Ben and His 26 Miles

Ben just ran a marathon.

(Yep, he's that cool).

And he was thoughtful enough to pick a marathon that just happened to be held in a place that catered to parents leaving their children, filled with all things "adult." LAS VEGAS. Which also happens to be our happy place since we visited there the first time we left Mimi. 

We had a great trip and Ben survived his 26 mile jaunt. I am so proud of him.

(this is me showing where Mimi gave me a fat lip when she was hugging me goodbye. Like she was saying 'here's a little something to remember me by.' So mobster of her.)

 We stayed at the Hard Rock.

The first night we had to be low key because Ben was running the next day. 

But we DID partake in some sushi...

(and I decided to try all drinks that started with "m"..martinis, mango margaritas...you know, all of those drinks that go so well together ;)

Of course we texted with Nana to see how things were going...this one cracked me up.

Phew! I'm so glad that Bode approved of our vacation choice. 

***

 The view out of our hotel room window.

Yes, it's a parking lot at eye level (which makes privacy tricky). But, we also got to see the strip...I'm a "glass full" kind of girl.

We won't stay at the Hard Rock again (for details, inquire within). But we DID have fun with the rock posters hanging around...

 (What Parents Do When They're Unsupervised and Unattended by Small Children)

The next day was "race day." We hung out and conserved Ben's energy...

Then it was off to the race!

It was SUCH a "Vegas Style" race...party!

So fun.

(but considering that I was alone while Ben ran and Ben was running...the party was more for everyone else around us I guess.. ;)

After standing in line for at least 45 minutes for the longest porta potty line you've ever seen, looking at everyone's crazy costumes and listening to a concert by All American Rejects, I said goodbye to Ben and parked it in the median across from the Luxor (on the beautiful, fake grass).

The atmosphere really was electric. 

Then, just as it was getting dark, the racers started to come....

I kept my eyes peeled for Ben. I knew his wave number, so I had some idea of when he was coming. This was the only time I was going to be able to see him during the whole race.

 THERE HE WAS! In the blue and white shirt!

I really did feel pretty lonely, standing there without anybody. And I stood relatively quiet compared to everyone around me. But when I saw him I lost all of my inhibition and shouted for him. Then he came over, we had a sweaty kiss and my heart was fluttering.

But it was so sweet because everyone around me cheered for our "reunion" (keep in mind that it had only been 30 minutes since we saw each other last...that last sentence made it seem like he was returning from war). But everyone around me, who were also looking to spot their runners were so happy for me that I found my guy. One sweet man next to me said, "how cool is that?! In all those runners you found your man!" It was cute.

 So there I was, all alone on the Vegas strip for the next five hours. 

I loved the possibility of all it. (And the alone time. I really love alone time). I could go ANYWHERE I wanted and do ANYTHING.

I walked into the MGM and the Excalibur.

When I came out, there was still a steady wave of runners running. 

Then I felt lonely.

I was also cold. 
I just wandered, big-eyed with no direction, getting pushed aside by the crowd.

All seemed lost until I stumbled into New York New York, pulled by some strange force. I walked in, and found myself guided to this green beacon of light, warmth and hope.

Starbucks. I found a Starbucks.

Then all was right in the world.

With that warm drink in my hand, I could take on the Strip.

I sat in NY NY, watched the Broncos game and sipped my latte.

(some would say I wasn't really made for Vegas. Who sips lattes? But to be fair, who's dumb enough to get plastered by herself in Vegas. So there you have it).

But I'm pretty sure that these bathroom cup holders weren't really made for coffee cups...

I enjoyed being in NY NY. It's a bit more my speed. Highly touristy and theme-y (some may say cheesy) and full of midwesterners in jean shorts. This was a stark contrast to the 20 something hipsters with leather and piercings and rock posters of people mutilating themselves (and needle collecting bins in the bathroom) at the Hard Rock.

So I stayed a bit and recovered my bearings (and bought some Hello Kitties and Alvin and the Chipmunks dolls). Leave it to the NY NY to bring it back to my "family friendly/Disney-equse" mentality).

The rest of the night I had fun wandering like I knew where I was going, popping into shops and reading the menus of the restaurants I had been virtually stalking online.

In my lonely awkwardness I got a sweet compliment from a stranger, and kept meeting the warmest, nicest people in the stores I went to. I felt better. (or maybe it was just the latte warming up my cold heart).

THEN, for about an hour and a half, I parked myself at a cement block like a puppy dog waiting to catch a glimpse of Benny finishing the race.

(you couldn't get close to the finish line :( I wanted to be there to welcome him! And we had a bet that hindered on if he'd cry or not).

But no go.

But after awhile I finally found him!!!!!!

HERE HE IS! The VICTOR!!!

Look at that medal! It was heavy and even glows in the dark.

(so officially he's the coolest person that Mimi knows).

This is how he really felt though:

Ben took a shower and then we got a dinner at the diner at our hotel.

(Which I started referring to as hell, or Biff's hotel from the Back to the Future II.) 

We had two shots each to celebrate Ben being done, then prompted went to bed. 

We were made for Vegas.

****

The next day was our favorite day by far. No race to build up to or contend with. Just FREEDOM.

We had a great brunch at the Wynn.

(That's an understatement. It was heaven)

And then walked around the strip in the cool of the morning. 

So our style.

And I had fun with my clothes. 

If you can't wear your fake leather leggings and gold wedge sneakers in Vegas, then where can you?! ;)

I had to get Mimi's bestie Charlotte an Elvis souvenir. But they are harder to come by than you think!

And to make matters worse, Mimi gave me the most specific instructions..."how about a bear dressed like Elvis." Considering I had not found ONE Elvis souvenir, I was giving up hope. Until I found this:

NAILED IT! Mom of the year. 

I celebrated with a cocktail.

At 10:30 am.

More fun texts...

Apparently Mimi was telling people that her daddy WON the race!

How cute is that. 

And, she told Beth that he won a medal AND a bunch of money...silly girl! Not sure where she got that.

In a town full of MILLIONS of great, world-renowned restaurants, we could not decide where to eat. So we went to where we love best. LAVO. It's not lame if you love it so much and it's been four years since you've been there.

It didn't disappoint. And we got to sit outside. Icing on the cake.

Last day!

Sadly, the only disappointment of the trip was this was as far as we got to In and Out :(

Meanwhile, back at home, here's what the kids did:

I'd say that they had fun! My mom and Rodger shared shifts with Bob and Robyn. Sweet grandparents!

So there you have it. Our trip!