It’s only been a week since my last post, but I have some fun pictures to share.
 
Earlier this month, I won 2 tickets to the 2010 tour of ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ I watched season 4 with my mom when I was on maternity leave but otherwise haven’t kept up with the show, so I went online and watched over 2 hours of season 7 before the performance. Since James didn’t care to go, I took Melissa.

We got to sit in a box suite, which meant plush seats, much more elbow room, and a private bathroom. It was a very entertaining show, and I was able to recognize most of the dancers and quite a few of the routines too. 

 
Friday, Kathy, Karen, Melissa, and I headed off on a girl’s weekend getaway in Las Vegas to celebrate Karen’s 40th birthday. For the first time in 7 years, I traveled without a carseat or laptop! We stayed at the Palazzo, which is a newer hotel on the strip, adjoining the Venetian. Kathy booked us suites through Priceline for only $130 per night.

Our first mission? To indulge in the culinary experience that is Joel Robuchon.  I’ve seen the Three-Star Michelin restaurant featured on Top Chef (one of my favorite shows) … so I had very high expectations. We were picked up in a gold limo and entered the restaurant through The Mansion at the MGM Grand.

The décor was very opulent … huge crystal chandeliers, plush purple velvet seats, and numerous flowers arrangements. We decided to split 2 16 courses and 2 smaller courses between the 4 of us. It was definitely the right call, as there was plenty of food. My verdict … it was a good experience, but maybe I just don’t have a refined palette, because out of the 16 courses, there were only a few that I really liked.  I’d go again, but I’d order the smaller (and less expensive) courses.

The dining experience took a few hours, and we didn’t get back to our hotel until almost 2am. By then, Sheri (Kathy’s cousin) had arrived to join us and was deep asleep. (Note: I got a haircut during my lunch break, which is why my hair looks full. It’s professionally styled … the only “style” I know how to do is the ponytail.)

 
Saturday, all of us took 2 exercise classes in the morning … fit strip and muscle conditioning. Since I have no dance training and minimal coordination, fit strip was more of a mental exercise than anything else. I did much better with the muscle conditioning class, and my core muscles definitely felt the workout!

After class, Kathy, Sheri, and I had lunch at Canyon Ranch Grill (delicious open faced ahi sandwich– highly recommended), while Melissa and Karen went rock climbing. We then met up at Aquavana, which is possibly the most expansive spa I’ve ever been to. For only $20, we had access to a steam room (I stayed here for a long time to sooth my cough/laryngitis), Experiential Rain room with multi-sensory cooling showers (Caribbean Storm, Tropical Rain or Cool Fog), Sauna, Herbal Laconium (room with herbal-infused steam), HydroSpa (whirlpool), Igloo (cold room with three Arctic mist options), Conservatory (waiting area with fruit, beverages, magazines, and the most comfortable anti-gravity, memory foam lounge chairs), Salt Grotto (“sea air” washes over heated benches), and a Wave Room (anti-gravity chair positioned with head down/feet in the air, overlooking waves projected on a dome ceiling.) We stayed all afternoon! In the evening, we got dressed up for dinner and headed to CUT by Wolfgang Puck for some good steaks.

After a bit of indecisiveness, I ordered a 10oz Wagyu ribeye. The table also shared sides, including their famous mac and cheese (which to my untrained palette, reminded me of the frozen Trader Joe’s mac cheese that Zachary loves). Karen ordered the best carpaccio appetizer I’ve ever tasted – I’ve already decided it’s a must order the next time I’m in Vegas.  I sat across from Kathy – and while we both were full halfway through our steaks, our inner thriftiness would not allow us to leave “$50 on the table” … so we ate it all. Here is my take on Wagyu beef. It’s quite fatty. And since it’s well marbled, you can’t cut the fat off. So while it’s very good, it’s also very heavy. My recommendation would be to share a steak with someone … and order more appetizers … like an extra plate of carpaccio. 

Next on our agenda … Meeting up with Rachel for Le Reve at the Wynn theatre. We had excellent seats …. 4 rows from the stage. We could see the expressions on the performer’s faces and feel the mist from the water. It was an amazing show. I might even like it more than ‘O’ … although it’s hard to compare since the seats I had for ‘O’ were pretty far back. Post show, we enjoyed drinks at Parasol Down, where we had patio seating with a view of the Lake of Dreams waterfall and light show. It was a bit chilly, so we left after 2 shows (they rotate different shows every 20 minutes or so.)

Sunday morning, Sheri, Melissa, and I headed to the gym to burn off some of last night’s dinner … I ran 3.3 miles, a 3oz calorie equivalent of my 10oz ribeye.  At 11am, we checked out, stored our luggage, and headed to Zine (Chinese food) for lunch. I ordered duck and also shared a side of jellyfish with Karen. Food in Vegas is definitely good! Very dangerous for the waistline. Then it was shopping time. There are a lot of nice stores at the Palazzo, but I had a very specific goal: to buy a pair of Christian Louboutins that I’ve been admiring for almost 2 years. I was worried that they would be uncomfortable and that I would have to walk away empty handed. But while my favorite pair (Very Prive) felt too tight, I found a double platform peep-toe sling back that was very comfortable, especially considering the 4” stiletto heel. I had a few people stop me and congratulate me on my purchase or ask me what I bought. One woman even said,”Your husband is so nice to you.” – she’s lucky I had laryngitis.

We continued shopping the rest of the day, with a break for frozen yogurt, and then had dinner at Samba Sushi. They had some unique fusion dishes, but I stuck with plain sushi and sashimi with a side of yellowtail ceviche. The other girls tried more interesting dishes, such as rolls with foie gras and gold leaves, and their signature Peruvian corn (huge meaty kernels).

All too quickly, 7pm rolled around and it was time to gather our luggage and head home. I grabbed a box on Ethel’s chocolates for my team at the airport. Got home at midnight – exhausted yet relaxed and happy. Thank you Kathy for organizing such a great weekend – and Happy 40th Birthday to Karen!
 
Kids had a good time at home as well. Friday after school, Zachary had another playdate at Quinn’s house.  On Saturday, he went horseback riding for Quinn’s birthday party at Royal Oak Farms. Happy 7th Birthday to Quinn!

Then he had his last soccer game … Warriors lost (4-5), but it was a close game and Zachary delivered some strong kicks while playing defense. In the evening, James took the kids to Sam’s house for dinner, where (not to be outdone by Wolfgang) they also had ribeye steaks. Sunday was swim class, and by the looks of our foyer, a lot of free play with Lincoln Logs and other toys. I’m very grateful to have a husband who is such a capable father … I was able to enjoy time to myself without any concerns about how the household was run back home.

Monday, Sandy, Kathy, Melissa and I went to Curry Club for an Indian buffet lunch – Happy Birthday Sandy! Okay … diet starts now… got 2-3 lbs of damage to undo.

We had a fun Halloween weekend. On Friday, I volunteered in Zach’s classroom for a Halloween party. I helped kids make the finger puppets that Melissa donated! The next morning, I ran a 5k with my coworker Jaybal. Finished with a time of 33:44. It was trail running with some hills, and I definitely felt it the next few days!  Afterwards, despite the drizzle, I took the kids to Folsom FallFest in their Halloween costumes. I did not buy any costumes this year. Zachary was a devil … same costume as his “red bat” last year. Calie was a “butterfly” … same costume as Zachary’s dragonfly a few years back. We walked around to the various vendors and partook in a coloring activity and costume parade/contest. There were some pretty impressive costumes … one family had a fisherman, a mermaid, and a chef carrying a lobster baby in a stock pot! Another mom had twins each in their own bathtub buggy. I guess not all parents buy their costumes online between meetings! 

In the afternoon, Zachary played soccer … their 3rd loss in league 2. After the game, the team went to Mountain Mikes for pizza. A few mom were talking about how their sons hid candy from them in their bedrooms. I was surprised, and even said, “I don’t think Zach would do that.” Less than a few minutes later, I found him by the candy machines with a mouthful of Skittles! I didn’t give him any money, but apparently, some of his teammates had quarters for video games, and shared with Zach.  If I ever say,”I don’t think Zach would do drugs/smoke/sleep around” … please remind me of this story.

Sunday, the kids had swim lessons .. . and in the afternoon, Zach’s friend Quinn came over for a playdate. I made slow cooker pot roast and pesto pasta for dinner, the boys played with Legos, and then it was trick-or-treating time. James stayed back to hand out candy, while Quinn’s parents and I took the kids around the neighborhood. After a few homes, it was obvious that the boys were too excited to wait for a 2-year-old, so we let them go with Quinn’s parents while I kept a slower pace behind with Calie.

It was the first time Zachary went trick-or-treating without me. It actually felt okay, like it was the right time for this next step. It was Calie’s first real trick-or-treating experience and for days after, every time we’d go get the mail, she’d want to go to our neighbor’s house. Looks like we have a future beggar on our hands! 

 
 
Thursday, Zach went on his first playdate by himself. I dropped him off after school and picked him up 2 hours later. He and Quinn made Martians out of a mold, quizzed each other on shark and solar system facts over dinner, and made an obstacle course in the garage. Zach thought Quinn’s mom was super cool for letting them “kick a ball in the house!” (It was really a finished garage) No photos because … well, I wasn’t there.

Friday night was date night. James and I dropped the kids off with Sam/Melissa and went to Bistro33 for dinner. We had tacos, ahi tuna, Caesar salad, beer, coffee, and dessert … and to our surprise, our half used gift card covered it all with ~$10 left! We believe there must have been a snafu in our favor. The kids had fun playing with Alex and Nicole; the girls played dress up and the boys played a game called ‘Break the Safe.’

 
Saturday morning, I took Zachary to a trial martial arts class. It was a disaster – he was especially antsy during orientation and refused to stay seated. The instructor said, “We take all kinds of kids, and we even handle kids on the autism spectrum.” How discouraging! I was beyond furious at Zachary. When we got home, I had him sit still for 5 minutes, and of course, he did it without any issues. Frustrating! In the afternoon, Zach had a soccer game – and they won their first (out of 4) league 2 game!

In the evening, we went to Vish and Bhavana’s annual Diwali party. The kids played basketball outside until it got dark, and then moved into the garage to decorate goody bags and make Diwali cards. The sparklers and the piñata were a huge hit (no pun intended). I loved seeing all the women’s extravagant saris and jewelry – so beautiful. They served Indian food, and much to Zachary’s relief, also cheese pizza. Why anyone would eat pizza when there’s Indian food is something Calie and I will never understand. Happy Diwali!

 
 
Sunday, the kids had swim lessons, and then I took Zachary to Vaibhav and Gaurav’s birthday party at SkyHigh.  He had a fun (and sweaty) time! Since it was raining and more crowded than usual, the toddler trampolines were opened. Zachary opted not to move over, but play dodge ball with the older boys instead. I was glad because I was more worried that he would knock over a toddler than an older kid would knock over him. When did that happen?! We had just enough time to scarf down a cupcake before heading to Quinn’s LazerTag party. Zachary had never played before, so I described it to him as “similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride… but people are the targets.” All that practice in Disneyland must have paid off because Zach got the top score out of 10 kids on his first try – he was totally surprised and beaming (and would not stop bragging … hmmm, need to work on that.) On the 2nd and 3rd game, he was 4th place out of ~14 kids. It was great fun, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to ask to play again in the future! We had pizza and ice cream cake before heading home. Happy 7th Birthday to Vaibhav, Gaurav, and Quinn!

As for Calie milestones, she is no longer a baby. She talks in paragraphs and tells us about her school day – from new songs to who poo’d their pants that day. She dresses herself, spits after brushing her teeth (we’re moving her off baby toothpaste), and even gets her own water from our refrigerator. She’s pretty much out of diapers at night, and we just placed an order for her new bedroom set.  Seems like in the last few months, right after turning 2-years-old, she’s become a little girl.  My kids are growing up! And I mean that in a good way … it feels like we really lived and enjoyed babyhood to the fullest, and it’s the right time to become parents of little kids. I thought I would be more wistful, but perhaps because we did so much with them or because they are spaced over 4-years apart, I really don’t miss having babies. And that is a good feeling!