Surprise Jackpot in Las Vegas

I turned 40 this past Wednesday (September 24). My fabulous husband surprised me with a birthday trip to Las Vegas, NV where I lived for 11 years before moving to Knoxville, TN.   

 

I happened to mention to my husband several weeks ago that I would love to visit Las Vegas and celebrate my 40^th with my friends and family. It was only mentioned once and only in passing.  Wow – what a surprise.

 

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and planned to have dinner at the Bootlegger Bistro with my best friends in Vegas, Greg and Michele, my parents, aunt and brother & sister-in-law. Instead I was greeted at dinner by my friends, my family mentioned above (who drove in from Albuquerque, NM) and also by my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Don (he is my favorite uncle) who flew in from Nebraska. My best friend Kim from childhood was supposed to fly in from Montana but had to cancel at the last minute.  Her husband in serving in our National Guard and was called to duty. Needless to say I was very overwhelmed and very surprised by all of my dinner companions. 

 

The next day the surprises kept on coming!  That afternoon I thought we were going to Greg and Michele’s for a nice quiet visit but instead I found myself at a party for me with everyone from the night before and some additional surprise visitors – one who even flew in from Reno, NV.  Wow!

 

Hoover Dam

On Monday the festivities slowed down a bit and my husband and I were able to slip away to eat breakfast at Blueberry Hill (one of my favorite Vegas hangouts) and take a tour of Hoover Dam.  What an amazing construction and engineering masterpiece.

 

The entire weekend was a beautiful experience although somewhat surreal… to have all those people whom I love so dearly in the same place at the same time was truly amazing.  With the exception of my family in Albuquerque no one else had met my husband yet (we married in December 2006).  This trip provided an opportunity for him to meet more of my family and some of my very dear friends. We made several beautiful new memories that I will treasure forever.

 

My very sneaky husband is a very thoughtful man – I think I’ll keep him.

 

Have you ever been surprised?  Post a comment and tell me about it.

 

-Kerri

 

 

 

 

Family Immersion Vacation

My family just returned from the biggest adventure we have ever taken as a group.  Out of cell phone range, no texting, no TV – only stars, water, rocks (lots of them) and the quiet disturbed by the simple roar of a million cicadas.  If the location is not obvious, I’ll give you a big hint – it was a Grand time.  The five of us rafted 160 miles of the Colorado River through the heart of the Grand Canyon under the expert care and supervision of Outdoors Unlimited. 

 

Our float was a 7 person raft all of 12 feet long.  In fact, we saw a condor in the distance whose wingspan was bigger than our craft!  Over the course of 8 days, we conquered over 100 rapids ranging from class 2-5 (3-10 in the Canyon numbering system) and were fortunate that our family did not have a “swimmer” except when we wanted to cool off.  For our youngest, an 11-year-old, it was a time of overcoming fear born of waves that were three times his size.  For our oldest, it was a time of humility having to shampoo in waters soiled by the flash floods of the Little Colorado upstream. 

 

As for me, it was a time to watch my family grow closer together through the shared experience.  The first day’s 7.5 mile hike from the Rim deep into the Canyon where the Colorado River cut its path was a challenge for us all as the heat of the day built.  Our college student raced down reaching the end about an hour before the rest of us and then returned to help her sister with her load!  We were glad to see her and thankful for the help and attitude.  Seeing my wife try to sleep in the 90 degree heat and then waking the next day to paddle 25 miles with a smile on her face provided me with a deeper appreciation of her commitment to being one with the family.  She wouldn’t have had the rest of us share the experience without her being there! 

 

And then there was the excitement – rapids that have challenged the best and that roar with the power of a thousand locomotives.  At heart, I am a bit of a tinkerer and I made a little fixture for a hat that could hold a camera, “HatCam” as it became affectionately called.  After thorough testing, we braved Lava Falls with the rig in the raft and you might enjoy the 1 minute condensed version of the ride on YouTube.

 

I just adored the enthusiasm of my son as he finished the ride without falling out.  I think his mom was greatly relieved as we realized this was the toughest one we would face on the 8-day trip. 

 

Also of note for me on the trip was the beauty of the night sky.  Seeing with the naked-eye man-made satellites course the sky, the Milky-Way stretch across from horizon to horizon and the awesome countless stars that just are not visible in Tennessee were my nighttime highlights.  When the cicadas quieted, the silence was deafening and the scene powerfully peaceful.  It was a special time to consider the awesome wonder of creation and the timeless splendor of nature.

 

So far from our comfort zone, we deepened our respect for those skilled at navigating these waters and that took such great care of us.  Enjoying the journey with new friends and families from California, Kentucky, Washington state and Canada we realized that shared experience can gel a community very quickly!   That’s part of our plan for Abunga – that the shared experience of making intentional choices for our family will grow a strong and purposeful community.

 

Lee Martin