Decompression, Carmageddon, and Paris

What do all three of these things have in common....las vegas. That's what we had going on last weekend.

I was eager to decompress and that's the first thing I did. When we got to vegas on the first evening, the Newhaus family went to dinner and I stayed behind in the hotel room and did.... Gee, what did I do? I don't think I did anything. Oh wait, I actually squealed with excitement over the phone call I made. It was a quiet, intelligent conversation with my brother without Max trying to rip the phone out of my hand. That was cool.....(ALONE TIME OMFG I never ever ever get that anymore YYYAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!)

Paris was the hotel we stayed in and it was really nice. We had time at the pool, some delicious dinners, and I got extra crazy and hit up a few yoga studios. Yeah, I went to three fantastic yoga classes while Marc played poker. Marc and I even went on a date while grandma and grandpa took the baby. Now that's just wild!

We finished up the debauchery with the quickest drive back to LA. I guess everyone was terrified of the roads and freeways because of the 405 closure and it was a breeze getting home. Carmageddon turned out to be less than the anticipated auto apocolypse. What a relief for us not to be stuck in a traffic jam all day with the baby!

Now we're back home and it isn't easy adjusting. Reality doesn't suck, but I prefer being spoiled on vacation. Now instead of looking for les toilettes, I'm just going to the bathroom. Dinner is no longer at the eiffel tower, but on the basic couch. And instead of merci, I hear "hurry up, the baby ripped his diaper off and I told you not to use velcro anymore!"...... Yaaaay reality!

But here's the reality. After a few hours away from Max, I really miss him. And I look forward to seeing him again. It's amazing that I could spend so much time with someone and never ever ever get sick of it. Don't get me wrong--I enjoy some breaks and definitely need more of them. But I'm always ready to get back to being mama.

I'm posting three photos on this blog because my hair is done in all three of them. That's a big deal in case you didn't realize what it was like to have an active toddler pulling out clumps of your "do". Honestly, I think it's a miracle that I had (mostly) matching outfits and accessories for three days in a row.

It's worth noting that my "wig hair" is returning. My postpartum hair regrowth is several inches long and it sure has become easier to style my mane! There is evidence that I still know how to work the hot rollers....ahahaha!

Paris was a great place to chill out during carmageddon. I highly recommend it. But even more I recommend Blue Sky Yoga. Yeah, I'd definitely go back that nitty gritty donation based studio in the art district. Or the Yoga Sanctuary. (Except the prices are higher for out of towners....BOO!) I really enjoyed the power yoga classes at both of these vegas studios. I can't think of a better way to decompress in sin city than with a floating pidgeon.....the new pose I'm semi-mastering. Viva las vegas!

"It's one more day up in the canyon....."

"And it's one more night in hollywood...." Counting Crows outdid themselves with this somber yet hopeful song. After spending last week in the grandest of all canyons, the tune continues running through my mind.

"I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass." As a new mom I can't tell you how many times I tell myself to remember every single tiny itty bitty moment because they are all milestones. Love that song more than ever lately....

Speaking of hollywood, I was there yesterday for several hours. I took Max with me to an audition at Hollywood Center Studios and almost felt like an overly impressed tourist. It made me realize that I really am a west side gal these days. Gosh, I even miss good 'ol hollyweird and enjoyed reacquainting myself with the biz for a day. The fact that I was out of the house in clean clothes, hair and make-up done, a fresh pot of beans on the stove, and a happy baby all before 2pm was a miracle. Sounds nauseatingly domestic, huh....

But what about the grand mother of all canyons. Boo-yah! We did it! No, we didn't just go there and look at it or anything mundane like that. We hiked it and camped at the bottom with the baby and a large portion of the Perry family! How cool is that!

We are especially happy about conquering the 5000 foot descent and ascent two days later because we didn't think we were able to go. Marc and I did not even do any training hikes. So at the last minute when we got the "ok" that we could go, we had not done a single thing to prepare for this awe-inspiring once or twice in a life time trek.

Luckily for us, Marc and I have always been extremely active and capable campers. Between our supplies, a borrowed tent, and some muscle memory, we were able to conquer the feat without any preparations or problems. Whew!

I always forget how awesome America is. Yeah, yeah, my dad says we won the lottery by being born here. But what I mean is that we have such a large amount of culture and beauty in the homeland that we forget about. We don't have to go to Europe or other exotic countries or continents to be astounded or enlightened. Don't get me wrong....It's nice, but not necessary.

Since this trip was completely improvised for Marc, Max, and me, it should come to no surprise that on our way home from the steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River, we took a detour and went to chintzy las vegas. After a healthy, breezy visit to a national park, I guess a trashy town was in order. But we were really just too tired to drive in Friday traffic all the way back to Los Angeles.

For some off the strip fun, we took Max to the Hoover Dam. It made for a less sentimental goodbye to Arizona. The impressive engineering blew us away and and made for a most welcomed hello to Nevada. I was most shocked to learned that 112 people were killed during the construction of the dam. That is unbelievable and so sad that those hard workers lost their lives building the site that continues to be so important to civilization today. Interesting side trip for a family that has to stop, pee, and stretch their legs a lot....

Then we arrived at Treasure Island hotel where we would stay in the new-and-improved-family-friendly-Las Vegas. Yeah, right! Well, not that it's bad or anything, but I really don't understand how you call that city family friendly. I mainly say that because you are smoking a cigarette every time you walk through a casino. And then there's the drunkidy drunk drunk drunks....

And when you see a girl running through a bar in her wedding gown and tennis shoes, you just start to feel embarrassed for her. Maybe that works in two ways. Maybe that makes me feel less guilty for having a baby and not being married. Because if that is the way I had to get married, I would never do it. If a guy wanted to get married to me at a chapel in dirty vegas I would immediately break up with him. No thank you!

The city that doesn't sleep proved to be family friendly for our little crew. We took some nice walks, enjoyed the pool, and ate some great food. Marc got to play plenty of poker games and I got to play with the cutest 13 month old baby in the world. We were even able to catch my friend's show Fantasy at the Luxor on Sat. night after dinner at Cosmopolitan. Considering the fact that we showed up there with a suitcase full of dirty camping clothes, we managed perfectly.

Getaways can be so refreshing and rejuvenating. And exhausting. And fabulous. The previous week, I was in a total funk over having to cancel the trip, and we were so happy we ended up having the opportunity to go on a vacation.

While we're on the topic of funky, let's address the doom and gloom blog (someone in my family named it that)....preciseley entitled Accepted Accurate Predictions by M. M stands for Marc and that is his creation. I didn't think it was that depressing, but then again I was laughing the whole time I typed it for him. Of course it is a joke playing on the disdain he has for fortune tellers. Wasn't it completely obvious? Maybe not.....We'll see if he guest blogs again any time soon since some very vocal people missed his humor!

Get off your butts and stop reading my blog! Why don't you get out and conquer a canyon or something. Just sayin'....