold plunge to super hot), a heated Crystal laconium room, tepidarium chairs, and vapor-filled steam rooms. We alternated between the cold plunge and the various heated rooms and then we relaxed on the heated chairs.
After a few hours of exploring the spa we had our treatments. I got a 90 minute "In the Clouds" facial and a 30 minute "Reviving Foot Treatment." Katey and Emily both got the "Balinese Wave" 75 minute massage. My facial was fantastic and my esthetician said I looked five year younger! 😊
After our treatments we got showered and ready. It was the most relaxing 5 hours of my life!
After the spa we grabbed lunch and then headed to Club Tattoo at the Planet Hollywood.
We decided to get friendship tattoos! Celebrating 20 years of friendship!
We all got three swallows. Katey got hers on her ribs, while Emily and I got ours on our biceps. I also added in a heart with a wave (for Katey), the sun (for Emily), and an airplane (for me).
Katey and I were tattooed by Alex Lozano! He specializes in fine line and portraits, so I knew he would be great with these smaller fine line tattoos. He was also very gentle and I barely felt anything.
Emily was tattooed by Robert Kidd. He was also fantastic!
Emily also got Kenny's jersey number on her wrist. Today was the two month anniversary of his passing.
[Group shot! Hoho's forever!]
On our way home we drove by the Allegiant Stadium. It's massive!
After the kids all went to bed Emily, Katey, and I stayed up late talking. We "talk" almost daily on Marco Polo, but it's not the same as talking in person. I think we all really needed this trip. I love these girls so much!
Tuesday, February 6th:
The next morning I packed up, returned my rental car, and flew home to Chicago. The flight was supposed to be 3 hours and 35 minutes, but we made it in 2 hours and 45 minutes due to a "wicked tail wind," according to one of the flight attendants! It was a little bumpy leaving Vegas, but the rest of the ride was great. I even finished my book!
Josh and Theo had a great time while I was gone. Theo went to school and therapy and Josh made sure Theo had everything he needed. There was just one mishap:
Eww! Watch out for those Desitin tubes!
I made it home Tuesday night just in time for dinner and Theo's bedtime routine. I miss my Vegas people already, but it's good to be home with my guys!
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