Good Old Fashioned Christmas Family Vacation

In keeping with timely posts, I'm just getting around to this two three months late.

I mentioned in my last post we didn't really do gifts as a family this Christmas. Rather, we opted to go on a vacation.

After some consideration and planning we decided to brave Vegas with the kids.

Before doing any research I was a little worried Vegas wouldn't have much to offer in the way of family friendly entertainment. When I think of Vegas I don't immediately think family hot spot (I think more along the lines of 23-year old Desiree in Vegas). To my pleasant surprise, I was totally wrong.

To start, no trip would be official without the first stop being at *the* most touristy location, complete with a wait of 45 minutes. But, I pulled the mom-card, tossed the family in front of the iconic Vegas sign, rounded up a stranger to snap a photo, begged the crew to give me their best cheesy pose, and called it a solid start.

Our crash pad for the trip was Planet Hollywood. We did some pretty extensive research, and ultimately decided location with little kids trumped all else. We were right in the thick of the strip. Nearly every single location we wanted to get to was within walking distance, even with little people in tow. It was so convenient to be in the middle of all the excitement, as well as near several really good restaurants and tons of shopping.

Bonus points for our bathroom being as big as our room, complete with a small swimming pool disguised as a tub.

Moving along to the beef of this post:
What We Did With The Kids In Vegas.
As alluded to earlier, I was initially worried we'd be looking for things to do. However, by the end of the trip I was bummed we weren't able to fit in all the things we wanted.

The first full day on the strip was filled with all sorts of Vegas highlights.
1. M&M World.

Because with young kids there is no such thing as sleeping in, we made it to the store right at opening. Note to anyone with kids - GO EARLY - you'll be rewarded with a three-story candy store essentially to your selves. As we were leaving, the store was noticeably busier.

The kids were in chocolate heaven, and we spent the better part of an hour perusing each level of M&M glory.

We also decided this was a great place to give the kids some freedom to spend some of the money they'd been saving in their piggy banks. This was also a hard and fast lesson for them, as they quickly learned $20 doesn't go nearly as far as they were hoping. Welcome to my world, kids.

2. New York, New York Arcade

Like every other kid I know, my kids love an arcade. So, we thought NYNY would be a fun stop for them. We weren't wrong. It's the Vegas For Those Under 21. But, as soon as the money was used up on the kids arcade cards, we rounded up the crap they'd won and got the hell out of there. And, I managed to snap exactly zero photos because I was too busy trying to prevent a child gambling addiction from happening at Whack-a-Mole.

3. The Blue Man Group
Our "big gift" to the kids - entire trip aside - was to see a real Vegas show. The Blue Man Group was perfect: kid friendly, funny, engaging, captivating. The kids loved it, Scott and I loved it. We highly recommend to anyone who wants to see a show appropriate for kids. Pro tip: it is a very LOUD show, so proper noise blocking earphones is a really, really good idea.

Because photography wasn't allowed during the performance (which meant we were able to enjoy it fully), the only picture I snagged of the evening was the kids in front of King Tut inside the Luxor.

4. The Bellagio Fountains
Can you even say you went to Vegas without seeing the fountain show at least once?

I was really surprised with how much the kids enjoyed the show. Julia was full of oooh's and aaah's, while I could hear Marcus laughing with delight. My only regret is we didn't go back a few times to watch.

Day two brought the biggest surprise of all for the kids.

My parents flew in to spend a few days with us! Marcus and Julia were so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa just a few doors down from us.

We went right to work exploring more of Vegas with the Grands.

5. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art - Yayoi Kusama
When I discovered Kusama had not one but TWO exhibits showing right across from where we were staying, going to see them was a must.

Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity 

Narcissus Garden

Art museums are probably not real high on most kids lists, so I'm not sure I'd recommend this to families who don't frequent museums. I feel I've dragged the kids to enough museums and exhibits that they were pretty engaged with this one. 

6. The Bellagio Conservatory

The Conservatory is free, but holy cow, it is a showstopper. It's akin to the Rose Bowl Parade floats - where everything is made of flowers, plants, etc. And during the holidays it is simply beautiful on the most grand scale.

I wasn't sure the kids would enjoy the displays, but they were just as in awe of everything as the adults. The Conservatory is worth popping in, no matter the time of year! 

7. Circus Circus Adventuredome

Ok, how do I put this nicely... The adventuredome was not my favorite. It was like traveling circus meets town carnival meets small town amusement park. 

The kids seemed to love the rackety rides, and Marcus even surprised me with some of the more adventurous rides he went on. I was so underwhelmed with the place that the only photos I took were in front of "Santa's Village."
There were a couple of roller coasters that Scott, my mom and I went on that were pretty legit. But that said, this was my first time inside the Adventuredome, and I wouldn't be sad if it were the last. 

8. Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area
Grandma and Grandpa were absolute saints one morning and gave Scott and I a pass to skip out of the city for a bit to do some hiking.

I had no idea how close this canyon and these trails were to the city! A short 35 minute drive, and the city was nothing but a memory, and we were surrounded by towering red sandstone and the most scenic 13.5 mile loop drive.

 If you've been to Vegas but never made it to Red Rock Canyon, add it to the list. It's definitely worth the drive.

9. Slotzilla
In my mind I had these grand ideas of old Las Vegas and Fremont Street. I remember going there as a kid and thinking the light show in the Fremont canopy was really cool. Naturally, I wanted the kids to experience that as well.

Reality check. Fremont Street is just a big tourist trap with vendors pushing crappy t-shirts and even crappier souvenirs.
Our only saving grace (at least for Marcus), was the Slotzilla zip line that goes over Fremont.

Initially, Marcus was pretty apprehensive to get in the harness. But once he was buckled in and flying above us, his smile was plastered on.

If you've got plans to go to Fremont, I'd suggest going for the zip line and then promptly leaving.

10. Absinthe - Caesar's Palace
God bless my parents for giving Scott and I not one but two opportunities to enjoy Vegas kid-free.

We had an evening to ourselves, which is rarer than a blue moon for us. We grabbed some appetizers and drinks, enjoyed conversation, and then headed to Caesar's Palace to see Absinthe, which came highly recommended. The show was hilarious and raunchy and heart-stopping and unbelievable and so. damn. good. If you can take some (really) dirty humor, enjoy amazing human acts, can handle off the cuff and completely non-PC dialogue, and love to laugh, GO SEE THIS!

Before we even left L.A. for Vegas I was really anxious about how the trip would go. Would the kids enjoy it? Were we in over our heads thinking there were enough "kid things" for us to do? Omg, will my kids starve if we don't find a restaurant that serves either mac and cheese or cheese pizza? (Read: most restaurants have those items on the menu.)

But, here we are, three months out, and the kids are STILL talking about the Blue Man Group, and the M&M store, and seeing Grandma and Grandpa in room 3815.

I'm not sure what we have planned for next Christmas, or where we'll go, but if I were a betting person (fun fact, I didn't bet a single dollar while in Vegas), our LVNV 2018 Holiday Trip is going to be a tough one to beat.

Wall Crawl {{Kauai}}

I'm pretty much behind on life these days. I have two wall crawl posts just sitting in my drafts from our Midwest tour... THIS SUMMER. For whatever reason, I can't get it together to get those posted. Maybe it's because I know I can always go back and visit them? Or that I know pretty well the location of each?

At any rate, I felt compelled to get the walls of Kauai, or at least the ones I found, published sooner than later. Why this one takes precedence? Probably because I'm unsure when we'll ever get back, and nailing down the locations is still relatively fresh in my memory...

Anywho. While on the island, between our days filled with hiking, relaxing, and shave ice eating, I kept my eyes peeled and my head on a swivel for any street art. Lucky for me, there was more than I imagined or expected.

Ahukini Road and Kuhio Highway intersection, Lihue, Kauai
After driving by this colorful mural, of what I can only assume is Kauai's coast, a few times, and just the slightest amount of me begging Scott to stop, we finally did. He was clearly THRILLED.
The building this is painted on is a souvenir store, but nothing inside was worthy of writing home about. Their exterior was 100 times better than what was on the interior.
And, did I move an entire rack of clothes for this shot? Maaaaaaaybe....

Kuhio Highway, between Pouli Road and Hoi Road, Kapaa, Kauai 
These two marine animals are part of one massive mural.
This was one of the first murals to find, and it was impossible to miss. I'm pretty sure Scott was mortified to be taking these pics, as this wall is right on the highway, which is b.u.s.y.

Kuhio Highway, between Pouli Road and Hoi Road, Kapaa, Kauai 
This one was tucked in a little strip mall, and I could only see the side of it from the highway. After a few missed attempts we finally figured out how to get to it. The scale of the thing blew me away.

Java Kai: 4-1384 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa, Kauai
This was the most pleasant, unexpected find.
Scott suggested grabbing coffee one morning before the adventures we had planned. I'm never one to turn down coffee, so off we went.
When we pulled up - to the back - of the establishment, I was practically jumping out of the car before we were even parked to get up close to these pineapple beauties. The full mural has three pineapples, and they're all vibrant and gorgeous. Had we entered through the front door we'd never have seen this. Bonus points for the most delicious Macadamia Nut Latte of all time.

Literally no idea what I'm doing. All that keeps going through my head is that scene from Talladega Nights where Ricky Bobby is being interviewed and says, "I don't know what to do with my hands." Except that's me, with my entire body...

Ching Young Village Shopping Center: 5-5190 Kuhio Highway, Hanalei, Kauai
One of our excursions, a coastal tour and snorkel session, sent us to the North Shore. We had some time to kill before jumping on the boat, so we putzed around the Ching Young Village Shopping center to kill time. To my absolute delight, several of the walls within the center were murals. Cue me not know what to do with myself, and an obviously elated Scott. I was able to convince Scott to get a few of the murals, but there were a couple of others we passed up.

Wishing Well Save Ice: 5-5080 Kuhio Highway, Hanalei, Kauai
After a morning and afternoon out on the water it only seemed right to get (yet another) shave ice. It's what dreams are made of, really. And, when the truck you order the shave ice out of also happens to have this amazing, colorful wall... well, all of my Hawaiian dreams came true.

Java Kai - again - 4-1384 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa, Kauai
Our last night on the island we put on something other than hiking clothes or swim suits and went out to celebrate our birthdays. We happened to be on the island right between Scott's birthday (September 10) and mine (September 16). This was also one of the only times I put on make-up and took my hair out of its ponytail/braid. We had some time to blow before our dinner reservation, so off to grab more delicious Mac Nut Lattes.
The back of Java Kai had the pineapples, but the side/alley had this colorful geometric mural. May it also be noted, I felt a LOT less awkward standing (posing?) when I had something in my hand.

Denim Patch: 4516 Lehua Street, Kapaa, Kauai
We passed this gorgeous fence no less than a half a dozen times. And each time I wanted so badly to stop and take a snap of it. But, it was a business, and one I had no intention of actually stepping foot in to. However, between our coffee stop (above) and waiting for our dinner reservation, I said "screw it" and thought I'd try to sneak a quick photo in.
Newsflash. I'm zero percent sneaky, and the person working the shop saw me, and then waved. After an awkward wave - as I'm sitting here, nonchalantly posing with my coffee - I felt obligated to go in the shop.
Lesson learned. I walked into a swim suit boutique, and walked out with a swim suit I had no idea I needed.

4274 Rice Street, Lihue, Kauai
The last wall to be found was actually the first.
When we first got to Kauai we had quite a bit of time before we could check into our VBRO, and decided to grab lunch. As we were driving around, I mentioned in passing that I was curious if the island had much street art. I knew Oahu had some pretty epic art, but I wasn't aware of any on Kauai. AND THEN WE PULLED UP TO A MURAL IN PROGRESS. Our first minutes on the island and we come to a mural as it was being created. That first day we saw it, it was simply outlines of palm tress. On our way back to the airport to head home we made a stop to see the progress. This was how far it had come. I think this can only mean one thing. We NEED to go back to see the finished product.

Last but not least... The mural seen the first steps off the airplane, as well as the last mural to be seen before boarding to head home. This massive mural is right in the Lihue airport. The lighting isn't great, but the mural sure was.

Props to Scott for entertaining my crazy the entire week, and stopping for random wall pics. I know it's not his idea of awesome, but he's the best for going along with it all. Now, to convince him for another epic trip...

Wall Crawl {{Kansas City}}

I've been meaning to get our Midwest Summer tour up and posted for, oh, I don't know, almost two months? But, life. And blogging took a serious back seat as we wrapped up Summer, celebrated a second birthday, and prepped and started Kindergarten.

Now that we're back into a pretty solidified routine I feel I can take a deep breath and spend a little more time with this space.

All that said, I didn't want to forget all the fabulous facades we scouted out while we visited the Midwest.

Let's start with Kansas City. The series of walls we found are from two different trips to KC. So, this maybe (probably) should be a couple of different posts, but I'm a rebel and said screw it, it's going in one.

I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't expecting much in the way of walls. But, wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I was totally and completely blown away by the number of murals and wall art found all throughout the city. We found SO many, with so many left to explore and capture.

1919 Baltimore Avenue, KC, MO

Kansas City, we really are so in love.
These two murals can be found on the same wall.
I'd love to shake the hand of the person who thought to put up that sign about blocking the mural. Every mural needs a tow away zone in front of it!

1720 Main Street, KC, MO

This one is atop a parking structure, and it's massive. You can't miss this one.

Though I don't have an exact address, this one was in the general vicinity of the KC I'm So In Love wall.

If you've found the wall directly above this one, you've found this one, too. These two murals share a wall.

This mural was phenomenal, and collectively, took up three walls. I didn't have the best light, so there are sun flares a plenty, as well as shadows that I'm not particularly loving.

This wall series is found at

421 Southwest Blvd, KC, MO

Props to Marcus for spotting this one! It's the exterior of a parking garage.

The corner of 10th and Baltimore, KC, MO.

This mural is HUGE. I didn't even capture a quarter of it. And it's apparently titled, "Town of Kansas."
222 West 3rd Street, KC, MO

This has been on my wall bucket list for ages. To finally get to it had me as giddy as a kid in a candy shop. The entire exterior of this Kansas City Community Bookshelf looks like, well, a bookshelf!

14 W. 10th Street, KC, MO

Found outside the infamous (if you live in KC) American Royal. This is two parallel steel panels, spanning 120 feet, with 15 cut outs of running bulls. The kids had an exceptionally fun time climbing in and out of the cut outs.

1701 American Royal Court, KC, MO

We just happened to find this random, abandon, colorful building while out and about.

I can't pin point where we found this, but it's somewhere in the Crossroads district.

The Royals have a series of murals painted around town, and I was on a quest to get to as many as possible. This was one of them, and it was massive. I couldn't get the whole mural and the kids, and not get run over by a car (because I would have had to have stood in the middle of a very busy street).

Found across the street from Boulevard Brewing Company

2501 Southwest Blvd, KC, MO

The second Raised Royal Mural. 

This is located on the back of 421 Southwest Blvd, KC, MO

We happened upon this one.

It's in the Crossroads district, around 17 Street and Oak, KC, MO

18th (ish) and Oak (ish).

When blogging friends become real life friends. And they can be persuaded to join in crazy wall posing antics.

This one is found inside Kauffman Stadium. On the main concourse behind left field.

The next series of walls/murals are all found on the side of one building, which made it oh-so convenient to capture several in a quick amount of time.

Oak and 17th Street, KC, MO

This was a fun find!

Roughly located at 1701 Oak Street, KC, MO

Donuts? A wall with a donut? Of COURSE we had to make a stop.

Donutology

1009 Westport Road, KC, MO

At Broadway and Westport

I'm not picky, I love all of Kansas City.

3945 Main Street, KC, MO

This city will forever have a huge piece of my heart.
1814 Oak Street.

I know we didn't find them all, but we sure tried! And I already have a running list of other phenomenal art and walls that we need to track down on our next trip back, let's just hope I have two willing kids (and a willing husband) to entertain my crazy wall-loving ways.