Living in Las Vegas

Obviously, Haiti has been on my mind a lot lately. While there is much to talk about with that, and even more to pray for, this post is about Las Vegas and what it's been like so far.

Me and the boys arrived in Las Vegas on December 16th and Chuck arrived on the 17th. We unpacked our belongings into storage and then left for California on the 19th to spend time Christmas with Chuck's family. We got back to Las Vegas on the 26th, so I count our time in Las Vegas from the 26th.

So, with that explanation, we've been here for 4 weeks now.

The beginning was rough for me. I don't do change well. That's exacerbated by the fact that we are in transition here because we've been staying with friends (while waiting for our VA house to be rented). I wanted nothing more than to be in bed with the covers over my head for the first week or so. I didn't know what to do with myself or with the kids. Tristan was having a hey-day exploring the new environment and getting into everything. We've childproofed as best we can, but the floor plan here just leaves lots of area to roam. Everything just seemed so hard in the beginning. I'm slowly adjusting to this new place and getting us into a routine.

Enough about me. Now about Las Vegas. It's pretty here, when you look into the distance. We are surrounded by mountains and after all the rain this week (which was snow at high elevations) they are covered in snow. Absolutely beautiful! Up close, though, is not so pretty. There's almost no grass here, just dirt fields. I love the stucco homes and tile roofs.

Driving is just crazy here. The traffic is not nearly as bad as Hampton Roads, but the drivers are worse. It's just kind of lawless on the highways. For instance, there are express lanes near the Strip and there's a portion of it where you can't get in or get off... but people do all the time. People are not likely to let you into a lane, etc. Just kind of unfriendly. Now, if you know me well, you know I'm a horrible driver. Here I'm in good company.

There are a lot of rocks. Lots of people have completely rock yards. Weird, but I guess it makes sense. The highways have gravel on the sides instead of grass. It just looks so different than what I've seen my whole life.

I've seen some seriously gorgeous sunsets here. The sky turns all sorts of colors as the sun sets. Just beautiful.

Now about the Strip. I'll precede this by saying that I'm not a sheltered person. I've been around the block... but I'm shocked every.single.time I go down there. And honestly, I hope I never stop being shocked. I've been to lots of party cities that have a strip of some sort. In most places there are rules... like no open beverages, for instance. Here anything goes. It is shocking. This place makes 'liberal' college town look conservative. Seriously. Taking the kids down there is nearly impossible. There are some family-friendlier areas, but overall it is just crazy. It's also heartbreaking.

It's also very diverse here. I've seen lots of interracial families. And I love that. People don't stare when I take the kids out. Most people seem to immediately understand that they are mine, that I'm not babysitting them. And they are very accepting of our family.

Lots of neighborhoods are gated and I just don't like it. It seems so limiting and unfriendly. The friends we are staying with live in a gated community and it's my hope that we don't end up in one.

I joined a gym here and have been taking the boys nearly every morning. They have childcare and I'm enjoying some time to myself. Of course the news has been focused on Haiti, so I've spent many mornings at the gym on the treadmill holding back tears. It's interesting to people watch at the gym. Las Vegas seems to be very high maintenance, even at the gym. There's just an overall level of bling here that I'm not used to. As a low maintenance girl, I feel very out of place sometimes.

I'm sure there's more I could say about Las Vegas so far... but that's all for now.