Las Vegas, UT

For us, Las Vegas might as well be a city in Utah. We can't seem to go to Utah without making a trip down to the desert. We love going out west. We love the west.

Utah has friends and family, old hang-out spots, and Tucanos (among other of Brad's favorite eating establishments not found elsewhere.) We both love Salt Lake too. It was nice to take Addison out to the place we met, and introduce her to all of our friends.

While I don't think we'd want to live out west, we'd certainly like to be able to visit more often. Lots of good memories in Utah for both of us.

Getting ready for our decent into Salt Lake. The only reason I post this picture is to show our little angel, all tuckered out after a long day of flying. She caught a little bug on the plane and was coughing the whole time. Poor thing.

So, upon landing, instead of being good parents and putting her to bed, we went to the Skybox for dinner with some friends. I shot hoops while we waited. Addy loved it. "Ball! Ball! *cough-cough* Ball!"

We soon found out just how sick she was as she spewed all over our table. Addy had never done that before, and she was pretty scared. She promptly fell asleep. We ate quick and got out of there in our rented PT Cruiser - a very spacious car.

The next day, she seemed better, so we went up to Ogden to see Robyn, Jeremy, and Elise. We went to Best Burger, which consistently lives up to its name, and then went bowling at Fat Cats.

From Ogden we drove down to Spanish Fork (2 hours) to visit a family from Brad's mission, and then drove back up to Orem to go out to Iggy's with a portion of the Kalamazoo, UT community. It was then back to Salt Lake.

We stayed with Heather and Gary, friends of ours from back home, who moved back to their home in UT. They live in Holladay, and we are ever so grateful for their hospitality and patience as Addy continued to throw up all over their house.
Here Amanda and Heather do some cross-country skiing at Heather's parents' house.

It's actually hard to call it a house. It's huge. Huge enough for an indoor pool. We enjoyed it, especially after the mountain experience. I won't get into that.

The pool has a Flintstones-style slide and diving board.

Amanda, Addy, Tommy, and Heather enjoying the water.

Addy, either ready to get out, or hating the swimmies.

We had a Sunday night get-together at Bryan and Rose's. Brett and Kim came over.

By Monday, 6 days in, Addy was still sick and contaminating everyone she met. Krisina and Andrea both got the bug immediately after this photo.

The last two days in Utah were a total wash, as Amanda and I both got sick at the same time. It was horrible trying to take care of Addy, who seemed to be better, while we took turns in the bathroom. I'll leave out the details. Aaron got sick at the same time, and Rose, our gracious host, caught it Wednesday - the day we left for Vegas.

It was a shame, because there were things we couldn't do and people we didn't get to see. We essentially lost our last two days in Utah. I didn't even get to go to Orem-Tucanos. That was my home away from home!

Oh well, we'll just have to come back.

Off to Vegas!

I tried to catch a picture of the sign, as I drove the rental mini-van.

We got a great deal on a suite at the Stratosphere, that was spacious enough for all of us. This is the view of downtown from our room.

Adam and Sam and the kids came up from Tuscon. It was great hanging out with them.

We spent part of the day at New York New York in the arcade. Addison didn't like this machine. I'm mean, I know.

Pausing for a pic on the south end of the strip.

We hit the oh-so-exciting M&M store. Addy always wants to eat M&M's. She didn't seem to like the really big ones. Man, I am mean, aren't I? I need to get that checked...

Not only am I mean, but I can be pretty dumb. So, I saw the wall of M&M's (with all kinds of funky colors) and I thought, "That sounds good. I think I'll buy some M&M's."

So, I pick a couple of colors, and go to check out. "$13.75" the guy says. I guess I had a pound of them, because I later found out they cost $11/pound. So, this is me with my $14 bag of M&M's.

Crossing over the bridge to the Mirage. I really love this bridge. It doesn't make sense to anyone but me, but there are a lot of memories tied to this spot in Vegas.

This is the first of several of my scenery pictures. I should do postcards.

This is leaving the Mirage, heading over to the Venetian.

I think if you ask me why I love Las Vegas so much, I could tell you a lot of things. But most of all, I love the sights. I love the buildings. It's beautiful down there on the strip, and there are many moments to take a really nice picture.

Here the Stratosphere is framed by the palm trees and the Wynn complex on the right.

Here's a nice family pic inside the new Palazzo at the Venetian.

This show takes place where we were sitting in the previous picture. Those aren't statues.

See, they came down the escalator earlier.

It was kinda' creepy, and to be honest, a little boring.

A nice picture of the Wynn Resort, with the brand-spankin' new Encore.

We gave ourselves a tour of Encore. Amanda really liked this rug in one of the halls.

You should see the bathrooms in this place.

...And here's the bathroom. Very nice.

The outside of the Palazzo.

Back at the hotel, Addy and Ethan had a moment. They're kissing cousins, or second cousins, or first cousins once removed. I don't know how that stuff works.

Friday, we headed over to Matt and Nicole's. I love this picture of Kylie and me.

Aaron and Malia. She belongs to Adam and Sam.

Baby Kadyn, surprised to see us.

Little Kacey. She's so pretty.

Kylie being Kylie. She's got quite the personality and is a total sweetheart.

I can't believe she's gonna be 5.

All of the Boyd grand-daughters. Matt and Nicole's house turned into a photo-shoot.

Addison loved playing with her cousins for the first time.

Let's get Grandma and Grandpa in there.

Add Ethan and Malia. All of the kids here. Addy took off after this one. She was done.

One more.

For the first time in a long time, I present...the Boyd family.

We headed over to Aliante Station, the local casino, were we enjoyed the Station Casinos buffet.

Kylie is such a sweet girl. She wanted to help feed Addy, who seems awfully suspicious of what is going on.

Later that night, I surprised Amanda with tickets to Ka, the Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand. We went with JJ and Marika. It was really good with this incredible stage that kept moving, floating, tilting and rotating. It was our 3rd Cirque show. We hope to see them all at some point.

Looking out the window as we head down the runway towards Philly.

We woke up Saturday, checked out, and headed back north to have Mark's Pizza with the family before heading to the airport. I stopped at In N Out, because I wasn't about to go to Vegas without getting an In N Out burger.

It was great to visit Utah and Vegas and to see everyone. There was a lot left on our 'To Do' list, so we're gonna have to return soon.

It's Been a Month?

Sooo, the past month has been a busy one. Brad has been averaging about 70 hours a week at work, and we went away for 13 days. More on that later.

In other news, our friend Kristen celebrated her birthday by having an Ugly Sweater Party. It's a cool idea, I think. We went to Goodwill to find some "Saved By the Bell" sweaters. (Come on, you know what I'm talking about.) Ah, the early '90's...

I apologize to anyone who may own a similar looking sweater. I don't mean to offend anyone!

Amanda and Kristen

Amanda and Brad - Brad had a 'hairy' sweater.

Brad. Marc, and Justin. Not bad, Justin. Not bad.

And the entire group.

Vote for the Ugliest!

Surgery for Brad, Again

So, if you remember back to May/June, I had surgery to remove a large kidney stone. After the stone extraction, it's time to find out what is causing the stones. They tested my blood, and found that my blood-calcium level was really high. My urologist said it was the highest he'd seen - off the charts. It was so high, that when they removed the stents from my previous surgery, they were calcified. It was kinda gross.

Well, he diagnosed me with hyperparathyroidism - look it up if you want to know all of the details. Basically, the parathyroid gland releases a hormone that regulates the levels of calcium in your blood and bones. They did a CT scan and found that my lower right parathyroid was indeed overactive, with some tumorous tissue, and removing it usually resolves the calcium problem. I went in on January 16th.

The surgery consists of a cut across the bottom of the neck (that's me above). The parathyroids are typically buried in the neck, so my doctor had to do some "digging" to get to it. The red mark underneath is a drainage hole. I had a tube sticking out of my neck for a day after the surgery.

Anyway, the surgery left me with a nice scar, a lot of swelling and a weak voice. The voice returned, and the swelling is still gradually going away. The doctor said it will take a full year for the wound to heal.

My body is still adjusting to the new calcium level, and it is normal now. But since I'm used to a higher level, my muscles thought I was calcium deficient. My limbs fell asleep very easily. I had numbness, twitching, cramping. That stuff is gradually going away, and I should feel normal in a few weeks.

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

So, after what was one of the greatest days of my life, December 28th, when the Eagles beat the Cowboys to make the playoffs, I decided that my current game-viewing options just were not up to par.

I had to watch the first Eagles playoff win against the Vikings at work, and I decided for the rematch versus the Giants, I needed something better, since I was going to be home and have people over. So, I used some Christmas money and bought a new TV.

I got it at Costco the day before the game. I wanted a Vizio, with the 120Hz refreshing speed, but they were sold out. Not willing to wait until they got more in, and not willing to watch the Eagles/Giants game on my old TV, I got the next best thing.

It's a Sharp Aquos 46" LCD. It has a lot of great features, and is extra thin.

I still have the plastic on it in case I find a better deal. Costco has a wonderful no-questions-asked 90-day return policy. But, I think I'm gonna keep it.

These two pictures, by the way, are from that same Eagles/Giants game, just after the Eagles put them away with a 4th quarter touchdown.

Marc and I enjoyed the game. It felt like this was our year...finally.

Me and my son, Addison. He, I mean, she loves the Eagles.

Seriously, is this what our son will look like?

Marc, Kristen, Amanda, and me after the game.
E-A-G-L-E-S-EAGLES!

I said it was the worst of times too... because next week brought the NFC Championship Game.
Deja Vu all over again.
I don't have any pics from the game. I was too depressed to take any.
Amanda managed to take a few.

This is Kory Swavely, Zac and Kaylan's new baby. They brought her over to meet everyone.

As you can see, she has more hair than Addison already.

January 18th was also Kristen's birthday, which we found enough positive energy after the game to celebrate.

Addy didn't care about the game, just give her some cake!

New Year's 2009

So, let me preface this whole post by saying that while we spent 10 days in Chicago, I enjoyed not having to shave. I could join my beloved Eagles in growing a playoff beard, not shaving until they lost.

Well, upon returning home, I knew I could not return to work looking like I did. But, I remembered way back when my boss told me that a mustache was appropriate for work, but nothing else. So, I shaved it all except for what became my playoff mustache.

I know what you're all thinking..."Sexy".

On to the New Year's photos...

Speaking of sexy...

Really speaking of sexy...
Mitch and Aaron enjoying the festivities of what turned out to be a 'quaint' party.

Sexy has taken on a whole new meaning here.

This shirt was a gag gift that Amanda and Ashley gave to Justin, who attended but managed to remain un-photographed. Since, I had the sexy mustache, I figured I'd go for the - shall we say - 'I put the GRRR in Swinger, Baby' look.
Man, that's a hideous picture.

We got Addy up for the stroke of midnight. She even had a sip of the Martinelli's. She was much more into it than last year.

See?

Back to this year.
Addy pauses for a pic before she goes back to bed.
You can still see the sleep in her eyes.

The off us toasting the New Year.
Ugh, remind me to never grow a mustache again.

So, New Year's Eve came and went. The next day we went to my parents to exchange Christmas gifts. Addy got spoiled.

She progressively got good at opening gifts. At her birthday, she was clueless. By New Year's, she was a pro.

Her new Little People's Amusement Park, a toy she and her daddy can enjoy!

As if she's saying, "Come on, Mom, this is really getting old!"

"What is it?!" It's a Super Star stage and mirror.

You should see her sing into the microphone!

Lastly, this is Mom opening her two new books, full of photos from our last two family beach trips. She loved them. So did Aaron.