Kidnapped

One fine Thursday in August (this is shamefully late!) a babysitter arrived at our house, and Michael informed me we were going on a date.  Little did I know that that date would be to the airport, and thence to Las Vegas...

The lovely Bellagio where we were captivated by the water dances...

The lovely statues near the Bellagio (the originals are even lovelier!)...

Michael surprised me with dinner that evening at Andre's in the Monte Carlo.  One of the most delicious meals I've ever had start to finish, and why does their cucumber lime water taste so much better than when I do it?  You know it's going to be good when they offer mint and sorbet pallet cleansers between courses.  (I sort of wanted to have a few more pallet cleansers for dessert.)

After dinner we meandered over to the MGM to watch David Copperfield turn paper into monarch butterflies, and make people disappear from the stage and reappear at the back of the theater.  I actually got to go onstage to "help" with one of the tricks--making a vintage car appear on stage from nothingness--and I even got my very own smile from the maestro himself.  It was my favorite part of the trip!

The next morning we awoke early, saw the sights of the Bellagio, including gelato for breakfast, picked up our car rental and headed out of town.  At first I thought Michael's car choice was a little whimsical and wanton, but he, as with everything he does, had a good reason...

Where were we going?  Who knows, I was just along for the ride!

The three-hour long ride, that is.  We ended up at the Grand Canyon.  Apollo, Aether and the breeze nymphs were in good form and it was the most beautiful day they could conjure!  The convertible was a genius idea because the drive was spectacular and to have no roof made it all the more so.  Very much recommended.  We hiked around and acquainted ourselves with the views, watched a native American dance and music presentation and ate fry bread made right before our eyes.

 Ammmmm.  Ammmmm.  Ammmmm.  (This is me getting six kids worth of chaos out of my system.)

It was magical.  We hatched myriad plans for family hiking trips in the future.  If I had four lives I'd do them all!  This was definitely my favorite part of the trip.

The next morning we woke up early again and strapped on our water-hiking duds to make the trek that we both had long been interested in, needing only the chance:

The Narrows of Southern Utah!  We covered as much ground (or water) as we could in the time we had, wanting to see as much of this stunning place as possible.  Michael chatted with a forest ranger when we got back about some of the landmarks we had seen.  When she learned we had just done a day trip she said she had rarely heard of people going that fast.  Michael didn't tell her about the 30 minute lunch we took, or our exploration of a few side canyons.  Getting older, yes; getting chubbier, yes; getting slower, no.  This had to have been my favorite part of the trip!

The next morning we went to a local ward and spent a lazy day touring some of the natural wonders of Southern Utah: stone tunnels at Kolob Canyon and the wildflowers at Cedar Breaks.

That night we lodged in St. George and watched a cheesy and entertaining Hallmark show.  The next morning we attended the St. George temple (another first for us), and explored some of the rooms in that sacred historical place.  I loved it.  Probably my favorite part of the trip.

Then we enjoyed a perusal of the Green Valley Spa, trying not to giggle at the promises of rejuvenation and health if you walk the labyrinth (which we of course had to do!), got long delicious massages, and purchased some peppermint lip chap.  That was my anniversary present.  I got some for Clara too. 

Then we drove back to Las Vegas in time to dine at the famous M buffet for lunch, headed to the airport where we hopped on a plane back home.  Here we were met by six little chickies excited to see their parents, and they found two parents grateful to have been away and happy to be back.

What a delightful way to celebrate 13 years of marriage.  What a thoughtful husband to plan it for me.  This marriage of our's has taken us to unexpected places, presented lots of opportunities and challenges, and six little sweetpeas.  And I have to say, so far it has been a wonderful trip!