The Circus

A friend offered me free tickets to the Ringling Bros. Circus at The Orleans. Knowing that my nephews (Dulce's boys) would be in town, I snatched the opportunity.

I haven't been to the circus since I was a young girl and so I was unsure how much I would enjoy it. I also worried that my nephews -- Ian is 10 while Nico is 7 -- might get bored. But my other sister Denise reminded me that the circus is always a fun event for everyone. She was right and I was entertained with the boys more than the circus show itself!
As soon as we walked through the arena doors, Ian immediately asked if we could buy some cotton candy and snow cone. (Denise warned me about this.) And so there we were among other families winding our way through the concession stands of popcorn, lemonade, snacks and toys. Somehow I managed to dodge the prodding of Nico to buy the souvenir toy that spins and lights up in fun colors.

The first order of the day was to get all the munchies and snacks. Mom had to control the boys from "inhaling" the cotton candy. Check them out stuffing their faces:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty1I4AKAfZ8
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uvh1uhbZ-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOS3BceiREE

Surprisingly, the boys enjoyed every minute of the show. Some acts I found completely ho-hum, yet they cheered and laughed as though they had never seen anything like it before. It was great to watch how these kids made the most of it. (I guess sometimes as a grown-up I forget that it's not up to anyone else but only myself to make anything truly enjoyable.)
Here's a sampling of how the boys reacted to one of the circus acts: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S6kZrywBzo0

If you click on the link below, you'll be able to view circus highlights that were among our favorites: the heart-stopping stunts of Super Silva, the amazing flying trapeze, the motorcycles speeding around a steel globe, and the parade of the most adorable elephants. http://www.ringling.com/explore/138/index.aspx (Click on Watch Video Highlights)

When the show ended, Nico turned to me and said, "Thank you so much for taking us to the circus. This is the best show ever!" I smiled and thought to myself, "Well, sweetie...it's actually "the greatest show on earth!"

Fun in Lake Mead for Father's Day

The weather couldn't have been better for spending Father's Day at the lake. Although the day's temperature reached a high of 102 degrees, the light breeze and cool refreshing water made it just wonderful!

We've been to this lake many times. (This is where I learned to water ski.) And there have been times when the heat was unbearable. But this time around, it was perfect. We met up with the Hunter family who also brought their boat and stand up jet ski. The boys had a blast taking the jet ski for a spin. Later on they rode the inflatable hotdog which we towed around with the boat. I decided to ride it too on our way out even if I knew I would feel so sore the next day.

We usually plan on spending a long day at the lake. We would set up a tent, turn on the portable radio, and just chill out. I also typically bring a lot of food. But we didn't plan on staying too long this time, so I packed my picnic ware with some cold food: tuna sandwiches, pasta salad, and fresh fruit. Easy to prepare and easy to clean up. As always, we loaded up with cold drinks and plenty of water. I also brought some sour gummi bears for dessert. But Trevor got a hold of them and so they were gone in a flash.

Before heading back to the marina, we rode up the narrows. Trevor took a turn in being the "captain." I like going to the narrows. The water there seems cleaner, cooler, and more blue... and the surroundings are prettier. It's sad to note that Lake Mead's water level has gone down about 108 feet. On the mountain sides bordering the lake, one can clearly see where the water level used to be. It appears as though a giant paintbrush swiped the mountain sides with white. Hope that the force of nature will allow Lake Mead to stay the way it is. We have built so many memories around here and hope to make many more.