Sunday, June 24, 2012

Metro Mania

Here it is...our annual tag along on Brandon's conference so we can have an almost free family vacation--single mom style since he is "working" all day.
I love going back to my roots and playing tourist in the city.

DAY 1: THE WATERPARK--our friends joined us for this one as well as everyone else in the valley because it was 100 degrees! And of course because everyone was there we found some cousins! Surprise!
 DAY 2: SHOPPING AND A MOVIE--with all the kids?? What was I thinking???!!  Our yard sale revenue from our old clothes went to buy new clothes.  Cannon and I rode the escalators UP and DOWN while the girls tried on their fill of clothes from all our favorite department stores.    My proof of motherhood (besides my kids and stretchmarks) is that all my clothes come from Costco.

DAY 3: Everyone in the valley followed us to THE ZOO only they got there before me and took all the parking spots.
 Our littlest gorilla was all tuckered out by the end of it.
 Happy cousins joined us for this event.
Kate practiced photography skills on at least 100 different species. Here's one of them.

 DAY 4: THE GIANT TRAMPOLINE PLACE
 More fun cousins--in line for the bungee jump!
 I'm glad I could show the girls that I still got moves.


 EVERYDAY: SWIMMING AT THE HOTEL POOL--all you really need for a vacation. We bounced around from the cool pool to the hot tub and back again.
One evening we got a little stir-crazy in our downtown hotel room and decided to go outside and mingle with the homeless.  We made up some obstacle courses in the parking lot. It wasn't long before someone with slurred speech  staggered over but with a little different approach than expected. He showed us a wad of cash and pled with Brandon (who mind you had just his head soaked all week with addiction therapy techniques) if he would in his great mercy go in the liquor store and buy some booze because he himself wasn't allowed in there (for some reason?) .  When Brandon wouldn't do it he turned to me but since I couldn't pass for a day over 21...:) he returned dejectedly to the bushes from whence he came.  With that the fun was over and we went back to the safety of our hotel where dad taught us all about the effects of alcoholism which I'm pretty sure was more effective than their whole year of D.A.R.E in school.

 DAY 5: EXPLORING THE NEW MALL WITH A RIVER RUNNING THROUGH IT--Obviously the shopping memories from earlier in the week had faded. This one was easier though because it was shorter! At noon it was time to pick up Dad and head home.


 I sure enjoy these city trips. I love having access to all the stores and restaurants and fun things to do and returning at the end of a day to a clean hotel room and an episode of "So You Think You Can Dance"

But after a whole week of fun it was time for this city mouse to go back to her country house where the kids can run free.  The rest of the valley didn't follow us this time.

3 comments:

Megan Goates said...

Your city trip looks so fun! It looks like you pulled off the "single mom" week smashingly. Well done, friend. And good luck with handling your parents estate.

cold cocoa said...

I need to steal some of these pictures! Looks fun. I didn't see the city creek with the roof over the top.

Sherie Christensen said...

Way to still have awesome moves on that trampoline! I like how you focus on all of the good things of your week and so it always sounds like it was all fun. No mention of being tired, or wishing there were free snack carts everywhere! You're awesome. I'm glad we got to be at the zoo with you even if I'm not convinced I was the best company that day!