roadtrip pt. 2: vegas baby!

It's a shame our trip went as quickly as it did, because one of the things I enjoy most about going to Las Vegas is turning that bend, and coming down that hill to see Vegas appear like a solitary beacon of light in the desert. We still had plenty good views entering this impressive city though. We even managed to take the perfect exit off of the freeway completely on intuition (not mine, it's Sander who has the navigation system embedded in his DNA). We got our rooms at hotel Circus Circus right at the end (or the start?) of the Strip, and after a quick break headed to the hotel buffet for some disappointing but adequate dinner. No time to scout for something nicer when you have hungry kids! By the time we went back outside the sun had set, and the lights had been switched on. There was something to see everywhere you looked, and look we did. We walked and looked, and walked and looked some more, until our feet (and some of our backs..) started hurting. Then we stood and watched the Bellagio fountains go up, and took a cab back to the hotel. Vegas managed to impress the newbies, as well as its returning visitors last Saturday night.

This last beauty was taken by Max, who directed me like a seasoned photographer: "Stick out your tongue mom. Yes good, now do silly eyes... YES! Stay like that!". And can you believe I found the Zoltar machine? I was tempted to wish to be 16 again, but then I remember how much I hated being 16...

roadtrip pt. 1: on the road

Having family over provides us with an excellent excuse to take a day off work and get in the car to visit Vegas, and some of Utah's national parks - which is exactly what we did last weekend. Since I came home from this trip with an impressive amount of pictures on my memory card, I'll do us both a favor and divide them over several blog posts. 

Our Dodge Caravan will seat 7, so we all piled in, left Elliot in the excellent care of my parents, and headed down the I-15 towards Las Vegas. We consider Vegas to be pretty close, but it's still well over 400 miles (or 650 km) to get there. But we were all set with hot drinks from Star bucks, fresh donuts from Krispy Kreme, and some pillows for in transit naps. The drive is beautiful, with constant views of mountains, and especially Marianne and Maarten produced a steady flow of 'ooooh's and 'aaah's at every beautiful new sight. Particularly the drive through the canyon between St. George (UT) and Mesquite (NE) proved awe inspiring. We stopped at a roadside Subway for lunch, and proved that the Americans even know how to make a decent 'broodje' (sandwich)! I personally came to a very surprising realization during this drive: I can read in a moving car without getting sick! This is completely new. I have always been prone to getting carsick, and reading in the car was the most surefire way to ensure maximum puking odds. For some reason I thought I'd get my book out during the drive, and see how far I could get before I started feeling queasy. Much to my surprise, 100 pages later I was still feeling just fine! I'll have to research what could cause a change like that. Anyway, here is the first set of pictures.

sinterklaas kapoentje

I bet you didn't know Sinterklaas makes special international housecalls! Well, he does, and we were lucky enough to be graced with his and Zwarte Piet's presence on Saturday evening. And when I say 'we', I mean not just our little family. We got to spend it with grandma's and grandpa, siblings, nieces and nephews, and a wonderful collection of friends who we have gotten to know in the past as LDS missionaries in Holland and now get the chance to share more time with. The evening started with a delicious potluck dinner, sharing stories and memories of Sinterklaas, and some rather loud children's play. Around 6.30pm we started singing Sinterklaas songs, in the hope the good man and his helper would hear us, and pay us a visit. We were hoping we might even receive a present or two. We have been good all year long, after all! Sure enough, after a handful of songs, there was a loud banging on the front door, and we ran downstairs to see what was going on. It was Sinterklaas and Black Peter, and they came bearing gifts!  There were presents for everyone, and some of us had funny poems to read with our gifts. Sinterklaas chose a few lucky (big) kids to come and sit on his lap and grace him with a song. Oh, to be so lucky! Yes, Sinterklaas even brought Hagelslag for all the returned missionaries! We had the best time together. Thanks to everyone who came and helped make this evening a success - especially Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet! And don't worry Dutch friends, Sinterklaas told us he was heading back to Holland the very same evening, to continue his duties there. Enjoy!