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sublimatedangelLet's see, October goodness... with cuts for those who just want the overview.
As mentioned previously, Nate and I spent our anniversary with a couple-y, romantic trip to Las Vegas. That went really well. We drove up on Thursday after dropping Alex off at preschool (Grandma picked him up, then transferred him to the other grandparents on Saturday for the rest of the time) and made decent time. Nate really loves to drive... it's a great source of relaxation and destressing for him, and I've never minded long car trips. We arrived in the evening and checked into our little apartment suite at the Desert Rose, which was very nice. Not as lavish as some of the more decadent places, but definitely nicer than a standard hotel place. We debated doing something but decided we'd rather take it easy, unpack and relax. It ended up being a good choice, as the rest of the trip was pretty packed, and we were able to be refreshed and relaxed before we jumped into the thick of it.
We've been to Vegas once before, but of course, there's just so much to do and see! We did lots of the typical tourist stuff, shopping and wandering the strip, taking in the sights. On Friday (our anniversary), we exchanged cards and gifts and went to the Eiffel Tower restaurant for dinner (an echo of having visited Paris on our honeymoon). Dinner was wonderful, with a view of the Bellagio fountains and just incredible food. Pricy, but perfect for a special occasion. We then headed over to the Wynn for Le Reve. The show was amazing; disjointed at moments by the transition between one scene and the next, but most of it flowed smoothly with several key elements tying it all together. The water play and aerial acrobatics were breathtaking, and of course the set and costuming was just incredible. I enjoyed it very much and was disappointed that the gift shop didn't have anything I wanted to bring home.
Saturday's main event was Phantom of the Opera. It's the first musical I ever saw live (I took Nate for his 18th birthday) and remains one of my favorites. We had excellent seats and the performance was very good; I wasn't sure what to expect in Las Vegas, but I was well pleased. Afterwards we went and saw Bite - oh come on, it's vampires, how could I resist it? It was... enh, light fun. Mostly I was struck by the way that many of the performers were clearly trained far beyond what you'd usually find in a topless show, and it made me think about the intense competition there must be to get even the small, less glamorous parts like that, let alone the really big Cirque/etc shows. Kind of sad but also impressive, the sheer teeming tide of talented performers hoping to make something of themselves, you know? Sunday we did a bit of last minute stuff and then headed for home... it was good to get back, though I would have dearly loved an extra day or two there. Nate's dad and Karen brought Alex back on Monday morning, and life goes on.
Alex had to have some major dental work done. Made me feel sad and guilty, although the dentists assured me that it's very common for kids his age. He was sedated for the appointment, and I suppose it went as well as can be expected. He had a really hard time with the eating/drinking restrictions beforehand, made all the more difficult because I *have* to eat regularly. I'm sure it just seemed monstrously unfair, and it was a very long, heartbreaking morning denying him over and over as he plaintively begged for various food. Coming out of the anasthesia was rough, and he didn't snap right back to his usual self, so the whole day was kind of a loss. He was able to nap which helped a bit, and nothing keeps him down for long - he's bounced right back to normal with a little time. He doesn't seem to be bothered by memories or any lingering problems from the dental work, and we should hopefully be clear sailing now.
My mom's been doing poorly again... on the downswing, and it's pretty swift. She's aware of it (and really kind of... dismayed by it) and that makes it a bit easier - don't have to deal with denying her Alex time because she knows she's not well enough for him. She saw the rheumatologist today, and so should be getting another dose of chemo in order to combat it and hopefully get back to feeling better. She was doing so well for a bit; ironically, just after I found some peace and perspective on the matter, but it's not like that goes to waste :P Anyhow, I should have called her but forgot to; will do so tomorrow to make sure chemo is scheduled, and with luck it will continue being effective and she'll be back to her... new normal?
In better news, getting disability for her continues to crawl along, slowly but still moving. She's been declared medically eligible, which means they realize her condition means she can't possibly hold down a normal job. Now we just have to prove the nonmedical part... presumably show that she's not independently wealthy or anything, and truly does need government assistance. I'm sure it will be a lengthy and unpleasant process, but I still see it as one step closer to at least *part* of this whole mess being over with.
As mentioned previously, Nate and I spent our anniversary with a couple-y, romantic trip to Las Vegas. That went really well. We drove up on Thursday after dropping Alex off at preschool (Grandma picked him up, then transferred him to the other grandparents on Saturday for the rest of the time) and made decent time. Nate really loves to drive... it's a great source of relaxation and destressing for him, and I've never minded long car trips. We arrived in the evening and checked into our little apartment suite at the Desert Rose, which was very nice. Not as lavish as some of the more decadent places, but definitely nicer than a standard hotel place. We debated doing something but decided we'd rather take it easy, unpack and relax. It ended up being a good choice, as the rest of the trip was pretty packed, and we were able to be refreshed and relaxed before we jumped into the thick of it.
We've been to Vegas once before, but of course, there's just so much to do and see! We did lots of the typical tourist stuff, shopping and wandering the strip, taking in the sights. On Friday (our anniversary), we exchanged cards and gifts and went to the Eiffel Tower restaurant for dinner (an echo of having visited Paris on our honeymoon). Dinner was wonderful, with a view of the Bellagio fountains and just incredible food. Pricy, but perfect for a special occasion. We then headed over to the Wynn for Le Reve. The show was amazing; disjointed at moments by the transition between one scene and the next, but most of it flowed smoothly with several key elements tying it all together. The water play and aerial acrobatics were breathtaking, and of course the set and costuming was just incredible. I enjoyed it very much and was disappointed that the gift shop didn't have anything I wanted to bring home.
Saturday's main event was Phantom of the Opera. It's the first musical I ever saw live (I took Nate for his 18th birthday) and remains one of my favorites. We had excellent seats and the performance was very good; I wasn't sure what to expect in Las Vegas, but I was well pleased. Afterwards we went and saw Bite - oh come on, it's vampires, how could I resist it? It was... enh, light fun. Mostly I was struck by the way that many of the performers were clearly trained far beyond what you'd usually find in a topless show, and it made me think about the intense competition there must be to get even the small, less glamorous parts like that, let alone the really big Cirque/etc shows. Kind of sad but also impressive, the sheer teeming tide of talented performers hoping to make something of themselves, you know? Sunday we did a bit of last minute stuff and then headed for home... it was good to get back, though I would have dearly loved an extra day or two there. Nate's dad and Karen brought Alex back on Monday morning, and life goes on.
Alex had to have some major dental work done. Made me feel sad and guilty, although the dentists assured me that it's very common for kids his age. He was sedated for the appointment, and I suppose it went as well as can be expected. He had a really hard time with the eating/drinking restrictions beforehand, made all the more difficult because I *have* to eat regularly. I'm sure it just seemed monstrously unfair, and it was a very long, heartbreaking morning denying him over and over as he plaintively begged for various food. Coming out of the anasthesia was rough, and he didn't snap right back to his usual self, so the whole day was kind of a loss. He was able to nap which helped a bit, and nothing keeps him down for long - he's bounced right back to normal with a little time. He doesn't seem to be bothered by memories or any lingering problems from the dental work, and we should hopefully be clear sailing now.
My mom's been doing poorly again... on the downswing, and it's pretty swift. She's aware of it (and really kind of... dismayed by it) and that makes it a bit easier - don't have to deal with denying her Alex time because she knows she's not well enough for him. She saw the rheumatologist today, and so should be getting another dose of chemo in order to combat it and hopefully get back to feeling better. She was doing so well for a bit; ironically, just after I found some peace and perspective on the matter, but it's not like that goes to waste :P Anyhow, I should have called her but forgot to; will do so tomorrow to make sure chemo is scheduled, and with luck it will continue being effective and she'll be back to her... new normal?
In better news, getting disability for her continues to crawl along, slowly but still moving. She's been declared medically eligible, which means they realize her condition means she can't possibly hold down a normal job. Now we just have to prove the nonmedical part... presumably show that she's not independently wealthy or anything, and truly does need government assistance. I'm sure it will be a lengthy and unpleasant process, but I still see it as one step closer to at least *part* of this whole mess being over with.
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Date: 2008-10-15 04:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-15 05:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-15 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-15 05:16 pm (UTC)Unrelated: Have you been hearing that Linkin Park song, Leave Out All the Rest? I'm usually enh on his stuff, sometimes like it, sometimes don't, but I really love this one. It almost always makes me think of you, and I've been meaning to mention it for some time but keep forgetting.
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Date: 2008-10-15 04:39 pm (UTC)So glad you guys had such a great time in Vegas! Phantom of the Opera is my favorite - saw it in San Francisco - in fact the same weekend that Princess Diana was killed. Would love to go see it again.
Looking forward to seeing little Alex when I'm down soon babysitting Chloe. We'll have to arrange a play date!
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Date: 2008-10-15 05:22 pm (UTC)San Francisco was where we saw it for the first time as well! I loved seeing it again, both to remember all the things I fell in love with the first time and to see the subtle nuances that are added by different performers' takes on the characters. Very interesting.
Absolutely yes on the play date! They really don't get much time together, which is a shame.
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Date: 2008-10-15 04:53 pm (UTC)Alex seemed fine to me on Saturday. That child has boundless energy! =)
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Date: 2008-10-15 05:28 pm (UTC)Yeah, he is a little energizer bunny most days :D Luckily usually well behaved too - I'm not sure how I'd keep up, otherwise.
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Date: 2008-10-15 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-29 06:04 am (UTC)I'm so sorry about your mother. I get incredibly frustrated when people speak badly of those receieving government benefits, becasue I know there are people like your mother all over the nation who truly deserve them and often can't get them. I'm sure it's awful for you to deal with, but thank goodness she has your support.
*hugs*