Vacation Rewind

I've been meaning to write a bit about our vacation a few weeks ago, however between sleep deprivation of vacation and a recent health concern (which has turned out to be nothing so far) I've not had the chance to catch up.

Last spring, Larry and I were presented with the chance to head to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with family and friends for a snow filled vacation. Not ones to pass up a great vacation, we signed up as a couple, hoping that we would travel as three, which was obviously the case.

We were set to leave on January 3rd at 7 a.m., which was when our travel follies began. For starters, due to some staffing issues of a certain airline, we missed our first flight. So instead of arriving in Jackson Hole at 1 p.m., we left Richmond at 2 p.m. We finally got to our destination at 10 pm. The one plus of the situation was the bump to first class. Oh if I could only travel that way all the time. And Teegen was such a trooper. What a great little traveler we have!

Teegen and Mommy in Jackson Hole. Teegen spent a lot of time in
the Hotsling and loved it. So did I.

Trying on Daddy's boots

View from our car on the way out of Wyoming

Our Hotel from the outside

Our original plans while out west were to leave Jackson Hole for Las Vegas on Wednesday in order to make our court day to finalize Teegen's adoption. While our bad travel karma hit again when the weather forecast called for over 20 inches of snow in Wyoming the day we were to leave. Unable to reschedule our court date, we made the decision to DRIVE TO LAS VEGAS....in one day. What were we thinking?

It actually was not too awful...okay, it was pretty awful, but Teegen did great. I think that the worst part of it was the worry that we were not going to make our court date. And literally not seeing a car for about three hours.

So we left Wyoming at 8:30 am and arrived at our hotel in Las Vegas about 11:45 pm. Finally we were able to get to bed about 12:45 am, were up at 4 am and on the road to our court date by 5:30.

At last, we were at our final destination...the courthouse. What an awesome experience! Our hearing took under thirty minutes and was highlighted by Larry forgetting our anniversary. Actually the judge was just giving him a hard time. Our attorney asked us each a few questions and then the judge entered the order of adoption. A few pictures later and we were on our way back to Vegas.

Before we left town, we stopped in at the NICU where Teegen spent the first few days of her life. It was a bit surreal to be back in the hospital and remembering all the emotions that were present in June. The NICU staff was excited to see her and how healthy she is. We were also able to stop and meet our coordinator at the adoption agency. We've emailed and talked on the phone numerous times but this was the first time we were able to meet. That meeting really brought our journey full circle.

Teegen and Mommy right before our finalizatoin hearing

A picture with the attendees of the adoption hearing

The Virgin River Gorge. You have to drive through here to get to
Teegen's birthplace. It is breathtaking!

When we were finally back in Vegas, we were simply exhausted from the events of the last few days. We planned to sight-see on Friday, but Teegen woke up with a fever, so we simply hung out in the hotel/casino all day. We took turns in the casino, hitting it big on a Star Wars Slot Machine and just relaxed. Larry even let me sneak off to watch Twilight, which I loved. The next day we headed back home, with very smooth travels.

Even though we had multiple snags in travel, it was well worth it. What an exciting adventure to add to our list of memories.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Stay tuned for Teegen's 7-month update!