ten days, ten hours, and home again.

i am home.  finally.  i had a great time on my many adventures, but it was a long time and i am really happy to not be going anywhere else again for a little while.

i'll start with a vegas recap.  we got in thursday afternoon/evening and walked around a little after we got settled.  we had late dinner reservations at del frisco's, which was delicious.  it's a really nice steak house that jb and i wanted to take everyone to for mom's "birthday" dinner.  the waiter brought delicious cake at the end and we were all more than stuffed.
friday morning we got up early (me, early enough to lose $20 in a slot machine and promptly decide that gambling is not for me).  we hopped on a bus tour to the hoover dam, which was, in a word, awesome.  i didn't really know what to expect, and i wasn't honestly too excited about the hoover dam, but that thing is incredible.  we learned a lot about the engineering feats they accomplished to build it (and during the great depression, no less), as well as about the ecological challenges the entire area is facing (lake mead, which brings water to 1.3 million people, is projected to be dry in the next ten years - yikes).  anyway...even though it was about 120 degrees up there, jb and i walked across the dam from nevada into arizona and back.  it was a spectacle to see, and very hot, but i've done it.

jb's HDR shot of the generators

the four hesterlys battling the desert (i'm looking quite expectant....)

friday night was cirque de soleil love at our hotel.  incredible.  if you like the beatles at all, this is a must-see experience.  the set design, sound mixing, and production value were ridiculous.  jb and i have decided we want to see it again, since i'm quite sure i missed tons while trying to take everything in at once.  it was the kind of experience you don't want to blink for.  

saturday, we rode the bus up and down the strip and went into a few different casinos checking things out.  highlights included the botanical gardens at the bellagio and lunch for me, mom, and dad at mon ami gabi, a cafe inside paris (heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese = yes).  after that, mom, dad, and i ventured to see siegfried and roy's tigers and lions, as well as the dolphins kept in pools at the mirage.  i probably need a pet tiger.  saturday night, we headed out to fremont street.  that was awesome - clearly if i go back to vegas, that is where i will be staying.  it's old-timey, kitschy vegas and we had a blast there.  we found this little italian restaurant in the gold nugget and it was delicious.  

all in all, we managed to jam pack a week's worth of vacation into about 3 days, so that was quite fun but tiring.  

of course, there was no rest for the weary, since about 13 or so hours after getting home, i was back at the airport heading to boston.  boston is a great city, and i did get to spend some quality time out and about, even though i also worked at least 12 hours a day.  the hotel where my conference was was super close to everything, so i got to walk around a lot and explore some of the history and culture of the city.  i also have 2 close friends who just moved to boston a couple months ago, and they live about 6 blocks from the hotel i was in.  i ended up staying at their place wednesday, thursday, and friday night because of some issues with over-booking the hotel, so that was an unexpected treat as well.  

saturday was time to come home, but due to some mayhem with airlines (remind me to not fly united if given a choice) and the weather in chicago (my layover), i ended up not getting back until about 1 sunday morning (as opposed to 10:45 saturday night).  10 hours of travel time is not my friend.  i can't remember ever having been that tired, but considering there was a time a few hours earlier when i thought i wouldn't be able to get home before MONDAY (again, united airlines), i was just sooooo happy to be back.  jb and the pups picked me up, and now here i am.  home again home again jiggity jig.  

while i was away, niblet's room got painted and it looks great.  we are both super happy with the color - it's mellow and soothing and will work for a girl or boy nibs, i think.  haha.  also, jb got to feel nibs give a little kick yesterday for the first time.  or maybe a punch, i'm not sure.  in any case, s/he is moving lots these days and i am so happy that jb is starting to get to join in on the fun.  

oh, here are a couple of garden pics to break up all the writing i've done on this post....

pepper and yellow pear tomato harvest from an evening a few weeks ago.

our first heirloom.  why aren't these available all year round?  

alas, if you've made it this far then you are quite the patient one.  more soon, i'm sure.