Father's Day

I have dreaded this day for so long, that I think I made more out of the dread, and once the day was upon us, nothing. Perhaps it would have been different had Dylan and Peyton known what today was. Or, maybe the fact that we left town to avoid it was the key. Whatever the reason, I wasn't as down today as I expected to be.


Dylan said, "This is the most beautiful view I've ever seen" so I took a pic.

We left mid-morning for our 3 hour drive to Las Vegas, where we met up with my cousin's, Brian & Alicia. We were suppose to go to the circus with them, but couldn't get tickets, so off they went and I took the kids on a drive to find a Whole Foods (that blog post is coming shortly). Anyone who knows me knows I am directionally challeneged, and I have earned the nickname Goes in Circles.

As I followed my little blue dot on my iPhone, there it was, The Cheesecake Factory. A reminder of what we have lost. Hubby's favorite dessert was cheesecake and the minute I saw the sign I said, "What if we eat at The Cheesecake Factory?" The kids screamed from the back, "YEA!" It was settled.


While we were eating, Cameron said, "Do you think these people are wondering why we're eating with you and not Dad today?" Tears welled up in my eyes and I had no answer. If we were in Apple Valley, we are in a fishbowl, and everyone knows us there, but in Las Vegas nobody cared.


I texted my Dad during lunch to wish him a Happy Father's Day. I warned him months ago that emotionally that was all I would be able to muster, and he agreed. His reply to me was, "Thanks. Happy Father's Day to you too, on behalf of Mike and the job you now do. Luv ya." Only my Dad would put a positive spin on the day, and it completely set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

After lunch I got lost trying to find Whole Foods, which, as you might have guessed, was in the same parking lot as The Cheesecake Factory. Ha Ha Ha! I found what I was looking for, and back to Brian and Alicia's we went. The kids and I hung out there until my friend Maureen made it to Las Vegas.

Maureen, a dear friend who God brought into my life after Mike's death, is also a widow. She wrote me on facebook a few weeks ago and offered to share her timeshare with the kids and I to get away for Father's Day. I instantly took her up on the offer. We stayed at The Grandview, next door to Southpoint.

We unloaded our things, got up to the room, well, technically it was a one bedroom apartment and unpacked the necessities, i.e. fridge food. Peyton was playing with Maureen's daughter, Kristin, when Peyton tripped over the rug and hit her eye on the coffee table. By the time Peyton walked from Maureen's apartment (just a few steps) to ours she had a massive bump and bruise starting. I picked Peyton up and put her on the counter, hugging her, comfortting her, as Maureen grabbed a baggie of ice. I placed the ice over her eye and we prayed over her.


Courtesy of gift cards given to use after Mike passed, we ate at El Polla Loco for dinner, and back to Grandview we went. The boys slept on the pullout couch, while Peyton and I enjoyed the king size bed.