Home, Sweet Home.

**Warning: This post is text & photo heavy. It may take you forever to read!**

We made it home! Albeit, with flight itinerary changes and delays, but we made it home safely and that's what counts. Ysabella was so happy to see us, running at lightening speed to greet us at the airport (and to give us the biggest hugs and kisses!). What could be better than that?

Ed and I wholeheartedly agree that this vacation tops our honeymoon. Hands down. Sadly, we have to admit that it didn't take much to top our honeymoon, because it was a complete disaster, from start to finish. (From traveling to Montreal a day early (in error), to Montezuma's Revenge, to the burn on my hand, not to mention the numerous other things that went wrong, it wasn't exactly a vacation that we care to remember.) And after all my pre-vacation anxiety, can you believe that I hardly thought about our daughter while we were there? (Except of course, during the daily evening phone calls home to see how things were going. It was nice to talk to Ysabella each night.) Ed was shocked at how well I did without Bella. I believe his exact words were: "Wow, I didn't realize how much you really needed a vacation!" And we loved it so much that we're thinking of doing an annual vacation without the child. (Hey Amy, did you hear that? Can we book you now for sometime next year???)

We were home in Ottawa for about 30 min before reality hit. It's very cold here with lots of snow. Our flight landed at about 8pm, so that meant we got home and we were able to spend a bit of time with Ysabella before her putting her to bed (we kept her up extra late for some cuddles and catch-up), followed by the dreaded and inevitable: shovelling the walkway & driveway (not to mention the 3 foot ice-dam at the end of the driveway, courtesy of the snowplow!), unpacking our luggage, putting the child to bed, and planning for our return to work the next day. The groceries, laundry, and house cleaning were delayed for 3 days (while I put in my due time at work) and we are just now feeling a bit more organized since being back. Oh, and did I mention that I also have to prep the house for Christmas, finish the Christmas shopping and do all the wrapping? (I think I just made shopping sound like a chore there, but really, it sooo is not!) All before working another four 12-hour shifts, then driving 8-10 hours to Windsor for Christmas on December 23rd. PHEW! I'm tired just thinking about it! Where has the time gone? I can't believe there is only 9 days left. Note to self: Next time, DO NOT go on vacation in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Speaking of our vacation, this post includes some of my favourite pics from our trip. (The weather cleared up after the last post and the rest of the vacation was sunny!) Cool, but sunny. But first, a few notes:

We stayed at the Trump International Hotel of Las Vegas on the 40th!! floor in a room called 'The Studio South Strip View'. (Check out the link if you'd like to see photos of the room). The hotel is located just off the strip. It is a 5-star hotel and it was cheaper than most of the 5-star hotels on the main drag. It was also cheaper than some of the lesser quality hotels on the strip. (Not to mention almost all the reviews we read were pretty positive, too.) We weren't originally intending on staying at a 5-star, but the price was so comparable that we couldn't resist! We figured we'd get all fancy and throw caution to the wind by going all out because it will be a long, long time before we do this type of extravagant spending on ourselves again! And it's a non-smoking hotel without a casino. Two more bonuses as far as I was concerned. What a gorgeous hotel! The basic room was stunning and was more than we ever needed, but we definitely LOVED every minute of it! (The basic room has a two person jacuzzi, a jacuzzi that took 5 seconds to fill I might add! a glass shower, a king bed, a kitchenette (with top of the line appliances...because, you know, we planned on cooking gourmet meals in our hotel room in Las Vegas!! HUH?!!), built in closets, uber luxurious bathrobes for Him and Her, flat screen television in the bathroom mirror, the list goes on and on... Most certainly the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in. The Donald sure does things right. We felt a bit like the rich and famous for 2 nights. Except that we really aren't rich. Or famous.

The Trump Lobby (check out those shiny floors!):

The view from our hotel room:


And now, here's a few more Vegas photos to check out. Oh, who am I kidding? Here's LOTS of Vegas photos to check out!

The Luxor Hotel:
Inside the Bellagio (I think!), all decorated for Christmas . We were in so many hotels that I can't keep them all straight.

'Revolution', the Beatles Lounge, inside the Mirage....at least I think it's the Mirage...

No, we didn't go see this show, but Ed really wanted to! (Kidding, but I thought the billboard was heelarious!)

One of my favourite pics of Ed:

Paris. Ahhh! Paris!


Paris was my favourite, can you tell? (And this is probably the closest I'll get to the real thing for a really long time!)

Inside the Paris Hotel where we ate ourselves silly at one of Vegas' famous buffets. The place had the look and feel of an outdoor cafe, yet it was all indoors and completely fabricated. (At least, that's what I imagine it feels like to eat at an outdoor cafe in Paris...)



The Bellagio. Just before going to see Cirque du Soleil's 'O'. (Click on the link and view the 'trailer' on the right side of the page.) 'O' is a take on the french word 'eau' which means water. Such an AMAZING SHOW! I can't even fathom what goes on inside the mind of the creator of that show! (No wonder he's such a bazillionairre!) Unbelievable. There's a pool that appears than disappears than reappears again...the best of the best synchro swimmers, divers, gymnasts, etc. A nailbiting show at times.

At the Hoover Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border: (So much has changed in the past 7 years since I've been there.) Yep, they're building a bridge overtop. Pretty crazy.

Historic Route 66. Desert drive to The Grand Canyon:



The Grand Canyon, Day 1: Sooo much snow! After all was said and done, there was over 2 feet of the fluffy white stuff that we had to dig our way out of. The Canyon is supposed to be right there behind me. (At least it makes for a great story?!)

The Grand Canyon, Day 2: Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

Yep, that's my crazy hubby waaay down there. Nutjob.

I'm so happy that Ed was actually able to see the Grand Canyon before we left.

Somebody took the time to build baby snowmen in the middle of the road that leads out of the Grand Canyon. I thought that since they went through all that trouble to build them, the least I could do was take a picture of them.


And finally, Sedona:






The view from the balcony of our hotel:




That's all folks! Of the hundreds of photos that I've taken, this is what I've managed to narrow it down to. There will be a return to Ysabella updates tomorrow. (Afterall, this is a blog about her, but I hope you enjoyed the vacation slideshow/review, nonetheless.) And a HUGE THANK-YOU to my sister Amy for looking after Bella so well while we were gone! It was so very much appreciated! You're the best! MUAH!!!


The time has come. The holiday season is officially here, so we'd like to wish everybody a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!