End of Jenny's trip

During Jenny's last couple of days here in Vegas we went to the Cheesecake Factory and it was such a nice, relaxing evening (James had a babysitter!). It was cool enough that we even ate outside and we all ate way too much yummy food! (Sorry these are so dark---I hope the next iPod has a flash with the camera.)

 We had fun asking Jenny embarrassing questions! This was Jenny getting embarrassed!

We took a few picture before Jenny had to fly back home to New York. We already miss her and can't wait until we get to see her again!

My painfully squinty eyes! Sorry dad. 

Don't mind James' creepy stare in this picture. He must have been sad his Auntie was leaving!

Park with Auntie

Jenny, James and I walked to the park that is down the street from our house.

We've had so much fun playing with Jenny. She couldn't understand why people live here because it is so hot. It was about 105 degrees when we were at the park. Maybe she has a point...

I think James looks so much like my brother John in this picture!

The Vegas Strip with Vivian

No, her name isn't Vivian, it's Jennifer. But I like to call her Vivian and many other nicknames. Brian thinks it's strange and doesn't understand how we come up with Jenny's various nicknames; i.e. Vivian, Viv, Vivatronics, Det, Doopa, Jenny-doopa, Niffer, Niffertiti, etc. Some of the origins I know and others I don't, but I guess you could say we are....creative!

So we started at the north section of Las Vegas Boulevard and drove south. Brian wanted us to drive by all the federal buildings, courthouses, and the jail. Jenny and I were only mildly interested. Sorry Brian. Our first stop was the Gold & Silver Pawn which is featured on the History Channel's Pawn Stars. Awesome show by the way. 

And we thought this guy in the background was Rick Harrison, but after I zoomed in I don't this it is. He looks just like him, so I figure it must be his brother. (And yes, I was one of those creepers that pretends to take a picture of my husband but takes one of the guy in the background.)

Then we headed over to Fashion Show Mall which is an awesome, but always busy mall. (I hate crowds.) Then we strolled around Caesars Palace and window shopped at the high-end stores at The Forum Shops.

It was a fun day and we got lots of walking in, but not very many pictures!

Staying Cool

So it's no surprise that Vegas is hot. But it is really hot! 

To stay cool we use lots of AC and pay the electric company obscene amounts of money. But sometimes we like to change things up and pay the water company lots of money instead. And we use water to cool off! 

We have water gun fights.  (James' favorite---he loves guns. And thanks Jenny for being a good sport!)

James getting pwnd by Jenny!

Water hose wars.

Hose and gun wars.

Hang out by the pool. Kiddie pool, that is. It's so hot that even I sometimes get in with James. I don't think the whole family would fit though...

A Special Visitor

Brian's second-cousin once-removed stopped into town for a visit this morning. Apparently his cousin has a lot of friends in North Las Vegas because we only got to see him and didn't have a chance to visit. This was the best picture I got. 

Did I mention he's running for President? He spoke about fixing the economy and the middle class. He even talked about what he will have accomplished by the end of his second term. I like his confidence! Mitt Romney really is as handsome in person as he is on television. 

At least I did get a few cute pictures of Brian, James and me! 

Cockroaches

One drawback to living in Vegas are all the cockroaches! I don't understand how they even get in the house. They are so disgusting. I liked the efforts of that movie WALL-E trying to make them seem friendly and cute, but I just don't buy it. Once you see one scurry across your kitchen floor you don't think, "Aw, cute WALL-E cockroach!" rather you think, "I want you dead!"

(And just FYI the dots surrounding the glass are itty-bitty "baby" cockroaches that are dead. Are they flocking to the mother roach? They just remind me of the aliens from the scary movie Alien.)  

I like to deal with them by putting a glass cup over them and then make Brian dispose of them when he gets home. Sometimes James gets to them before I do and he likes to play with them, pull off their legs, and examine God's little creatures. It just makes me shudder and get that icky feeling down my spine. 

Yesterday I broke two of these glasses---one of which was imprisoning a cockroach that I forgot was on the  floor. Not only did I shatter the glass but I also freed the bug! Horribleness! I didn't know which issue to address first---recapture the cockroach or pick up the glass shards so James or I wouldn't cut ourselves. I chose the bug. I'd rather have us bleeding than a creepy cockroach on the loose in the house!

James doesn't seem to mind them. Boys. 

Third class driving beats first class walking

My car broke down (and I mean it's really dead) three weeks ago. We still have Brian's car but he uses it to drive to work and I can't even drive it if I wanted to because it's manual. (And believe me I've tried to learn, but it always ends with me crying and then having nightmares later that night of stalling while turning left in a major intersection and getting into an accident! Brian (and my dad) have backed off about the issue.)

My car's current state (which is dead)

During the day I try to get out of the house with James because we both get cabin fever if we stay home all day. So we go on long walks almost everyday. We will go to the grocery store, the park, or out to lunch somewhere cheap. But everything is at least a mile away and then a mile back home. I do enjoy walking around town, it's good exercise and I get some sun, but I certainly do miss a working car.

So during my walks I've been thinking about the adage "third class driving beats first class walking". This was taught to me by me grandfather and also my father who were/are famously (among family and friends) known for their modest and conservative choices in transportation. I've always admired this about them, especially how they have no embarrassment and are never bothered by other peoples' opinions.

We are so grateful and feel so blessed for the things that we do have, which at this point is one working car and my two working legs!