Two Kids From Vegas, Part I

One of the best parts of being single is having the time, energy and resources to maintain my status as favorite aunt.  It's good practice for being a great mom someday, right?  Spring break provided the perfect status maintenance opportunity when my sister brought her two kids (Daniel and Coral) from Vegas to Salt Lake City for a visit.

Her children happen to be my favorite kids in the world so I was looking forward to their trip and spent weeks researching and planning the perfect activities.  It really only took a few minutes to sketch out an agenda filled with fun activities, but I spent weeks looking to see if there was anything better.  Nothing but the best for the two I often refer to as "my kids".  Heck, half the time they get confused and call me mom.

Wednesday, April 4th
They finally arrived shortly after I got home from work!  It felt like the day was passing by so slowly, a little bit like that time between when you go to bed Christmas Eve and have to wait to get up Christmas morning.  It seems like forever.

Since they haven't been up here in the past couple of years, it was the first time they got to see my "new" place.  Meaning that it was build in the late 1800's or early 1900's, but I've lived here less than a year.  By the time we had everything unloaded from the car they had already finished exploring and were reaquainted with their favorite hiding spot.  Yep, under my bed.

Knowing that they had been in the car most of the day and were probably hungry, we headed out to dinner.  Turns out a burger joint just opened up a block away from my place.  Perfect!  The kids could run and stretch their legs a little bit and we would have access to food that they would eat. 

My sister brought up a birthday treat for me, cupcakes from my favorite bakery in Vegas.  They melted a little during the trip, but tasted heavenly!

After dinner, they wanted to head over to Temple Square.  Fortunately I only live a couple of blocks away, so it was another great opportunity to let them run and tire them out for bed.  They were troopers and loved it.  Both of them kept telling me I lived in an such a pretty and cool city.  Coral, my adorable 4-year-old niece, was obsessed with all the water features.  If it had been a little warmer I think she would have jumped in one before we would have been able to stop her.  Daniel, my favorite nephew, helped keep an eye on Coral and stop her from getting too close to the water.  Seriously.  She just about jumped in the little creek in front of the Conference Center.  Daniel is such an awesome big brother!

They are adorable kids and very personable.  While walking around the Salt Lake Temple, they both were quite chatty with one of the missionary couples and had a lot of questions.  Fortunately, it was nearly 9:00 p.m. and the temple grounds were closing so we weren't stuck there for too long. 

 

The walk home was quite entertaining.  I told the kids I forgot how to get back home and made them lead the way.  Coral flat out refused becuase she didn't have the slightest clue how to get home.  Daniel was quite the sport and did a great job, especially since it was dark. 

Thursday, April 5th

It was the kick-off for baby animals at This Is The Place Heritage Park.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I fell in love!  Of course we had to start the visit with the train ride.  How I love to witness the enthusiasm that children have for life and new adventures!  If only a photo could capture the joy as they were jumping up-and-down while waiting for the train. 

Our first stop was the Brigham Young Farm House.  I thought the kids would be bored to death looking at the house, but they enjoyed seeing and hearing how the pioneers lived.  Next stop was lunch at the Huntsman Hotel.  Let me just say I walked out of there with a much greater appreciation for how well-behaved my niece and nephew are.  Good job on raising your kids with manners Nessa!

After lunch we joined the masses for the pony rides and to see the baby animals.  Coral picked out the pony she wanted to ride while waiting in line.  Being the fabulous aunt that I am I dedicated some time to teaching her how to request that particular pony.  The lesson included looking up at the guy with big brown eyes and using the cutest little voice.  Yep, it worked and she got her pony.  The guy didn't stand a chance against her charms! 

My heart goes out to the poor baby animals that are mauled by hundreds of enthusiastic and mostly unsupervised young children.  I snapped a few pics of the madness.  The baby chicks were cute.  The baby ducks weren't cuddly.  The baby turkeys were terrified and cold.  The baby goat and lambs were tough to catch.  The pigs were attaching children.  It was chaos and we were glad to leave that behind us.

Our last stop was at the blacksmith shop.  Daniel and Coral were very curious and had a lot of questions.

My sister took us back home, dropped us off and ditched us for the remainer of the day so she could go visit with a friend.  Oh the wonderful plans I had for Daniel and Coral! 

The afternoon may have started off with a little bit of exercise/torture.  Don't jump to conclusions yet.  As you head East from my place towards the Capitol you climb a rather steep hill.  After running this hill a couple of times some co-workers and I gave it a name, Hell Hill.  Don't judge yet.  Every single muscle in your body burns as your climb this hill, hence the name.  Yep, my cute lil' troopers conquered the hill! 

After that excitement we headed over to Memory Grove and walked up City Creek canyon.  They loved climbing hills, finding walking sticks, playing with all the dogs.  They thought it was just beautiful and loved being out in nature.  Both of them were very disappointed when we had to head back to the city.  I was even reminded of how useful kids can be for meeting guys.  If only I'd gotten the name for Kicks owner...

Of course the afternoon wasn't without incident.  Coral and Daniel were racing to a bench in City Creek Park (NE corner of State & N. Temple) when Coral face plants and goes skidding across the sidewalk.  The poor little thing scraped up both her palms, her right knee and her right arm.  Luckily it wasn't anything too serious, but our plans were sidetracked.  We headed off in search of a restroom so I could clean her up before we went to dinner.  Is it mean that we didn't head home?  I figured she was going to hurt no matter what, but would be fine in a little bit and I didn't want to ruin our plans.  They were awesome dinner/dessert plans. 

Dinner was Pier 49 pizza.  Heavenly grub.  To kids, pizza is pizza.  For me it was torture to was as I ate my salad.  However, saving calories on dinner to spend on dessert was worth the sacrifice.  So what was dessert?  Hmmm... The Meling Pot!  They were absolutely adorable and loved it.  Of course, we all L-O-V-E chocolate.  I was worried they would stick the skewers in their mouths after dipping them in the pot, but they never did.  A brief eplanation of why we don't do that had been provided.  Coral did have the cutest little chocolate face afterwards too.  I even ran into some friends as we were leaving.  Looked like they were on a date...

That was such a long day for the kids so we headed home.  Living downtown SLC is amazing and I absolutely love it.  I love having so many things within walking distance of where I live.  I also love the fact that TRAX is free and can be used as well.  This was one of those times when I was very grateful to be able to ride TRAX.  It would have been such a long walk back for the kids and Daniel and Coral love riding TRAX.

There were a couple of goals I'd had for my time with the kids and the top priority was fun.  Wearing the kids out in an attempt to have them in bed asleep before their mom came back was right behind fun.  I was successful with fun and a dismal failure with getting them in bed.  I guess I can't be perfect though.

While we were telling their mom about their afternoon I asked Coral what her favorite part of the day was.  Her enthsiastic response, "Being up here to see you!"  Yep, she's my favorite.

Women Keeping Their Maiden Name After Marriage

I'll admit this is an issue I'm undecided on and don't have any strong feelings either way.  I wonder if I will change my name when I get married or keep my name.  Heck, I may even legally change it while I'm still single because I'm not a fan of my last name.  There is that part of my that thinks my name is the name people know me by.

What I love about this article is Meredith's attitude and the manner in which she expresses her opinion!

Click here to read article referenced.

Survey Results, Part II

The rest of the survey results (minus the open-ended questions).

Dating Behavior Survey - Single Male Results-Part I

Picking up the check

The article is about what five different guys think when a girl does "the reach" to split the bill on a first date.
http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articleglamourmatch.aspx?cp-documentid=22707449&GT1=32023

I don't really consider myself old-fashion in many aspects, but if a guys asks me out, I expect him to pick up the check.  Just like if I ask him out, I expect to pick up the tab. 

So a little over a month ago a guy and I ended up going out last minute.  I had already eaten, but he was starving so we went to dinner and he ate.  I of course got dessert and we split it.  He picked up the tab.  I guess maybe I should have offered, but didn't and really I'm not going to stress over it. 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I go out with the same guy.  This time I had tickets for an event I knew he'd enjoy so I asked him out.  We went out to dinner afterwards, a place a little more expensive that I had expected, but still reasonably priced.  He did offer to split the bill.  I'm not sure if I appreciated it or not.  I did ask him out, so paying for the activities was up to me in my mind.

The tough part about the whole thing was comparing my dating experiences over the past few years to now.  I've gone out with several guys that are not LDS and it doesn't matter they've always picked up the tab.  The LDS guys I went out with previously were the same.  It didn't matter if I did the asking, they paid.  So I've been spoiled.  That had become my expectation.  So when I wasn't necessarily happy about picking up the tab and then not sure how to feel about him offering to split the check...  I had to step back and evaluate my expectations and feelings over the whole situation.

The rules of dating have definitely changed from what we grew up observing and hearing about.  Unfortunatley I don't think we really have a new set of rules to go by.

thought

You know how they say that girls marry someone just like their fathers? Maybe that's why the divorce rate is 50%...

dating bill of rights

I found this and liked it.
Your dating bill of rightsBy Nina Malkin
We, the people — in particular, those socially active seekers of romance, companionship and pleasure — deserve certain inalienable rights when it comes to charting the waters of the dating scene. And so, in honor of Independence Day (you’re looking for love, not surrendering your sense of self), here they are:
You have the right to ask. If you meet a person of interest, you are free to ask him/her out. Sounds simple—but until you fully embrace this concept, you may hinder yourself socially. Asking someone out is not gender-exclusive (i.e., women can and should do it). And no one is out of your league (the worst he/she can say is no thanks). So unless the guy/girl you’ve got designs on is in a relationship or part of a celibate religious order, ask away!
You have the right to the jitters. Getting to know a new person can be nerve-wracking. Pre-date anxiety is so common, it’s a safe bet the person you’re sweating about seeing is doing the same about you. It’s all right to not only feel it, but admit it. Indeed, saying, “I’m a little nervous about tonight” can work as an icebreaker.
You have the right to punctuality. It’s a date, not a “stop by whenever…” open house. Expect to be met or picked up on time (so be ready or at the rendezvous spot on time), or called in advance if delays are unavoidable. Consider enacting a 15-minute rule. If a date is a quarter of an hour late, don’t wait!
You have the right to free speech. Yes, you want this person to like you, but that doesn’t mean you should alter your ideas or opinions to voice what you think your date wants to hear. Speak your mind! That said, make sure you encourage your date to speak freely, too. No one wants to hang out with a conversation hog.
You have the right to fun. Approach dating like a job interview, and a good time will not be had by all. While the impulse to ascertain someone’s long-term commitment potential is natural, it’s a bit self-defeating in the early stages of dating. Go on activity-oriented dates, where you can get a vibe about a person, as opposed to doing entirely talk-centric stuff that can make both of you feel scrutinized and squirmy. Think brief, planned encounters initially instead of random marathons. Keep conversations light on topics like shared interests (rather than delving into each other’s psyches and romantic histories right away).
You have the right to undivided attention. A date is by and large a one-on-one activity. It’s not about two people and a gadget. Or two people and all of his/her friends at the bar. If the individual you’re out with constantly checks email or takes cell phone calls — or is so distracted by others in the room that you feel ignored — end the date early and move on.
You have the right to bare arms—or long sleeves. Wear jeans and a T-shirt—or something fancier if it makes you feel more on top of your game. The point is: Dress comfortably for dates, donning an outfit you look good and feel good in. You’ll come off as confident—and be more naturally desirable. Of course, do aim to be occasion-appropriate (that slinky evening gown might not do for his backyard barbecue; shorts and a tank top won’t work for a candlelit dinner). You have the right to kiss. Physical attraction is what makes dating different from other relationships. If you’re both feeling it, go for it! And that applies whether it’s date #1 or #10. There’s no set timetable. And if you’re feeling it but aren’t sure whether the other person is, you can always say, “I really want to kiss you right now,” and see what reaction you get. Just keep in mind that kissing can be a gateway display of affection—as things progress, be prepared for safe sex.
You have the right to follow-up. This is not only a right, it’s a courteous custom that nice people ascribe to. And somebody’s got to place the follow-up call/email. If you had an enjoyable time and would like to see this person again, don’t play games about how many days you’re “supposed” to wait, get in touch.
You have the right to cancel. If you’re having a crappy day, feel a cold coming on or get slammed with a project at work, it’s perfectly reasonable to contact your date the day of your plans, explain your situation, and ask for a rain check. However, canceling because something or someone better came along, while not a criminal offense, may be a karmic one. You have the right to bow out (and break up). Occasionally, you may find yourself on a date from hell. Trust your gut on this, and cash in that “get out of date free” card. If the date is going badly (and especially if the person you’re with makes you feel at all uncomfortable or unsafe) you’re by no means obligated to see it through. The same applies to relationships that turn out to be not what you want. Don’t “hang in there” because you don’t wish to propagate hurt feelings. Be courteous, be quick—and get out! A “Thank you; I need to be going in a minute” on a first date or “It’s been nice getting to know you, but I don’t see our relationship progressing” after a couple of get-togethers should work well.