Viva Las Vegas

We had booked a hotel in Vegas for my parents a little while ago but at the last minute they weren’t able to make it. My in-laws are in town now too so we asked them if they would like to go but it was a little too rushed for them. We were going to just go ahead and cancel the reservation when I jokingly suggested that maybe I could go instead. My husband thought that that was a great idea and was really pushing for me to go and since my in-laws were in town they said that they would be happy to watch the kids for me.
Now I’ve never been on a vacation by myself and for those of you that know me, I’m an extremely needy and dependent person that has never felt the need to go off by myself anywhere. But somewhere along the way of becoming a mom I’ve been able to grow a little bit more in my independence (not that much though). And so after some hemming and hawing and some eager prodding by my husband I decided to take this opportunity and go to Vegas. Of course at first I was a little nervous about the 4.5 hour drive each way and what I was going to do by myself in Vegas but as the time got nearer I began to find myself getting a little excited and looking forward to this mini vacation. I went to the library and picked out a couple books on tape to keep me company on my drive and packed my swimsuit and my twilight series books.
I left on a Thursday morning and found the drive to be extremely smooth and traffic free and the book on tape was very entertaining to make the drive go by pretty fast. Once I got checked in to the hotel (Encore Hotel, super nice and fancy!) and was in my room I was absolutely giddy with excitement. I lounged around my suite (!) for a little bit and watched some MTV Run’s House episodes… oh how I’ve missed having cable TV at home. Soon after, I quickly changed into my swimsuit and picked up my twilight book and headed downstairs for a quick bite to eat and then to the pool. Later that night I met up with an old college friend and it was great catching up with her too. I ended the night finishing my Twilight books at a very late hour and canceling my breakfast plans with my friend so I could sleep in.
As I was talking to M that night and I was telling him just how short my trip felt he went and found me another hotel so I could extend my stay another day. I think he was almost as excited as I was that I was on a vacation by myself and having so much fun.
The next day was more of the same relaxing fun. Ate lunch, went window shopping, relaxed by the pool, enjoyed room service, and lost $40 in slot machines. There were certainly times where I thought to myself how nice it would’ve been if M could’ve come with me but at the same time thoroughly enjoying my experience on my own for the first time too. Ummm… I didn’t really miss the kids all that much but when I did see their pics on my phone I would smile to myself.
By the time Saturday morning rolled around, even though I had a great time I was ready to hit the road and go home. I felt like this trip helped me expand my independence and my confidence in just how much I can do by myself and enjoy myself too. And it was nice knowing that my husband was just as encouraging and happy for me knowing that it would help “spread my wings” and ease my anxieties and give me a break from the kids.
As soon as I got home it was back to the grind… our family had to rush and get dressed for a wedding and the two kids just did not cooperate very well at the wedding and reception that night. When we finally got home and put the kids to bed it was a late night as I was finishing prepping for J’s birthday party the next day. After the party was over and our whole family was ready to crash for the afternoon I began daydreaming on where I would go for my next trip without my family… hmmm… maybe Palm Springs.