Quick Takes Friday

1-
Well, my spending spree has not quite ended...On Wednesday hubby and I booked a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We are going a month early, as one of his co-workers has most of the month of July off, and since hubby has another Knights of Columbus meeting in Colorado Springs, we are flying out of Denver on Father's Day, staying 4 nights at the MGM Grand, flying back to Denver on Thursday, driving to Colorado Springs and staying at a Hilton down there (have I mentioned how very much I LOVE priceline??? I'm addicted, I have to admit. To stay one night at the three star hotel where hubby's meetings will be the hotel gave us a special rate of $147 a night. I spent $5 less than that for three nights through Priceline.

2-
In the "it's a good thing we already booked a trip to Vegas" category...yesterday I drove to a town about an hour from ours where my college roommate and her hubby live to visit. About 10 miles out of town (going 65 MPH) there was a tire in the road (I'm guessing pickup sized, my MIL thought it might be a semi tire) and all I had time to do was aim my wheels so they missed it by going over it...it launched us into the air, we landed, I started to lose control, got back in control pulled over, said a few things (which Charlotte repeated in the back seat) that I really didn't want my kids to hear me say, figured out how to use my hazard lights, called hubby. I checked my tires (all inflated) and looked for things hanging down from the car (nothing), so I proceeded into town, called roomie, asked her where her mechanic was located and if she could pick us up there...Well, the car is staying a few days down there (thank goodness MIL was willing to drive 2 hours to come get us...hubby was working in a town an hour in another direction!) I pushed back the part of the frame that is under the engine and holds it in by about a foot, and bent the part that connects the back driver's side wheel to the axle badly enough that it's pretty amazing that I didn't lose the wheel during the accident. So, my car looks about as good as the tire does (we stopped to take a picture on the way home...here's what I could remember...I saw the tire bounce off the road as I regained control, and it went down into a ditch next to a field with a fence. Not particularly the best description of something around here, because about 95% of the drive looks like that!)

3-
As I mentioned last week, we went up to the Knights of Columbus Colorado State Convention last weekend. We got there in time for Mass, and they do a really cool thing during the prayers of the faithful. They read the names of all of the Knights and Knight's wives (and some children if they are minor or unmarried)who have passed away in the last year, a candle is lit for each person, then they had 3 men, I military, one police, one fireman in uniform carry a bell to the front to ring three times while a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace". The girls didn't nap on the way up, but fell asleep during the reading of the names...and SLEPT THROUGH the bagpiper in the hotel ballroom where the Mass was held!

4-
After the Mass, we took the girls up to get dinner at the hospitality rooms, which were very crowded, but an interesting experience. Then we went back to our hotel (Priceline again...I'm so cheap) which was two hotels down, and hubby took the girls swimming, while I exercised in the fitness center (I have a few more days before I am cleared to swim and bathe, etc.) The fitness center was cool, it had a built in TV for every treadmill, bike, elliptical machine, etc. Very cool.

5-
Sunday, hubby was in business meetings all day...he had been told that there would be a kids room for kids activities...well, technically there was. They made breakfast, and my kids ate a ton, but they were the only kids (there was one other girl, but she was about 10, and after a while left to go hang out with her 14 year old brother) and they colored in the 10 year old's coloring books for a while. Charlotte threw a hissy fit so bad that I had to take her down from the 9th floor and out of the hotel to finish her fit. By the time I came back, it was basically Eva, a woman I know (who I left Eva with who was smart enough NOT to bring her two boys who are exactly a year older than each of my girls...) and two women who were cleaning up the room...so I ended up wandering around the hotel lobby for several HOURS with two small children bouncing off the walls...I was really ready for a nap by the time the men got done a half an hour late.

6-
For a fun family thing after hubby got done, we went to the Children's museum. The girls had a blast, but it was so crowded! Apparently, it is not a good idea to go on a Sunday...Charlotte LOVED the grocery store and restaurant play area, and Eva loved everything, but could have spent all day doing crafts in the arts and crafts area. She told everyone we've seen about the fire truck however, and they had a cool exhibit where she learned how to dial 911.

7-
My plans for today and tomorrow...not go anywhere or do anything...I'm tired and I don't want to get in a car for a while. I guess the fact that I'm car-less today while hubby works in the same town he was yesterday should help with that!

Of course, there are more quick takes over at Jen's blog!