Before that boring stuff though, I'll share our trip!
Unlike other Christmas vacations, we only stayed in the desert sun this time (yes, I know Utah is technically a desert, but I still say no). Taylor, Ella and I started our trip south and drove to Deming, NM and stayed a short but sweet night with Taylor's sister, Chelsea. We loved seeing their cute house and having a place to rest for the night before continuing on to Arizona. The next morning we woke up and drove the few hours to Phoenix to drop Ella off at Grandma's house. Since my mom is craving for a grand-child I thought letting her watch our dog would fulfill her Grandma wishes.
We then headed south from there to Tucson where we spent a few days with my grandparents. The first night we relaxed and had Grandma's chili. Words of wisdom from Grandma, "You can never mess up chili" and boy is she right!
The next day we ventured over to the Pima Space & Air Museum. I haven't been married a long time but I have learned that if your husband wants to go to an air museum, you let the man go to the damn air museum.
The next few days were spent relaxing and enjoying delicious food. Our bellies were happy and we both love spending time with my Grandma and Grandpa.
After Tucson we went back to Phoenix and spent a few days with my mom. It was also very relaxing and fun! We stayed up playing games, chatting, and Ella pretended to be scary to the cats. We also got in a visit with good friends including my favorite Maes Family.
The journey certainly didn't end in Arizona. While Taylor was deployed I bought us a two night stay at the Westin Lake Resort on Lake Las Vegas. The first day we were supposed to be there was a Sunday and we ALL know that Sunday's are dedicated to football and the Broncos. Of course the Broncos had the early game which meant 10:00 am, Nevada time.
Taylor and I thought this through and through, knowing that they were an hour earlier but for whatever reason had it stuck in our heads that we had to leave at 4:00 am to make it by 10:00 am kick off. We wake up and are on the road by 4:00 am only to get to Vegas by 8:00 am. DUH. Well at least we didn't miss kick-off!
The Broncos started our Vegas stay with a win and from there we wandered the strip, did a little gambling, and enjoyed the crazy people on the street. The resort was 20 minutes outside of Vegas making it nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle. It was in a beautiful location and was exactly what we were looking for.
We left Sin City and headed back to Phoenix. We didn't return as millionaires but we also didn't lose any pennies! Taylor and I were thankful to spend Christmas Eve and Day with my mom and sister and be around family and people we love.
Finally, we headed back to Colorado Springs with the desert sun behind us and Ella in the backseat. It might seem like the vacation is over now but don't worry folks, Taylor still had ten more days off!
I can't remember the last time I wasn't in Utah to bring in the New Year but this NYE we blew our horns and lit our sparklers in Downtown Colorado Springs. It certainly didn't beat being with our friends back home but I assure you I didn't dance any different or sip my cocktails any slower.
Okay, Okay, vacation is almost over!
Just this past Monday, Taylor went up to Loveland and skied with his buddy for the first time in about 2 years! He said he was pretty rusty to begin with but finally found his groove.
And there we have it, our vacation has finally come to a close. We worked out for the first time today and I can already feel the sore muscles settling in. Getting back into our routine is going to be rough but I sure am excited. Oh! and for your visual taste buds here is the homemade Vodka Sauce with Penne and Italian Sausage I made last night. Don't worry, most of the vodka went into the dish.
