May 26-30th • Reconnections in Las Vegas
The time we had in California flew by, not sure if it was because there was so much driving in the city or that our days were all spent with family. On Wednesday, it was Kyle and Daisy’s Anniversary and they allowed us to celebrate with them and their family. Then we headed over to Melissa and Sunep’s house to help them get somethings moved as they were moving that weekend. We had planned on getting the kids to bed early that night, but of course, family comes first so we ended up getting back late after helping with moving. We would have stayed longer, but the campground we were staying at was booked Memorial Day weekend so off to Vegas early the next morning.
Although we had a late night we all got up early and got everything packed up for moving day. We have gotten moving down to an art, making sure the TV is strapped on, all tables in place, doors shut, fridge and freezer locked, stabilizer jacks released, all slides brought in, roll up hoses, unplug electrical and hook up the 5th wheel hitch to our truck. We had it all done in less then an hour this time and then went to the front desk to be sure we had a space to stay in August when we would be coming back. Lita even made sure she brought her monkey, Ruby, that she got from Kaylani along with her for the truck ride to Vegas.
It’s funny to think it was only a 5 hour ride to Las Vegas from where we were staying since, when we lived in Las Vegas it seemed like such a far drive. Your perspective changes when you travel as much as we do and a 5 hour drive is now a short day for us. We got to the Arizona Charlies Boulder RV Park around 3:00pm and man it was hot!!! First order of business was to head straight to the pool. I was pretty excited, because Kimmi was able to come down and see us on the first night. She was able to hang out at the pool and our camper for awhile as well. If you know me, you know that Las Vegas holds a special place in my heart as I lived there for 9 years. Although heat is not my friend, I do have many friends in Vegas that make it special for me.
The next morning I made everyone get out of bed at a decent hour, which means 8:30am, and they weren’t very impressed by the early wake up call. After an early morning for everyone, we got packed up and headed out to meet Kimmi at the park at 10:00am, which ended up being too late in the day for us already because, we were all dying from the heat. It was such a good time reconnecting with Kimmi. Kimmi’s mom Pat, her daughter Kaylee and niece Alyssa even came for a visit. We met at the park Kimmi and I used to meet at at least once a week when we lived there. It’s so crazy to think we haven’t lived close to each other for over 8 years! I only made it through the long road of living through Vegas because of such a great friend and her entire family that adopted me as their own. It was a huge move for me when I moved from Maui to Las Vegas, but when I met Kimmi and her family it felt like home.
After Noah’s 3 weeks at their cousin’s, he felt inspired to play piano after he saw Joseph play both the piano and guitar. Joseph is a very talented boy who has played guitar for about a year and also the piano for about a year. Noah saw Joseph play the piano and felt a spark of inspiration to start playing piano, so once we set up in Vegas, he got started on his new hobby. He put the piano outside and had Malachi get him started on the piano, he knows how to play guitar, but he couldn’t read sheet music, since guitar uses tabs and he didn’t feel the need to learn sheet music. Malachi taught Noah a basic piano song to practice his coordination between his two hands, and he practiced all afternoon before the piano started to overheat in the sun of the Las Vegas heat. The next morning while everyone was asleep, he went online and learned how to read sheet music. We will keep you updated on Noah’s newfound hobby as the days go.
After our time at the park we headed down to the Las Vegas Outlet Mall seems how everyone coming straight from Canada wasn’t prepared for this heat. We ended up getting shorts for all the guys and some tank tops for John. This would make our summer a lot more pleasant as it has proven to be really hot this far. Once we finished up there we headed to my friend’s, Rebecca’s house for supper. I met Rebecca because Ruth and her daughter Talia were on the same bus together. They invited Ruth over for a sleepover and being the protective parent that I am, I had to go and meet her first before I’d let my daughter sleep over. Of course it was an instant connection and we have been really good friends for years.
We had so much fun with Rebecca and Lyle and some pretty great food too. That was what our relationship was built on was all our meals and fun times together. This time Rebecca did all the cooking, we just came to enjoy the pool and food. The evening was perfect and I can’t wait to head back again to spend time with them. Maybe, our camping adventures will even line up some time in the future.
The next morning Noah and I woke up early to grab a coffee and do some grocery shopping. This took about half the day and Kevin messaged to see if we were still alive. The truth is you don’t realize how long all the errands of life take until. you are on the road then it opens your eyes to how much wasted time we have in running errands. Once the camper was stocked back up, we spent the rest of the day at the pool. Of course Kimmi came to spend the afternoon with us, which was the best part of the day for me.
Kevin and I planned a date night as we met in Vegas and had our first date August 2013. We decided to go to the first place we ever ate together, although the last time we ate there it was 3am. We went to the TGIF’s in the Gold Coast Casino to enjoy some appetizers and share a meal of doughnut chicken fried sandwich. After the meal we did a couple hours of gambling and just hanging out with each other since we have been on the road we haven’t really had any dates. This was a really nice night and reminded me how blessed I am to have this man in my life. Many of our friends know our story and one day I’ll write a blog to tell you about how amazing it is we even met each other.
That wraps up our stay in Las Vegas, tomorrow will be a big day of travel. We know we need to get some sleep so that we can do the long road ahead. Las Vegas, Kimmi and Rebecca don’t worry we will be back but, hopefully when its not quite so hot!
