An Armadillo and Krispy Kremes

We returned home yesterday afternoon. Vegas was fun and relaxing. Rest has definately been nice. :)

Mandalay Bay charges $27 to use their fitness room!!! I wasn't about to pay that... so I did a CrossFit workout in our room on Wednesday afternoon. I used the cushioned foot rest as an 'exercise ball' with my feet braced beneath the mattress to do back extensions (as part of the warm-up). I then proceeded with a CF workout that requires little equipment and therefore fit my circumstances. I almost did the complete workout as prescribed but had to sub 'lunges' for 'pull-ups' as I didn't have the ability to improvise in the room. "Barbara" should have been 20 pull-ups and 30 push-ups, but I'm still trying to ease into the stress on my wrist.

Barbara-esque (5 rounds for time):
20 push-ups
30 lunges
40 sit-ups
50 squats
I completed the 5 rounds in 35:?? I was tired when I was done though, and since DH was at a conference session, I took a short nap. I started to feel a little sore by the following evening, typical of a CF workout.

Weather in Vegas was yucky. A dust storm came in so swimming & sunbathing were out as was running outdoors. I had intended to run up and down the stairwell on Thursday, but elected to chill with DH instead. We did a lot of 'brisk walking' up and down the strip, though. :)

Wed night we went out to dinner at PFChangs (DH's favorite) and I enjoyed 3 yummy mojitos (one raspberry mojito at Red White & Blue w/in Mandalay Bay before we departed and two pear mojitos at Changs). I started to get a little silly so I drew the line there. Fortunately, I had plenty of food in the belly so there were no ill effects. I'm on a quest now, though, for those recipes. Anyone with a great mojito recipe - please post it in the comments section! Share!!! :)

Thr night was the 'costume party' as part of the conference. It was at the House of Blues w/in Mandalay Bay. Great food. Great music. Great company. I dressed up as one of those girls that brings you drinks while you gamble... no, not really. But I did look HOT! I wore a black, skin tight strapless dress with fishnet stockings and strappy black heels. I noticed several guys looking me over. Hee Hee :)

The best thing about this little getaway, besides the frequent, uninterupted naps, was the ability to actually have a converation with my husband. No distractions... well... I can't actually say that is true - his phone did interrupt a few times - but it was nice to have an adult conversation. To not worry about where the little ones were running off to... what they were getting into... etc.

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Before we departed, my little princess requested that I bring her an Armadillo. I was quite surprised by this request (I don't exactly know where the fascination with Armadillos developed) and also quite concerned I would be unsuccessful locating one... so in preparation for failure, I had been assured by her, "Oh. I would like any small animal that I don't already have."

Upon arrival, it became my mission to find an Armadillo. Within Mandalay Bay, there are a number of shops... the first one I came upon was coincidently a toy store. When we entered, I was immediately distracted by some costumes (NASA, Airplane Pilot, Firefighter - thinking of my little buddy and gathering ideas for Halloween) so DH asked the clerk if they had Armadillos (he's always in the 'Let's get this over with' mind set and not too keen on leisurely browsing). He was told that they did not, so after another moment or two, we departed. We visited each of the other stores that looked promising but failed each time. As we were walking back to our room, I thought I'd stop at the toy store again, this time to gather ideas for 'Plan B' that was sure to be needed.

I started to browse through the stuffed animals in search of 'another small animal' and would you believe it? I found an Armadillo!! I was shocked! I spoke with my princess the next morning and informed her that I had a surprise for her. Her first thought was, "Is it an Armadillo?!"

When we returned home, I got out the video camera in anticipation of her reaction (we missed her reaction at Christmas and I didn't want to miss it this time as I anticipated it would be very similiar). She opened the bag very calmly and serenly. When she pulled him out she said, "But, I wanted a real one."

"Huh?! Oh my! Sorry, honey. I don't know if an Armadillo would make a very good pet. You do like it, though, right?" She assured me she did... giving it a hug. A short time thereafter, my little buddy showed me the new Diego book that Grandma had read to them in our absence (I'd left a gift bag with a few new books, toys, and activities). In it, there is a story of an Armadillo and together, my sweeties covered their head and rolled on the ground like Armadillos, just as Diego had showed them. So cute!

"Remember the Velveteen Rabbit? If you love the Armadillo like the little boy loved the rabbit, it will become real, too."

We also brought home a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I'd I known how many people would offer to buy a doughnut from me on our return, I would have bought more! I could have made a fortune! Certainly more than I could've made gambling... I stink at the slots/tables. I gambled $1 ... for Wes ... at the roulette table ... and lost. Sorry, Wes.