Little Bits & Pieces

We took Noey on her first vacation this weekend! It started with my last day of work on Friday. Thursday night I felt the first pangs of a sore throat and of course woke up on Friday with it blazing! I plowed through our check-out process and we decided we would go because the room was nonrefundable and we had been planning on this trip for a long time!! Noey only went to the sitter for a few hours while Dave finished installing the baseboard in our den. I came home and we slowly packed. We got out of here and headed north. Noey slept most of the way. I drove to Mesquite and then Dave took us up into Utah. Our van struggles a bit in the mountains. I am obsessive compulsive about watching the thermostat now after the Taurus blew up. (I will be putting some moo-lah into the thing before San Diego to make sure we are safe!) I cannot believe how much we had to pack for such a short trip! We took the back two seats out and the van was still loaded! I forgot to get a picture though!

I could not believe how green Cedar is this year! They must have had lots of snow this winter and plenty of rain this spring. Or, maybe it's always like that and we've just lived in the depths of hell for too long and are tired of brown everywhere!! We checked into our hotel and decided on La Fiesta for dinner. It wasn't as good as I remember it. Maybe ownership has changed hands or something. I guess everything changes! But we got our fried ice cream and Noey didn't spread salsa everywhere so it was a successful dinner!

We went back to our hotel and got ready for swimming. Noey was a little fussy so we were hoping she would perk up swimming and then wear herself out for bed! We got all dressed, took her pool toys and new towels and headed for the pool. A family jumped in before us and said how warm it was. Um, they were liars. It was cold. Dave and I were uncomfortable. It wasn't so bad after 30 seconds or so. Noey was shaking and her lips were blue but she was trying to get out of my arms and swim after her toys! We hurried out and wrapped her up! The look in her eyes said, "What? That's it?! You're kidding me right?!" Dave got in the hot tub and dipped my feet in with a bundled Noey on my lap. She sighed in disappointment. She sadly watched the others splash and play. We took her back to our room to swim in the tub. It was the best we could do for her!

Her new thing is to make funny faces. I think she is doing this because of teething but we laugh at her anyways! She looks like she is missing her dentures!

She loved being in her play pen without the dangly toys. Without the braces the thing swings back and forth! She is doing well without the swaddle now and seems to tolerate her sleep sack. Every night we tell her it's time to put her "cape" on. She still has to have her minky wrapped around her head. We take it when she is out since there is still a SIDS risk.

The Utah Summer Games are on in full force and we had some gymnasts staying at our hotel. Good times as we were on the first floor and they were above us. Thankfully we took the rain machine with us and I didn't hear much of the trouble. The time change threw us a bit but Saturday morning we headed out for the Paiute Restoration Pow Wow parade and dancing. We got prime parking and seating as there was NO ONE there!!! Well, maybe 50 or so other people showed up after they started 30 minutes late! It was cold in the shade! We have become such heat mongers and slightly wussy in the cold! We wrapped Noey up and waited for the festivities to start.

Noey getting her parade on!

The sun finally came overhead and warmed us up! Noey enjoyed the people and waved and thrashed her arms at all who went by! She especially loved the girls in their motorized vehicles (daddy already has plans for one) and the ponies! That's my girl!

We went to SUU to pick up some new t-shirts for me. I have been wearing some that I've had since 2000 and they are in pretty bad shape! Noey and I got matching shirts and I got her an SUU bear. They need to make a stuffed Thor the Thunderbird!! The campus is so beautiful and some nice changes have been made. It was nice to stroll around and enjoy ourselves! We put Noey in the grass for a picture and she did not like it one bit!! What are we going to do with her?! It's a good thing her yard at home is a bunch of freaking rocks! I cannot believe our child wants nothing to do with grass. She gave us this gnarly look of "what the hell is this, and get me off of it now!!!"

After lunch we went over to the Pow Wow Grand Entry. It was windy and it was warming up fast. We staked out a spot and found out that to take pics and video you had to have the blessing of the tribal council and the dancers too. Not an easy feat. It was an event open to the public but I can't exactly say I felt welcome, being the white folk that we are. They have the Pow Wow to restore the traditions of their ancestors into their tribes. I was impressed that one of the tribal leaders chastized the group for allowing a little girl to kind of fall behind everyone else and left the field by herself. I guess back in the day there were always scouts who followed behind to make sure the elderly and young made it out and were safe. He called upon them to make sure no one was left behind and the young were looked after. It was a Lilo and Stitch moment.

During the Grand Entry we were asked to stand out of respect and didn't get any video of Noey jamming and rocking back and forth to the drums. It was so cute to watch her little butt wiggle! She had a good time!

The sun was getting really hot and we were not in a position to put up our umbrella so we decided to go. Dave mentioned we drove 3 hours for an hour of Pow Wow! Oh well! We needed to get out Vegas for a while! We got shave ice and started for St. George.

On the way up to Cedar I had pointed out Deseret Industries, or DI as it is lovingly referred as in Utah. It's basically the Mormon version of the Salvation Army or Goodwill. If you know Dave, you know his love of cheap crap so he had to stop and check it out! I went to the toys with Noey and found her a big Cookie Monster for $1.50! She loves Cookie! (He is currently in sanitize mode in the washer right now!)

Then I spotted a white horse with rainbow hair. A little girl grabbed it and I wanted to burst. Could I be so lucky to find Starlite and then lose it?! I stood back and watched her play. No, it wasn't Starlite. See, back in the early 80s Rainbow Brite and her horse, Starlite were produced. I wanted Starlite in the worst freaking way. I don't even think I had a Rainbow Brite but I wanted that damn horse!! My parents went off on a vacation and they asked what I wanted them to bring me back. Starlite of course!! The entire time I was with my Grandma I dreamed of them bringing Starlite home to me. My little brain was not processing the fact that they were going off to Mexico and were not going to be able to get Starlite there. I was thinking the airport is right beside K-Mart!!! Stop on your way home! They were also not using the Meadville airport which was the only one I knew of back then. You can imagine my 4 or 5 year old disappointment when I was presented with a turquoise bracelet and not Starlite. These items are now of course available on Ebay, for a price. Let's just say the price has not been right for me. I had a lady on Etsy crochet a Rainbow Brite for me and it's darling. Not quite as big as I thought and a little small for Noey yet. But this rainbow unicorn could be a good substitute until I can get my hands on the real deal! The little girl put it down and I snatched it right up in front of her and walked off! For $1.80 it was mine! Well, Noey's.

The Etsy Rainbow Brite and DI Starlite wannabee.

The real Starlite. I will get a boxed one on Ebay someday!

It was still a bit too early for dinner so we went to the wildlife museum. Lots of dead animals from around the world on display. Noey loved the echo of her voice in the building. She also was not content in her stroller but wanted to be carried so she could see everything. I took her off to another display and Dave said it was super easy to find us! He just had to follow the noise!

We had dinner at Cracker Barrel. I like to look around their shop more than I like their food. They have old fashioned high chairs and this is where the implosion begins. Noey wanted to smack the table. I was struggling to get her strapped in. The straps would not tighten. She got mad at me. She started flailing and slammed her head back on the high chair which ya know, hard wood is nowhere near as cushy as her padded chair back home! She got mad and caused a scene. I took her out and held her but then there was the issue of, "how am I going to eat my dinner?" She wants to touch everything. The knives, the pepper, the oil lamp and flame. Good grief. This child is exhausting. At least she stopped screaming. I had Dave hold her while I tried to stuff some food in her. She started flailing about again and kept hitting the spoon which sent food flying. And she laughs about it. Thank God no one was sitting close or they would have been covered in pulverized chicken and apples. Yum-O. I sent our spaz and her daddy packing so I could shop in peace. Didn't buy anything though. I was feeling my sickness and my head was throbbing. I was ready to go home.

Noey slept all the way home. She woke a few times to glare at and judge me. She's good at that. I guess that once you have kids vacations are more work than relaxation. This was a good learning experience in preparation for San Diego. I was so looking forward to Sea World but now think "what have I gotten myself into!?"

I went to the CVS Minute Clinic Sunday morning to find out I have an ear infection, sinus infection, and strep throat. What a way to start my summer! I swear I've been sick since I went back to work in January and I'm tired of it! Here's to a healthy summer!