Movin' on up, to a big old penthouse, in the sky

Jason and Yvonne decided to get away for a day a couple weeks ago during spring break. We both felt like we just needed some quiet time alone -- to take a break from the pressures of closing out the last job, starting a new job, travel, shuttling kids to school and ballgames, and a lot of big decisions that are weighing on our minds.

Rather than go out of town, we took advantage of great rates at the Trump Las Vegas -- they called it their "One Suite Deal" -- $89 for a suite on the Strip.

It was too good to pass up, so we went out of town, in town.

Ironically, it was the both time for either of us to stay in a Las Vegas hotel. Yvonne has lived here for 13 years and visited for most of her life. Jason has lived here for 29 years. It was about time.

So we get to our room, a simple studio suite with a view of the city. But when we got to the room, it looked like a hotel the Who had partied in circa 1974. Mattresses were up against the wall, garbage was on the floor...you get the idea. We returned to the front desk, where the clerk was very apologetic. She promised to make it up to us.

Did she ever. We were upgraded to a 56th floor premium suite with south Strip view. It was unbelievable. We were right on top of Treasure Island, with the Wynn, Encore, Palazzo Tower, Caesar's Palace, and the rest all at our feet.




The master bathroom (there were two) was about as big as our first apartment. Everything was marble, glass, big screen plasma televisions, high end appliances...luxury all the way. Since this was a big step up for us, we tried another first: room service. We felt like big shots eating salmon, roast chicken, grilled veggies, and cheesecake while overlooking the Vegas Strip.



Not that our $149 a night room discounted to $89 wouldn't have been fine, but the $500 a night room discounted for $89 was better.

We could get used to the high life. But not too used to it. When we got to our upgraded room, the first thing Jason said was, "If I had known we'd have such a great room, I would have brought the kids. How fun would that be?"

(Bonus points to anyone who recognized this blog entry's headline as a line from the theme song to "The Jeffersons." We were fortunate, and nostalgic.)

A dam good Saturday

A few weekends ago we drove to Hoover Dam for a tour (the headline is the only "dam" pun you'll read in this post, although there were about a thousand said during the day).

Touring the dam is on our "bucket list" of things to do before we move. After eight years in Las Vegas, it was time to make our first family trip to one of southern Nevada's most recongnizeable icons.

We've driven across the dam several times, but never gone inside. We finally had a Saturday when we were all in town, had no ball games in the morning, and had nothing but time, so away we went.

Besides our history of living in southern Nevada, we feel a connection to the dam because Bechtel, the company Jason works for, was the lead in Six Companies, the consortium that built the dam. Building the dam helped build the company in which Jason has built his career.

The post-9/11 tour is much more rushed and much less inclusive than the old tours, but it was still fascinating to journey deep into the concrete structure. We saw the turbines that generage megawatts of electricity for the southwest, the diversion tunnels that moved the mighty Colorado River from its ancient bed, the steep canyon walls that daredevil "high-scalers" leapt across to place dynamite, and the incredibly low water levels.

The kids also had fun walking across the dam, going to Arizona and back.

We finished it with burgers at the Boulder City A&W, an old burger joint that Jason used to stop at after Scout outings to the lake. Greasy burgers, fries, and onion rings capped off a fun morning. Good to check that one of the list.

Robin in the Hood

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to participate in the O'Roarke Elementary School and Missoula Children's Theater production of "Robin Hood". The Missoula Children's Theater brings theater to schools across the country, travelling by truck to help schools put on plays -- from auditions to performance -- in just one week. Our kids auditioned on Monday, practiced after auditions on Monday and then Tuesday through Friday from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. Then they performed twice on Saturday.

Carson and Dylan both tried out for the play and they both made it. Carson was the Sheriff of Nottingham (he loves being the bad guy) and Dylan was a skunk (we teased him it's because he stinks -- he was a good sport). They were both awesome performers. When Yvonne asked Carson if he enjoys acting, his response was he would perform every day if he could. He likes it better than baseball or anything else. I say....you go Carson!

Another highlight was that Yvonne was asked to play the piano as an accompanist for the play. She learned the music, participated in the practices Wednesday through Friday, performed with the kids on Saturday, and had a blast. It was fun for her to see her boys work hard at memorizing lines and songs and also interacting with their friends. She even had a part -- she was shot by an imaginary arrow -- so she was a pianist AND an actor.

After watching the Saturday afternoon performance of the play, Levi was impressed. He turned to Yvonne at the piano and said, "That was good. Can we rewind it and watch it again?"

It was a long week, but the pay-off was great.

A day of dark clouds, with a great silver lining

We decided to go to the Clark County Fair last Saturday -- partly to see the fair (which we'd never been to) and partly to watch our friend Katie perform (she was singing). We bought our tickets a week early online and looked forward to a day at the fair.

So Saturday finally arrives, and it's dark and rainy. And cold. Not "fair" weather. But we'd already bought tickets, and we'd planned on meeting Katie's family (the Piets) there, and we'd been looking forward to it, so we went despite the awful weather.

Traffic to the fair was light (not a lot of people as crazy as us, I guess), so we got there no problem and met up with the Piets in the rain. Our kids had a good time getting soaked, and later enjoyed looking at the 4-H animals (rabbits and chickens and cows) and checking out the agricultural exhibits (the kids always have fun together -- and they really seemed to like being in a big tent, out of the rain).

Katie's performance was worth the drive (to quote American Idol's Randy Jackson, she's got mad pipes, dawg) and we watched several other singers perform (while finding ways to crack each other up during the show).

By the time the show was over, the rain had gotten worse, and we were getting hungry, so we figured we'd eat at the fair and then get out of there.

There was a short delay as Colin decided he wanted to ride the mechanical bull. In the rain. It was the best five bucks we spent that day, watching him ride -- or try to ride -- the bull twice. Watch the video and you'll hear us all laughing. Colin had fun, and was a good sport while entertaining all of us.

Following Colin's "8-second ride", we were off to the massive food court. If it was deep fried, high fat, cholestoral packed, and over-priced, it was there. The thought of buying fair food and eating it in the rain was more than we could bear, so we headed to big city Overton (about 10 miles away) for lunch. We were told in small-town Logandale (site of the fair) that there were lots of choices in Overton. But after we eliminated our family's first choice (it turned out to be a bar), the Piets' first choice (an American restaurant that was closed), and a mutual choice (with too long a wait), we headed to, yep, McDonalds. The food was hot, fast, predictable, and the kids loved it. Plus we all (four adults, eight kids) got to dodge traffic across the highway between the cars and the McDonalds. Twice. Ah, good times.

So it was a wet, soggy, but fun day with great friends.

OK, you got the picture of the dark clouds and how we rescued a good day. Now here's the silver lining.

Since our day hadn't really gone according to plan, we figured we'd take the scenic route home through Valley of Fire State Park, a colorful collection of rock formations way out in the southern Nevada desert.

Lo and behold, after a long day of rain the park was not crowded, and it was gorgeous -- sunlight breaking through the clouds, deep red rocks, dark moist sand, vivid wildflowers, lush green sage, and a rainbow that seemed to stretch across the entire sky.

We piled out of the vehicles to really experience the park. The kids had a blast scrambling across the rocks, and running through the sand. They ducked through caves, leapt across chasms, raced through ravines, caused their moms' hearts to race as they scaled great heights, and sat on ledges to ponder the state of things. There was lots of laughing and chirping and talking and playing. As adults, we had fun watching the kids while taking in the spectacular scenery -- and enjoying a quiet afternoon together.

By late afternoon, as we were taking it all in, the adults agreed: thank goodness for the rotten weather. Not that the fair wouldn't have been fun for the day (and in fact it was a morning we'll laugh about for years) -- but leaving early, touring several Overton restaurants, chowing at McDonald's, dodging traffic, and then experiencing a singular day at Valley of Fire provided a day we couldn't (or wouldn't) have planned. It was a day for the ages, with our families together to enjoy it.

By the time we left Valley of Fire, the kids were wore out -- it was a quiet ride home in both cars as the kids slept on the way home. We ended the day with dry clothes, and pizza and brownies together at home. Wow, what a day. Looking back on it, maybe the clouds had a gold lining...

Dylan's first Pinewood Derby

Today was Dylan's first Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. He's watched Colin and Carson race their cars over the years, and finally got his chance to race tonight.

He had a great time working with Jason to build his car. They worked together on the design, and Dylan helped put it together after Jason cut the block of wood. He also hand-sanded the car to make sure the paint would be smooth. Most importantly, with Jason helping him, Dylan donned safety goggles and prepared the axles, sanding them with ultra-fine sandpaper and polishing them as they spun in a drill-press. Dylan also chose the paint color and design.

After four days of getting the car ready, it was off to the races. Dylan made sure we got there early so he'd be eligible for the early-bird drawing. As the races began, it turned out his car was fast.

Really fast.

Dylan couldn't stop smiling as his car sped down the track, and was a bundle of energy waiting for the next time he could race. After his car's four heats (one on each lane of the track), he was convinced his was one of the fastest.

Once the results were in, the awards were announced. First, Dylan won one of the early bird drawings. Then his car was recognized for smoothest paint, and his car was announced as "Best of Show", based on a vote of Scouts and parents (Carson won Best of Show the last three years, so we were glad to keep it in the family). And, to cap off a good night, Dylan's car took second place.

Dylan loves Cub Scouts. He's had good leaders who are organized and interested in the boys -- and tonight reinforced that. It also gave Dylan and Jason the chance to hang out and work in the garage -- a prize in itself.

The last day

After 8 years, Jason's time on the Yucca Mountain Project ended today as planned. It was a bittersweet day for him. He's ready to move on to new challenges, but also disappointed that the Project is facing more budget cuts and many of his co-workers and friends lost their jobs. All because of politics. Silliness, he would say.

So he's off to start his new job as the deputy Public Affairs manager for Bechtel National, Inc., on Monday. Yucca Mountain brought us to Las Vegas and provided Jason with great experience and great co-workers that will be his friends for life.

Now we look forward to a new adventure.

Two days in St.George, Utah

Jason writes:

Melissa, Levi, and I travelled this weekend to St. George for a high school softball tournament Melissa was playing in (as part of her high school team). Melissa played well, almost hitting one ball out of the park (it hit the base of the wall) and banging out a few more hits and playing her usual solid defense. It was also fun for me to see many other girls that I have coached over the years, other girls I have cheered for as they've played with Melissa on various teams, and some coaching friends from my years in various dugouts. We were also fortunate to see my parents, grandmother, and a few cousins in the area.

While I always enjoy watching Melissa play, I really had a great time with Levi, who tagged along to keep my company (when a friend asked why Levi came, he told her: "I came so my dad wouldn't be lonely"). He was a real trooper at the ballpark, sitting through several games, and often reaching out to kids he didn't know so he could play with them.

There is nothing like quality time with a four-year-old to refresh your spirit. One highlight was Saturday afternoon, during a long break between games, Levi and I went to the St. George Temple, where Yvonne and I were married almost 20 years ago. We watched a good movie ("The Pioneer Miracle" -- when it was over, Levi looked at me and said, "Now that's a good movie") and walked the grounds. It was a good day.

The final touch was our ride home. After Melissa's final game, we hopped in the truck, and Levi was asleep before we even left the parking lot. He slept hard all the way home, waking up as we pulled in the driveway. I looked at Mel and said I was tired, and Mel said she was, too. Levi piped in from the back seat: "I'm not tired at all!"