The vacation is still going strong.

We are so busy having so much fun here that I dont have a minute to sit and think about anything. And I realize there are only 5 more days before we leave back for Zurich. Sigh! Last weekend was fantastic. It was the first time I went camping. Ashu has been wanting to go camping for the past 2 years and she was excited about the whole idea of sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere. We carried a truck load of stuff for an one night koothu. Utbt and Co also joined us with another truck load of stuff and we cooked, we ate, we played, we chatted, we slept looking at the stars. It was awesome. The campsite was quite rough and thorny. While Ashu would gingerly put one foot out of the tent, wear her shoe and then the other one, Antu would just run around barefoot taking a break to pluck out thorns from her feet. Chalk and cheese, I tell ya!

As if all the shopping and eating out and the camping was nt fun enough, we decided to sneak in a girls only trip to Las Vegas. Sis, a friend and I left for Vegas on Saturday morning. A very dear friend (who just happens to be my sisters SIL) from the Mid West joined us there and we four had a blast à la Sex and the City. Only replace sex with food and gambling! :D It was so liberating to do a trip sans kids. No diaper bags and strollers. No kids menu and high chairs. No tantrums and whining. Ah! Bliss! Giggling like crazy for every thing under the sun. Checking out dudes and dudettes in the poolside. Margaritas and Wine. (water in my case.) Coming back to the hotel room way past midnight and getting up in time for lunch! It was a dream come true. We also watched the show Kà by Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand and it was brilliant. I loved the sets, the moving platforms and the special effects. Especially the one scene where one of the twins is drowning in the ocean. It was just amazing. Worth the money for just that one scene.

Got back on Monday morning and it seemed Ashu had grown taller in 2 days! Antu blessed me with a smile and then yelled, "Perimmaaa" and ran to my sister and hugged her. The little imp! At least I have one child who missed me. Hmph! While my mom is thrilled that her little girls had a blast, my dad is all "ellam all kali kaalam!" I agree that the statement "leaving your kids/husband and going for a weekend away to drink/gamble" would nt sound like a good idea to most of the previous generation especially when translated in Tamil (kuzhandhaigala vittuttu kudi, koothu, soodhaatam!) but they better get used to it! Hd went "You went for a break and now you are taking a break from the break?" Well, what can I say? I swear by the quote - "Live life to the fullest... think of all the people on the Titanic who passed up chocolate dessert." :)