Vegas, baby!

I am excited to take Erika and Emilia Mae to Vegas this weekend for some rest and MUCH needed relaxation. I feel kind of bad for stressing the "much" part because Erika and I have already been to Jamaica this year, but I really think all of us take for granted how much we needed R&R.

Erika and I used to go for weekend getaways all the time when were in L.A. We'd take a Friday off and drive out to Palm Springs and spend a day or 2 in the sun relaxing and recharging. Or we'd go to Solvang or San Diego. We used to do this every other month, and sometimes every month. In St. Louis, though, we really don't do many weekend getaways. Instead, we've been trying to take vacation in one-week spurts. Any vacation is nice, of course, but I think I need more of them to stay sane.

So anyway, I am very much excited to be going to Vegas. We've made some great plans for our short time there, but there will also be time to catch some sun and sleep - two necessities for any vacation in my opinion. A very good couple friend of ours is driving in for a day to spend some time with us, and then we've got tickets to see Phantom and Ka. So far, looks like diner one night at Delmonicos and one night at SeaBlue. We're going to a Mexican place Sunday night with our friends at NY NY.

So should be a fun trip! When we get back it will be time to move the computer room to the basement and get the Nursery going. We'll probably try to clean the carpets and paint the walls, and then maybe even buy the crib and try to put it together.

So it will be good to rest and get away, but also then have some time to get stuff done at home. I am really looking forward to it. As Erika will probably attest, I need to get away for awhile.

Shower One is Done

Erika and I had our first baby shower last weekend back in Iowa with my family. Was nice to spend some time back home, although the trip was too short for our liking. Drove up Saturday and back home Sunday. But woofed down a Godfather's Taco Pizza and a DELICIOUS desert pizza so that by itself makes the trip worthwhile.

I was explaining to Erika how growing up the Taco Pizza from Godfather's was the BIG treat in our house. Godfather's pizza is known for being a bit on the pricey side, but it's one of those places that piles on the toppings and their taco pizza is quite devine. So it's comforting to go back to Iowa and have that treat. It's funny to think back on growing up in small-town Iowa and to ponder what life was like back then. For me, a "treat" was Godfather's Pizza or a Dairy Queen blizzard or Doritos. And they really were special treats as we only got them once a year--maybe. Probably explains why my heart beats a bit faster when we pass a DQ today.

It got me to wondering what kind of things will be a treat to little Emilia Mae as she grows up. More importantly, it reminded me of the importance of having "treats." I was telling Erika that I think a lot of older parents grew up with very little, and so when they started having kids they wanted them to have everything that they themselves didn't have. In a way, I suppose all parents want to provide a better life to their kids then they had.

But the line between spoiled and disciplined is tenuous at best. For me, I think it will be important for Emmy to grow up with an appreciation for the "simple pleasures." The only way to do this is to say "no" more often than not. I doubt it will be easy, but I hope we can do it.

As for the shower, we got some nice gifts as well as a few gifts we might not have expected from people. So that's nice. We also got a tub of clothes from my sister that will surely come in handy and save us a few bucks. So that was nice. Good to have the first one under our belt!