This has been the week of the 16th birthday that will go down in the Crosby Hall of Phame. I hope the boys don’t remember all that we did this week when they turn 16! It started with birthday shopping for the right outfit! Check! (as seen above….. thanks, Dad and Mom!) Then as all good homeschooling families, we tied four field trips into two days including two shows in Vegas. I’m still exhausted, but it was fabulous!
We started early Wed. morning with a tour of the Hoover Dam (just what all 16 year old girls have on their birthday lists!) It was highly entertaining due to the company we kept. (See the video on FB) The dam tour was closely followed in cultural importance by the tour of Ethel M Chocolate factory! Whoooo Hooooo! THAT was yummy. Not to mention the botanical gardens right out the door from the chocolates. See how much Larisa enjoyed it:
(Special guest appearance by Mary.)
Then the FUN began. We checked into our hotel and prepared for the evening’s festivities…. Phantom of the Opera. Back in the day, when I was 15, Larry was our music minister at our church in California. Well, today, much to Larisa’s joy and thrill, Larry is Ubaldi Piangi in Phantom. He royally hooked up Larisa with the make-up artist of the show and she got to go backstage and sit with the Phantom while he got purtied up for the performance. AMAZING!
The costumes for Phantom were totally over the top! That’s Larry in his $8K fat suit. He was hilarious. Every time he came on stage I laughed before he even sang or acted…. he’s so perfect for that part! If that wasn’t enough…. Larry found us after the show and took us up on the stage and explained all the fancy shmancy props hanging everywhere above the sides of the stage. (It probably has a theatrical name that he told us, but I was busy looking around for frayed ropes.) Amazing show!
Day #2: (Larisa’s actual 16th birthday.) Rick, the boys and I went to tour the Shelby manufacturing plant while Larisa slept in. She refused to go to a car factory on her birthday. :o) Whatever, little princess! Then the boys went swimming before they dropped off Larisa and I at the Belagio to see the fabulous sights and window shop at the exorbitant shops. WOW! Larisa chose the Hard Rock Cafe for her birthday dinner and we were seated on the balcony overlooking the strip. (And can I just make a thumbs up comment for Las Vegas cleaning up their billboards and taxi signs. We haven’t been there for 6 years and it is WAY more family friendly now.)
The evening wrapped up with The Lion King show. And can I just say that their costume designers are some of the most creative people! If you can go see Lion King…. GO! And pay more to sit in the front so you can really see all the details in their amazing costumes.
The evening ended at 11:00 p.m. with McDonald’s ice cream, a birthday song and a gift unwrapping in the Albertson’s parking lot. WOW. We arrived home at 4:00 a.m. and I actually drove the last three hours! Thankfully I uncovered my Lakewood CD and sang two times all the way through it. I love that album. And why do we still call them albums?
Friday night, we had a sleep over/tie dye/birthday party for Larisa…. see why I’m exhausted? What a GREAT week. And please, no one mention all this to my boys from 2011 on.
My Sister's Jar 