Bonnie Springs

This Saturday we went back in time to an old mining town from the 1880's that has been restored and turned into a ranch called Bonnie Springs. And while my camera has been on its last leg for awhile now (I dropped it back at Disney World and broke the cogs that open and shut the lens), wouldn't you know the ONE time I really, really want to take pictures it decides to die once and for all. I was so, so, so sad. These pictures are all I got of one of the wildest, rootin' tootin' things we've done in awhile.... Check it out more here.

The best way to describe it is was like a visit to Frontierland at Disney. It was like wandering around a deserted ghost town that they'd opened back up-- with a shooting gallery, barber, restaurant, saloon, cemetery, one room school house, horse back riding, and a little choo choo train you can ride on out into the desert to enjoy the scenery (Zachy's fav), etc. It's nestled back against Red Rock Canyon so the scenery was AMAZING and totally picturesque. They have random shows (and hangings) on Main Street with Deputy Jesse, so the kids got to participate in catching Mad Dog the Bandit in this one.

Posing for a picture with Mad Dog once they'd caught him. Lucy was a little scared of him, but Zachy crawled right up onto his knee. I hope that isn't indicative of his future as an outlaw. We decided to take a picnic and make a day of it and meet Paisley's family as well.

Checking out an old wagon from back in the day...

Heading into the Saloon for an old west melodrama!

And then my camera died....But a word about after the melodrama: We headed to a petting zoo that was, well, W-I-L-D. I thought I was either in a 3rd world country, or literally back in the 1880's. I had expected a few nanny goats and some sheep, but what we got was an "interactive petting zoo" where basically, you go into this enclosed paddock where there are all these wild animals roaming about. They had deer. Yes. Live DEER running around that you could pet. They had these HUGE pigs with tusks. Roosters. Hens. Llamas. Sheep. Bunnies. And a wolf (although he at least was in a cage). And mice. Lots and lots of mice everywhere. Lucy and Paisley kept chasing the deer trying to pet them, but naturally they were scared out of their wits and would run and jump over things to get away, and if I hadn't been carrying Zach he would have been tackled by a wild deer. Just imagine the PICTURES!!!!! Aaaaahhhh!! It was INSANE. I guess there's always next time...

Veteran's Day Escape

Well, I said it once and I'll say it again, I *heart* government holidays! Because luckily, Jonathan gets them all off which always provides a much needed breather!!


Today we headed back to Red Rock Canyon to check out a place called Calico Hills. I find the fact that millions of years ago this whole area was covered by an ocean SUPER fascinating, so I love the red rocks and cool formations.


The weather was a bit chilly (I say that with a note of glee mind you), but once we got down in the canyon away from the wind, it was perfect!

Lucy LOVED climbing up and down the rocks and has become kind of a connoisseur of impressive sights at her young age-- she'd say, "Wow mom! Look at that one!! Who built that one??" And we would answer, "Heavenly Father built all this." In awe she'd ask, "How'd He do that?!?" It was cute.


I'm with Lucy though, how did He do that?!? The desert is so beautiful in its own way!!


Mojave desert in the fall. Can you tell? I don't think I'd be able to tell a difference 6 months ago, but after living here long enough I really can tell the scenery has changed...maybe just because all the cactuses look dead...

Surprise!! Their are hundreds of wild horses and burros in this area and they come right up to your car begging for food, but feeding them is strictly prohibited. This little buggar would not leave us alone!! He kept tapping on my window with his nose and licking it. Sorry buddy!! No handouts for you... At least it was exciting for the kids!!


Okay, okay here's what was in it for me-- lunch at Panera (one of my East coast favs) that we newly discovered on the way home, and some cupcakes from the Cupcakery (featured on "Cupcake Wars") which were AMAZING!! It was the perfect day. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too??:)

Desert and Dessert

Since we've been doing so much of Jonathan's "thing" on the weekends lately, he told me I was in charge of planning Saturday and could do whatever I wanted. So I got online and searched and searched for the best "family" things to do in Vegas. And the conclusion I came to?? Doesn't exist. Here was the list again and again: eat at the Rainforest Cafe at MGM Grand (tried that), Shark Reef (been there), Mt. Charleston (done that), and the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory Tour and Cactus Garden. We'll try that!

We headed for some dessert and a little desert. Apparently Ethel M. Chocolates is a subsidiary of the Mars Corporation-- when Mr. Mars retired he wanted to just do a company focused on fine chocolates, so created Ethel M.

The "factory" was in Henderson (I will put factory in quotations because really, it was about as much of a factory as what you see at your neighborhood Krispy Kremes. A few conveyor belts, a few workers standing around, and a little chocolate coin to sample at the end). The entire tour took us maybe 5 minutes. And guess what! If you spent $35 in the gift store, you got a free chocolate bar. Wohoo!! I certainly wasn't expecting Hershey World, but this was kind of a bust.

Luckily there was a free cactus botanical garden next door. There were all sorts of different cacti, and it was decorated with Christmas lights.


By this point the chocolate coin had only wetted my children's voracious appetites so we decided to head down the Strip and see if we could dig something up.

Lucy LOVE/HATES these blue guys. Every time we see their picture on a taxi she freaks out and says, "I wanna see those guys!!" But when we found this she would NOT go near them.

Admiring the gondolas and canals in the Venetian.

Checking out the pirate ship in front of Treasure Island. We couldn't really find anything family friendly (aka affordable) in the casinos so we decided to head back home for lunch. I think I get an A for effort, but I think next weekend we'll be heading for the hills again.

Cheese Steak Connoisseurs, part 7

Bet you thought you'd seen the last of these!!! Well, I surprised even myself the other day when I discovered a little neighborhood steak joint while running errands. I convinced Jonathan to go connoisseur-ing with me tonight as kind of a gag but also for fun.

Location: Straight From Philly SteakOut, Las Vegas, NV

The place had all sorts of random Philly memorabilia that would have been lost on just about anyone not from Philly. They had Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles posters and jersies, Rocky Balboa stuff, pictures of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the Constitution and Ben Franklin, etc. Loved the ambiance!! It felt just like "home"-- like we could have been sitting right in our own Chubby's down on Henry Avenue.

Here's proof you can get a "real" cheese steak when not in the city of Brotherly Love! Apparently the owner is from Philly as well as the 2 workers we spoke to-- so they even gave us free drinks for being from Philly ourselves.

Cons: The meat was overcooked and dried out (it was the pre-frozen block kind). They didn't have whiz-- hello! just cheddar and provolone.

Pros: The bread was authentic!! I called it when I said to Jon, "I think this is Amoroso's (those of you from Philly know this bakery)," so we asked, and they DO have it shipped in specially!! Good for them. It isn't a steak without the right bread. The onions were really good.

After the first bite I admittedly did say, "This tastes like Philly!" It was weird and kind of homesick-making at the same time. Was it the best cheese steak I ever had?? Definitely not. Is it a poor man's substitute for the real deal?? Yup. But I guess it will have to do!!

A Mormon Halloween

**SIDENOTE: I think I had a breakthrough. I figured out why instead of basking in this glorious record heat (it was 86 degrees today) I'm cursing it. I am so used to fall, and colder, crisper weather by this time that it feels like I'm in this insane time warp where no time has passed. How can it POSSIBLY be November if it feels like 90 degrees outside and I'm still in shorts and flip flops?!? My mind can't comprehend it!! I feel stuck in July-- particularly when I'm wanting this year to go by fast for Jon's sake, and it's like no time has passed since the day we got here because the weather has remained. the. exact. same. Picture the movie "Groundhog's Day." There's been no indication that Yes! we've made it through 4 months! Yes! The changing of seasons has indeed occurred! Yes! Christmas is around the corner! I just don't believe it....**

Anyway, we had a fun Halloween weekend, of which I've already posted a part (see post previous). But wait! There's more!

On Friday afternoon (Jon had the day off due to "Nevada Day"-- I *heart* made-up government holidays!!) we checked out Valley of Fire which is AMAZING, but unfortunately I forgot my camera. I could just kill myself! Moving on... That still wasn't enough mountaineering for Jon, so he elected to hike a different trail at Mt. Charleston on Saturday. I wasn't about to get left behind all day again so I proposed the wives meet the hikers (Jon and Paisley's dad) up there for a fall picnic when they got done. Some fall picnic!! Within a 45 min. driving distance apparently you can traverse 3 seasons. I told you this place is a time warp. We went from sunny 75 degree Las Vegas to snowy, FREEZING, 40 degree windy mountain top. Not such a fun picnic...


Brrrrr!! They started at 6 a.m. and got snowed on, hailed on, and then rained on. Awesome. All while it was nice and sunny here in the valley. I love Mt. Doom, er, I mean Mt. Charleston!

Sunday I was the Scrooge of the neighborhood and wouldn't let my kids go trick or treating, so we carved pumpkins instead. They didn't seem to miss out, and Lucy LOVED answering the door for trick or treaters!! Is that a double standard?


We also watched one of our favorite Halloween movies, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and gorged on Halloween candy. Par-tay!!

The finished product. This was mine. A very simple ghost face. Good right?

Jon did the Belle silhouette for Lucy. It was crazy-detailed with the strands of hair and everything, and I just happened to bust our only little pumpkin saw while I was rounding the corner on my ghost, so he was seriously knife-impaired. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Half-naked children (Lucy minus her shirt and Zachy minus his pants) waiting for trick-or-treaters. (Almost all of which were skanky pre-teen girls, so I'm rethinking my purchase of good chocolate, and buying Jolly Ranchers next year instead.)

Doing a happy sugar-induced jig! Please take note of the heavy chocolate drool all down his front. That's my boy!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Tonight our ward had its annual Trunk-or-Treat party so we got the kids all decked out in their matcher-costumes and headed for the good stuff.

I wanted the kids to be themed this year because I think it's really cute when families, er, siblings match (let's face it, I don't dress up! But I did try to talk Jon into dressing up like "Doc."), so when Lucy said she wanted to be Snow White I immediately thought that Zachy should be Dopey.


We recruited Jon's mom to do all the sewing and creating of the costume--which she did totally by hand, without a pattern, and without even measuring Zachy, and it fit perfectly. The kid was a HIT!!! Everybody LOVED him!! So thanks go to Grandma Cardon for the superb costume.


Lucy trying to recreate the movie moment where Snow White kisses Dopey on his bald little head, but Zachy definitely NOT wanting to cooperate.

A glamour shot of the princess who FINALLY was allowed to wear makeup!!:)

The Cub Scouts were in charge of the activity and they started the festivities off with a pretty awesome dinner of cheese puffs and chili-dogs (belch!), excuse me!, and then had carnival games for the kids to play and face painting to boot. That was fun for awhile, but eventually got boring so Lucy and Zach ran like wild Indians through the gym until the Trunk or Treat finally began!

Now on to the good stuff!! Zachy was totally ornery by this time because it was past bed time, but quickly caught on to the fact that he was getting tons of candy (or "coo coo" as he calls it).

Jon eventually had to carry him because no one could keep up with how fast Lucy was knockin' out trunks! She definitely understands the concept of trick or treating this year!

They got TONS of candy and are spoiled rotten and will probably have rotten teeth, but that's what having a dad for a dentist is for, right?? Happy Halloween from Snow White and Dopey!!