Splish Splash!

One of the best times i had was when i found a Groupon for a discounted weekend stay at Key Lime Cove Indoor Waterpark in Gurnee Il. The time frame just so happened to line up with the boys birthdays.  We allowed them each to invite one friend so they wouldn't fight with each other so much.  This ended up being Nathan for Brad and "Little" Matt for Devin.

When we arrived and checked in we were WOW'd with the ambiance of the place.  Very tropical and colorful and definitely had a kid friendly way about it.  The first thing we did was find our room where we were pleasantly surprised with a fantastic and clean room with two VERY comfortable queen beds.  There was also a pull out couch so in total there were three beds.  Tracy and i picked ours and the boys basically figured out who was sleeping on cushions and the floor as, God forbid, they share a bed with another boy.  After everyone got settled we had them change into their swim trunks and went down to check out the water-slides, wave-pool, and lazy river.

Everything at this place was done with a wrist band.  Charges to the room, door locks, and getting into and out of the water area (which was more about IF they had them on and less about activating anything).  We had given Devin and Brad each a "room key" in their wrist bands and we both had one.  So after we made sure the location was safe the kids were allowed to come and go as they pleased as long as they stayed on the resort grounds.  I think this was one of the best features because it allowed Tracy and i time to not worry about coming and going.  Everything we needed was here.  Snack bar, restaurants, ice cream parlor, stores, the waterpark, and a ticket driven arcade.  They even had planned activities for the kids.

While the kids were in the water, Tracy and i slipped back upstairs to our room to change into our own swimwear and to bring out our "birthday goody bags" for the boys.  You can't have a birthday party without goody bags.  Inside each bag was a little candy, some puzzle books, a cool pen, and other little trinkets.  We then left and went to enjoy the lazy river.

After a few hours of water time, the boys came back to the room.  We happened to be right behind them when they entered.  It took them a couple minutes to figure out the bags were theirs, but once they did they loved them.  It was about dinner time so Tracy and i went down to the snack bar to order up a couple of pizzas and soda which was actually fairly inexpensive for what we got.  When we came back to the room the boys were quiet and each working on a word find puzzle.  I love it when you can wear them down!  As soon as the pizzas hit the table in the room the boxes were opened and the food was inhaled.  Once they were all full they decided to play a board game we brought along.  Then the boys decided to explore the resort a little more and do some night time swimming.  Once back at the room they crashed and were all sleeping by about 10:00PM!

 We had thought ahead enough to realize we didn't want to leave the resort to drive and park anywhere so we had donuts and milk on hand for breakfast.  Once again we were off to the swimming area to basically play all day long.  Even Tracy and i were having a nice time in the lazy river and wave-pool.

One of the features of the water-park is their tickets-for-prizes arcade area.  We had assessed this the first night and had purchased a higher end package because we knew eventually we'd spend that much money anyway.  This way we had extra "tokens" (which were actually credits on cards) thrown in and we divided it up between the kids.  Since the arcade was right next and in view of (creative marketing i'm sure) the water-park, kids were running in and out of it...half wet to boot!  Our kids were no exception...and i have to admit...Tracy and i had our fair share of fun with it as well.  They had this giant Connect-Four machine that was just too much fun to play.

Throughout the day and into the evening the event staff had activities planned for the kids.  Everything from a "Deal or no Deal" game where the prizes were food items to more arcade credits to scavenger hunts to a dance.  At one point they even had a live yellow boa constrictor to let the kids touch and hold.  I walked WAYYYY around that.

The "Kitchen Sink"

Ice Cream Parlor

To make the day even more fun we decided to take the kids to the D.W. Anderson's Ice Cream Parlor (located inside the resort).  It was really cute and old timer feel.  We all sat down and after looking at the menu decided to get "the kitchen sink".  Which was exactly that...a real kitchen sink filled with 12 scoops of ice cream and all the fixin's.  The boys went up and picked out the 12 different flavors of ice cream.  then we waited at the booth for it to arrive.  When it came out it had lit sparklers on top as well.  As you can see in the photo it was a LOT of ice cream.  So, we all dug in and scooped it into our bowls and started adding the toppings that had come out on the side.  The kids were pleasantly overwhelmed...and that is the way i choose to describe it.  There were six of us so the $30 price tag for the half kitchen sink wasn't too bad at all.  I do admit we had leftovers, and we just let them melt away.  This is one of those moments in life where you can't believe you are given the opportunity to go nuts and you realize your stomach fails you.  We literally gave these kids ice cream for their lunch.  We're horrible and the best all at the same time.  If we had added food to their tummy's having this dessert experience would NOT have been an O.K. thing to do.  I'm sure our boys will remember this for a long, long time.

Sleeve or Slinky?

After the ice cream experience rest was in order so we headed back to the room. Eventually they all headed back down for more splashing and arcade fun.  With all their card credits used up it was time to cash in their tickets.  There was actually a pretty fair amount of items they could select from with their winnings.  As you can see in the picture Devin bought a sleeve with his tickets...or maybe a giant plastic slinky???

All the Candies in the Bag

Another feature the resort had was an alley of shopping and fun little stores.  And what theme park doesn't have a full candy counter?  Well, this one did anyway and we let Brad take his pick.  The girl behind the counter wasn't busy, but i think we annoyed the heck out of her by letting Brad take two of every kind of jellied candy.  Personally, i can't stand but maybe one or two of this type of candy, but he loved it. I think he thought it was super cool that his Mom let him go nuts (sort of).  Hey, it was a birthday weekend without a cake so ice cream and treats made up for it.
All and all the Key Lime Resort and Waterpark were a big hit with the kids and with us.  The Groupon deal made it an affordable weekend and i think it's an experience the boys will take with them.  Oh, did i mention as we were leaving we spotted Lightning McQueen out front?  Celeb photo op!

Viva Las Vegas!

Welcome to Las Vegas!

In March of 2012 my step son Matthew turned 21.  Of course we had to plan a trip to Las Vegas, NV to celebrate.  We invited his best friend Tyler to come along. We bought airfare and  made reservations on the Strip at the Tropicana Hotel and then downtown Fremont Street at the Plaza Hotel and Casino.  Even though Matt's birthday was in March, we made our vacation plans for May so the weather would be nicer. When we arrived in Las Vegas we were treated to a sand storm which made site seeing an impossibility.  All of the "free" Strip attractions were shut down and the sand made my contacts water up to the point i had to hold on to Tracy to get into a building.  It was a huge let down as our first night was one of the only nights we had to walk around.  We did have a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe - which, for the 3rd time at a Hard Rock i was disappointed in the food.  I've been to Hard Rock Hollywood, and Hard Rock Gatlinburg and now Hard Rock Las Vegas - every single time i'm disappointed in the food.  It was super expensive too. For four of us to have one drink each and burgers the bill was pushing $150.00 - which would've been OK if the food was decent.  So thumbs down for Hard Rock Las Vegas! In protest, i am not linking them in this blog.  I would say that day 1 of this trip was a bust, so we all decided to get some sleep and start fresh the next day.

Hoover Dam - Bridge View

Dad & Mom

The next day of the trip my parents were going to drive in from California to see us and we were all going to go to the Hoover Dam.  Over the years, i know people that have left Vegas to go take the Dam tour but i didn't understand why.  This is definitely worth seeing.  I got us all the higher end tour which included going inside the wall of the dam out to the very edge.  This it truly an amazing engineered site.  It really should be one of the wonders of the world.  When you see it from the top looking down it's intimidating.
There is a second bridge now to drive over plus a walkway so you can see the dam from a little distance off.  We stopped here first and trekked up the stairs to the top and walked out across the bridge.  Matt was freaking out, but he did actually make it somewhat out to see the view.  I snapped a pic.  The other pic is of Dad & Mom.  They are so cute and i think my Dad really had a nice time seeing this mammoth structure.

Pawn Stars Location

We did have to make one last stop with my Mom and Dad before they were going to head back to California.  Since my Dad and I both were watching Pawn Stars on TV we decided to hit the place up in hopes of seeing the stars of the show.  They weren't there, but we were able to get inside an look around.  It was kinda fun.  The place was a real pawn shop (obviously) and we realized why they only shoot from the one angle...it's because the rest of the shop is sort of grimy. I mean, it is a REAL Las Vegas pawn shop so our expectation wasn't that high to being with.  I'd recommend this stop off if you're a fan of the show though, it was cool. I snapped a pic of everyone out front.

I do admit we did stop off at Jack-in-the-box on the way back.  Funny story with the two for $.99 taco special.  Before we left Tracy ordered some to-go for all of us back at the hotel room.  She meant to order 6 totaling 12 tacos...3 tacos each for the 4 of us.  Instead she ordered 12 orders (by mistake) and we had 24 tacos.  We ate them like crazy back at the hotel room in between casino runs.  I'll admit, after day two we probably shouldn't have eaten them, but after our casino time and drinking we all thought they were the best thing ever! Krak tacos for real.

Italy's Soda - ICK!

Sample Tray

Tracy and i walked around the MGM Grand area so we could go to the Coca-Cola store and the M&M Store.  Both were a site to see and free.  We did spend the $8 on the Coca-Cola from around the world tray (actually ended up being two trays).  This was well worth the money for the experience.  Some sodas were really tasty while one of them (no Thank you Italy) tasted like nail polish remover.  It was so bad i had to try it twice because i couldn't believe someone would actually order it.  We did see a comedy show at our hotel later that night.  It was pretty funny, but i was exhausted so staying awake in a dark room was difficult.  I used to be able to stay up all day and all night in Vegas....not anymore apparently.

The next day Tracy and I had tickets to see Menopause the Musical at the Luxor.  So we all walked around our general strip area which was New York, NY, Luxor, Tropicana, Excalibur, and MGM Grand.  Tracy and I had a blast and a couple of great meals at New York, NY.  The play was hilarious.  It was nothing like i expected and we laughed and laughed through the whole thing.  Even the men were cracking up.  I wouldn't miss this if it came anywhere near me and i highly recommend this for any women especially.  The humor would be lost on children.

We changed our digs half way through the trip so i could show Matt, Tyler and Tracy Fremont Street.  The Fremont Street experience (overhead light show) is still pretty amazing even though the technology is a little outdated.  For it's time the show was extraordinary and nothing anyone had ever seen.  Today it still stands out as something fun to do for free while downtown.  People still pour out of the casinos during the showtimes.  I know i enjoyed it again and i think the others were impressed as well.  Tracy shot this video of part of it.  Gotta love Freddie Mercury and Queen.  Sometimes the classics are truly classic.

One of the other features of downtown Fremont street is how close and how small the casinos are.  It's the old school stuff so you can dip and and out of casinos without having to rent a car or go for a huge hike like you do on the strip these days.  There is still the element of cheesy sites too.  Showgirls, Elvis, Silver Man, Batman, Michael Jackson, etc...all dressed up outside the casinos to let you take photos with them.  There is also no shortage on booze down here.  On the strip it seemed a little harder to get a cocktail waitress to come by - especially for the complimentary drinks. We aren't big drinkers, but i was enjoying my beers while i played some craps while Tracy found some of the funnest slots.

Us with $1,000,000.00

Tracy with Big Bertha at Four Queens

Cocktail Anyone?

Our room at the Plaza was really nice and roomy.  Our daytime view was OK, but we could see the lights from a few casinos at night and that was pretty cool.  We actually had a blast gambling at the Plaza and the minimums were cheaper than the strip.  With the feel of old school, "we take care of our players" at these more aged casinos we wanted for nothing except a couple of big wins.  We also had a blast and did pretty good at the Las Vegas Club, Four Queens, and the Golden Nugget.  We stopped in the Mermaid late one night for their Nathan's hot dogs and fries...then even later that night for a deep fried Twinkie.  This is a wicked indulgence, but should be experienced at least once if you're on Fremont street.  In addition, we found out the Mermaid had the best "slushie" style drinks.  At $12 - $30 a pop you won't be disappointed.  These drinks are EVERYWHERE, and we tried them at quite a few locations, but the Mermaid had the best tasting, best selection, and the best price.  Of course we took advantage of the free photo with a $1,000,000.00 at Binion's Gambling Hall.  We actually got two photos because there was two of us.  I think Matt and Tyler got one as well.  How can you pass up this freebie.  Yes, that is really a million U.S. dollars under that glass.  It's amazing to look at and makes you hope you can leave Vegas with more than a hangover and pocket change.

 Tracy killed it at the Las Vegas Club on the Ultimate Texas Hold'em machine and cashed out for a little over $400 on a $20 buy in.  Even though it wasn't a million dollars it was a HUGE return on her investment and is even better because she actually cashed it out and came home with it.  I was happy about it too because i know she'll go back to Fremont Street in Las Vegas when Devin turns 21.



All and all it was a wonderful trip.  We saw a lot of new and fun and interesting things.  Some free, some not.  Gambled, drank (which we typically don't do), ate food that was bad for us, slept in, stayed up too late, and got to spend time with our son AND my Mom & Dad.  We only have one story that will stay in Vegas.  Shhhhhhhhhh!

Cha-Ching!

Our annual trip on Good Friday.   Well, it was annual for 3 years anyway until we all started saving our pennies for a Caribbean cruise.  It was "Girl's Day Out".  Myself, Tracy, Sheila (Tracy's Mom), Judy (Tracy's Aunt), and Kitty (Tracy's Grandma).  The first year we went to Ho-Chunk Casino in the Wisconsin Dells.  The second year we went to Oneida Bingo & Casino in Green Bay, and the third year we went back to Ho-Chunk because we all did pretty good there.

We usually have to wait for Sheila to get home from work (about noon) then we all take off and go get lunch. The photos are from our last trip to Ho-Chunk Casino.  We ate at Denny's on the way.  You know, you just can't go wrong at Denny's.  In all the years and all the Denny's I've eaten at, i don't think I've EVER had a bad meal.  Fried, yes...greasy, maybe...but oh so tasty.  I know there are so many more restaurant choices out there, but all of us gals enjoy Denny's.

After lunch we go straight to the casino where we have the car valet parked.  I don't think we are in the casino more than about 10 minutes and we've lost Sheila and Kitty.  Can you say addicted to gaming....well slots?  They both LOVE it.

Lucky Girl!

Tracy has a knack for finding the most fun machines and she's been fairly lucky.  I don't recall exactly how much we took, but i know it was less than $100 each.  I usually circle around her and play machines near so i'm in ear shot if she hits a good bonus.  If i can, i sit next to her and play.

Another game we both like is Roulette.  Not live roulette though...we like the electronic betting one.  The wheel isn't electronic (which i like because then i don't feel like the casino is rigged), but the betting stations are.  Once again Tracy rules on this game.  Somehow she knows what number is going to come up time and time again and her bets are directly on or a portion thereof so she can gamble for a long time.

Kitty (or Nana as we call her) came around and watched us play for a bit, but as soon as i mentioned leaving she took off like a bat out of hell.  At the time, she wasn't moving really fast around the house and such, but the mention of slots and she hauls!

We stayed at the casino for about 6 hours and then we finally got everyone to cash out and head towards the door.  Judy, who spent most of her time monitoring Kitty's spending, helped corral her.  It's not an easy task getting that old woman out of a casino.  She literally stops at every machine on the way out.  So what should take 5 - 10 minutes to get organized to leave took us more like 30 minutes.  That's ok with us though because we threw in another $20 and cashed that out for $40.  A little extra traveling money.

Since we were in the Dells i suggested we eat at Moose Jaw Pizza.  Of all the places in the Dells i feel like the food here is the best.  I get the same thing every time though.  B.B.Q. chicken and bacon pizza with pineapple added.  I have sampled other people's food so i can say more than one thing is good on the menu.  Even though pizza is their primary food, there is plenty of other items to choose from.  In addition, the ambiance is really woodsy and warm.  We've always had a great meal here and this time was no let down.  Nana thought the paper moose rack was worth trying on and i was able to snap this shot before she took them off.  Outside the place we found this carved moose statue so Judy took advantage of this photo op.  I do recommend Moose Jaw to anyone visiting the Dells.