Road Trip - Journey back to Calgary

We got a late start out of Vegas, but we did end up leaving on Friday, December 13th for home.  Nathalie hadn't gotten sick since midnight, so around 11 a.m. we figured we would give it a shot!  We drove along The Strip again on our way out of town to see a few more sights...the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Wynn, and the Stratosphere, just to name a few.  We also found the "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign, along with a wedding chapel next door.  Gotta love Vegas! 

 

We drove through Nevada, quickly through Arizona, and then into Utah.  Greg was so excited to see a Cracker Barrel that we pulled over for lunch.  Ben and Greg had breakfast for lunch, Nathalie slept in my lap, and I had a piece of toast.  At this point, I wasn't feeling too good.  :(  We drove another 5 hours in Utah before pulling over for the night in Ogden.  That would leave us with 12-13 hours on Saturday...wish us luck!

 

We were up early on Saturday morning to get a jump start on the long drive ahead of us.  We had definitely left the warm south behind, as it was back to snowy roads and even some fog.  It was funny...we drove through Idaho in the dark on the way to California, and now through Idaho in the fog.  Guess we still can't say we've seen much of that state.  We made it to Helena, Montana by early afternoon and stopped for a late lunch and gas. 

 

Home stretch!!  We still had over 6 hours to go from Helena, and it was a LONG 6 hours.  The kids were a bit antsy...even watching movies was getting a little boring.  Greg and I had jammed to Michael Jackson for the 10th time.  We were glad to finally see the Canadian border around 5 p.m.  It took us about 5 more hours to get home, so we pulled into our garage at 10 p.m.  Both kids were asleep, so we carried them up to bed.  We unpacked the car as quickly as we could, and then crashed in our nice, warm bed!   Ahhhh, it's good to be home! 



And Sunday...we spent Sunday unpacking, doing laundry, and relaxing.  A couple of us even got some naptime.  :)  It would be a busy week ahead with preparing for Christmas and finishing up school for 2013.  Minus a few bumps in the road, Greg and I are absolutely amazed at how well the trip went...we all survived and even enjoyed ourselves!!!  I think it's safe to say that I see more road trips in our future...just not anytime too soon.  :)

Road Trip - Sickies, Vegas, Sickies

After two fantastic days at Disney, we were jolted awake about 1 a.m. on December 11th to the sound of Ben getting sick all over the bed.  Ewww.  Poor kid.  We rushed to the bathroom, and he and I spent the next 7 hours there...sickies and sleeping, sickies and sleeping.  By 8 a.m., he was feeling a bit better and ready to move to the couch for a bit of toast and cartoons.  Not sure if it was something he ate or just a little bug, but we're grateful it didn't last too long.  It did put a little damper on our last day in CA, but we were just happy to spend the time with Grandma telling her all about our Disney adventures. 

 

And then it came...December 12th...time to say goodbye.  :(  We enjoyed some more apple fritters and another quick visit from Joe in the morning before packing up and saying goodbye to Grandma.  It was SO HARD leaving.  We had such a special time with Grandma and certainly didn't want it to end.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Grandma for letting us invade your home for a week!!  We could not be more grateful for the time we spent with you and the memories we made.  We love you!!!

On the road again!  We left Costa Mesa around noon bound for Las Vegas.  It was a pretty day and an easy drive with one short stop for a California Starbucks mug.  :) 

 

We reached Vegas around 4:30 p.m. and got a view of the Strip before arriving at our hotel, Mandalay Bay.

As we unloaded the car, we realized Nathalie had a fever and was not feeling well.  :(  We made it to our room, and then decided we better grab a quick dinner and get the little gal to bed.  We found a place to get some pizza in our hotel.  Didn't matter to Nathalie...she put her head in my lap as soon as we sat down and slept right through dinner. 

Nathalie and I headed back to the room for pj's and bedtime before 8 p.m.  But, the Zabikow boys explored Vegas together...walking through hotel lobbies all decorated for Christmas and of course watching the Bellagio fountain show.  I think Greg and Ben had a great "PG-rated" time in Sin City!

 

 

Oh brother...back to the sickies.  Nathalie woke up around midnight with this little cough that made me think it wasn't really a cough.  We get into the bathroom and out it comes.  Ugh.  So, it was another night of sleeping on a bathroom floor.  Not a great way to pull an "all-nighter" in Vegas.  Ha!  Although, she only got sick a couple of times, and then it was just back to fighting her fever.  By morning, some of her spunk had returned, but we were really cautious about getting on the road for a long day of driving with a potentially sick kid.  What to do???  Well, at least the sun was shining!