However, Nate's birthday is on December 10th. So not only does it fall smack dab in the middle of Christmas shopping time, but it also falls under the "no one can take a day off of work" time for Tracy's office. Those two things combined make it very difficult to make a trip to Vegas. Nate's 21st birthday came and went without a trip to Vegas. We did give him some money to spend the weekend with his best friend in Jackpot, NV. Not quite the same thing, but well, it was close. I also have to say that if we had gone back when he was 21, he would have wanted to take his (then) girlfriend, who we were not really fond of and the idea of spending a weekend with her was not one we enjoyed.
So his 25th birthday was approaching and we and our best friend, Michael, decided it was time to make sure Nate got his Vegas trip. This year, Nate's 25th year, I expect to be a bit emotional for him. Once he makes it through this year, he will have out-lived his his brother who was killed at 25 1/2 years old. I have a friend who's older brother committed suicide, and he said that the year he spent "out living" his brother was the hardest year of his life. So with that wisdom in mind, I wanted to make sure that Nate started on a fantastic note! We scheduled the trip, got the rooms reserved and made the flight. He has an amazing girlfriend whom we adore. I really think she is "the one". They have been together just over a year now and they are so perfect together. It was a joy to take her.
His girlfriend, Jesica, is a very sheltered young woman from a very small town in Idaho. Taking her to Vegas was like taking a kid who has never eating sugar to a candy shop and told them they could have anything they wanted! LOL. Nate has been to Vegas before, but not as an adult who could drink and gamble and get stupid. So together, they had an excellent time. We hit all of our favorites, the german restaurant where Nate got 2 liters of beer in his Das Boot. Jes, me and Tracy all got 1 liter steins. Then there were shots and swats with the wooden shot carrier. We exchanged buying shots and swats with another table and had a fantastic time in a restaurant that was deader than a door knob, but we still managed to have a great time and dance in the isles! Later that night, we dropped Tracy and Michael off at the hotel, while I joined the kids for a trip to Coyote Ugly. But Nate had JUST gotten his drivers lisence renewed, and they didn't like the paper license. NO dancing for us. But we got plenty of pole dancing done in the tram back and forth from the hotels.
We also saw Criss Angel on Nate's birthday. It was a fantastic show and one Nate really wanted to see. It was a bit dark in places and some of his illusions were not exact. But over all it was a great show and Nate really enjoyed it. But later, he wanted to see a Cirque show. Since we were there Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, there were not many Cirque shows open. The one that was open and the one he wanted to see was Ka! We were more than happy to take them to see Ka! Tracy, Michael and I had already seen it with Nick and Suzy.
That last sentence in that previous paragraph should tell you where this is going.....
I was so excited to take the kids to see Ka! But the moment we walked into the theater, my heart could start to feel the pull. By the end of the show, I was holding back a whole ocean of tears. "This weekend is about Nate. He is the middle kid. He rarely has time that is just about him! Keep it together, Martha!" My heart was ecstatic and heavy all at the same time. Nate and Jes had just experienced magic in the form of dance and theater. The best they will likely ever see. They were so excited! I loved listening to them talk so excitedly about what they had just seen. I was able to keep my grief to myself. Well Tracy was experiencing it too. We hugged each other and took some deep breaths. I'm sure Michael was feeling it as well. But after the show, we headed down to Freemont Street for the light show. Once we were there, I was all about the dancing. There was live music everywhere. There was so much people watching to do. The light show was amazing. It was magical and beautiful and so filled with joy. The kids were in awe. And I loved watching Vegas through their eyes!
The next day, we made it to Margarittaville. I needed some rum and Buffett therapy. Then we walked over to the Belagio to show them the gardens. And I was so moved by the beauty of it all, I cried. For that matter, Jes did too. The gardens were themed after the Nut Cracker. It was magical. The spirit of Christmas was palpable. It gave me goosebumps. Jesica was in awe. Then we got to watch the fountains at night dancing to Christmas music. It was beautiful. The kids were so stinking happy :).
After the Belagio we were off to change clothes and make it to the Golden Knights hockey game. What a fantastic game! It was so intense. The Golden Knights lost in over time, but it was probably the most exciting game I have watched!
The whole weekend was magical and wonderful. I loved the quality time we got to spend with Nate. He deserved that kind of attention. It was so fun to watch him and Jes have a great time. Tracy and I had a great time playing and goofing off. We needed that. We had a great time with Michael and just being best friends.
It was also bitter sweet remembering that fun we had with Nick and missing him. I also realized just how different it is to travel with our individual kids. Their personalities are so different. Their needs are so different. Their desires are so different. But in the end, the time spent alone with each one of them is immeasurable and I am so grateful we are able to do that with them. I am grateful for the memories made with Nick. And I am so very grateful for the memories made with Nate. And I'm sure when it's time to make those memories with Naomi, they will be a kick in the arse!
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