Moments D509: Coetaneous

It's always a little nerve wracking when you go to a museum with someone new.  Will you like the same exhibits?  Will you argue over the merits or qualities of art?  Sometimes that generates a great discussion, but in the past, for me, it's always broken down into a conversation that leaves me feeling inept and uncomfortable.

Today when EQ and I visited the Erotic Heritage Museum in Vegas (on our way out of town), I was even more nervous about it.  (After all, who wants to disagree about something so intimate?)

As we made our way through the museum, we were both mostly quiet and kept our thoughts to ourselves.  I realized that we were likely both being tentative about sharing our thoughts.  As we progressed through the collections, we opened up a bit about our thoughts of the art, the collections of memorabilia and other paraphernalia.  Interestingly (though I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised!) we realized that we gravitated towards similar pieces of art and collections.

Without knowing it before hand, we were in step with one another.  Not only with the content (the line art drawing us in the most), but also in how the museum displayed its wares.   Below are a few of the pieces we took photos of.  (And yes, we were allowed to!)

Moments realizing that we're coetaneous.

Moments sitting back and smiling that we are.

Moments D508: Spontaneity - Another Day, Another Cirque

Today was supposed to be a travel day, but the luxury of the pool called to us.  As we lay there at the pool, sun beaming hot upon us, my dear sweet love looked over to me and said "Why don't we just stay another night?"  It was a light bulb moment.  "DING!"  Yes, that was a great idea!

To add to the excitement of this suggestion was the fact that Zarkana (a Cirque du Soleil production at Aria) was dark yesterday.  I am a HUGE Cirque fan.  I haven't missed a travelling Cirque show here in Toronto and I was very disappointed yesterday to find out that they were dark.  I was eager to get us tickets to this show and extending our stay would allow us to do so.   It was a final piece of the puzzle falling into place.  EQ's simple, delightful suggestion not only allowed us the luxury of staying at the pool all afternoon, but we would be able to go to the Cirque show.  BRILLIANT!

And so, my sweet man made it happen.

Not only did we enjoy an amazing day at the pool, we had an early dinner during "happy hour" (whoo hoo, cheap eats & drinks!) a bath watching the sunset, which was followed by one of the most amazing Cirque shows I've seen and we had amazing seats!

Definitely a brilliant idea to spend another night in Vegas.

Moments realizing we can easily switch up our plans.

Moments enjoying the new pieces of the plan fall into place.

Moments D507: Rides, Rides, everywhere there's rides

Today was a great day.  It was a silly day with some up and downs of its own reflecting the day's activities! A day filled with laughter, good food and deep discussions.

But the moment to share was the fact we spent the day riding the "best" rides in Vegas!  Now, I use this term "best" lightly as while they may be the "best" in Vegas, they certainly weren't up to par to some of the rides I've fallen in love with over the years.  That's okay though, Vegas can't be awesome at everything, right?

We started off our day at the Stratosphere.  The first ride was Insanity. Sure the first peek over the edge of the tower brought a tingle, but once it began to spin, it was no more exciting than the big swings at Canada's Wonderland or the CNE.  It was actually much more fun to watch the other ride goers!  A couple of them were hanging on tightly.  Another looked a bit nauseous.  That's when fear hit me.  What would happen if someone on the ride vomited?  Is it bad that that was more frightening than the ride itself?

The second ride we tried was the X-Scream:

We sat in the front seat (thanks to the fairy dust fulfilling our wish!).  Exciting, right?  Na, not really.  It too fell a little flat for me as the thrill of hanging over edge was really its draw (I'm not afraid of heights) and the ride itself was a short!  Regardless, we had a lot of laughs on the ride, and as the ride was coming to a close we even tried to convince the ride operator to give us one more dip over the edge (which she did not oblige!).

From the Stratosphere we ventured on over to New York New York for the roller coaster.  Considering one ride was $14 and all day riding was $25, we opted for the all day pass.  We rode in the front seat the first time, and I had my hands up the entire time.   It was fun for a small coaster, though a bit bumpy.  This bumpiness was only amplified when we rode in the last car our second ride.  (I highly recommend waiting for the front seat to ride it - it's much smoother!)  Our third time was near the front and while we laughed and enjoyed it, it wasn't grabbing us nearly as deeply as our hunger pains - it was dinner time!  So we called it a day and headed back to our hotel.

Today's moment - all about being a kid again and riding the rides with silliness and glee in our hearts.

Moments being a kid as an adult.

Moments knowing that your partner is right there beside you doing the same.

Moments D506: Riding Lessons

Today's moment came early in the day.  That being said, as I write this, I realize that the rest of the day was filled with many small beautiful moments. I can't help but share them briefly before sharing the early day moment.

Travelling from Barstow to Vegas, EQ and I stopped on our way into the bright lights and glamour of the city to appreciate and hike the raw beauty of the Mojave desert.  When we later arrived in Vegas, we rode the strip.  So much fun to do so on the back of EQ's bike.  How wonderful to reflect upon a day that  started out in the raw natural beauty and ending up in one of the busiest cities in the country.

But the moment I want to dig deeper into is the one that came just before we left our hotel in Barstow.  Last night EQ and I met a couple from Montreal who were also riding a bike for their vacation.  When we were getting ready to leave this morning, the two of them were also getting ready to leave.

Jacques was 74 and was riding a big Harley that made his younger girlfriend nervous.  Jenni, who isn't retired yet, opened up a lot about her concern over how large Jacques' bike was.  Thus began a conversation about how big EQ's bike was (it's quite a bit bigger).

Jacques was quite enamoured with EQ's bike wanted his photo taken with EQ's bike and so, we strolled over to Diana.  And as we neared, EQ decided that he would not only oblige the photo, he would give Jacques a lesson on how to better handle a heavy bike.

I watched as EQ instructed Jacques how to mount the bike, and then how to balance the bike between his legs, flat footed instead of using his arms.  I watched as Jacques began to understand this method. Jenni, all the while, snapped photos.

The couple from Montreal were both filled with huge smiles and laughter as we rode off to breakfast.  It was a special moment because not only did we make this couple's day, we also made their lives a little safer.  I love that EQ was able to kill two birds with one stone.

Moments meeting strangers and sharing insights.

Moments knowing that the world is a little safer.

Moments D505: Sacred Traditions

Today's moment was one with more depth than most of of my 574+ shared moments.  Today I shared in what I feel is a sacred moment.  I was very nervous to be included as I know its importance and depth; one small misstep and I could find myself in an extremely awkward position.

For the most part I kept my energy focused on this sacred moment to be bright and supportive, but I was a follower.  I awaited cues and gestures to know how I should be involved.  I did what I could to do more than just watch the ceremony in progress.  I focused my energy to be bright, but it was an incredibly emotional for me.  I felt all the emotion of the moment added to my own.  At times during the ceremony, I found myself overwhelmed with tears in my eyes.  It was a beautiful to be even a small part of this tradition, let alone in the middle of it.

I watched as balloons were released in pairs.  The final single one was sent into the sky and we watched it disappear into the morning sky.  It was a celebration, a shared memory.  A moment ripe with love and pain.  It was a first moment that will forever be with me as I begin a new path with the man I love.

Intimate moments shared.

Moments never to be forgotten.

Moments D504: Riding partner

Today was the exciting beginning of a new adventure.  In the days ahead, we have ~1500-1700 miles to ride through California and Nevada, all on the back of a Honda Valkryie.  (Here is the story about the name of the bike too!)

Now, I've been on the back of a bike twice before.  Once in my early twenties on the back of a "crotch rocket", I believe it was a Ninja and then only this past summer on a friends new Triumph.  Neither moment was I on the back of the bike for any length of time, both were just quick joy rides.

When I arrived in California, I had my first (what I'd like to think anyway) "real" bike ride as we rode from the airport home on the bike.  It was a 60 minute ride.  In the dark.  The next day, we rode over the Ortega highway and that was definitely a lesson on how to be a riding partner.  So, while the thought of a big bike ride through California was an exciting idea, I was definitely nervous at its length! Was I really ready for the 1500+ mile trek?  The days to come will reveal that, but today, today, I was a super-star!  (If I do say so myself!)

Our trip today was 270 miles.  We started out in the hot, hot sun and were in shorts and t-shirts.  We rode through Chumash and were happy to stop and take a break from the sun and enjoy a vista and a quick meeting, but by the time we rode into Morro Bay the weather had shifted pretty significantly.  The sun was lost behind the fog tickling the road and hills that we passed through.  While incredibly beautiful and inspiring to ride through, the temperature had dropped significantly and even with layered clothes we were both quite chilled by the time we rode into the beautiful Morro Bay area.

With hands of ice and a chatter behind my teeth (hey - I figure it's good training for Tough Mudder!), I looked at EQ and asked him if I made a good riding partner.  His huge smile and warm hug said it all.    My moment today, is knowing that I've come a long way since the first "real" ride on the bike.  I'm much more comfortable on the back of "Diana" now than ever and I'm sure that in the coming days it's only going to get easier and more comfortable.

Moments realizing that I really enjoy being out in the elements.

Moments feeling the growth of self.

Moments D503: Praying Mantis Surprise

Today was a pretty laid back day.  Late to rise, with a little work done in the day's heat before heading out to an evening ride around the city.  Unfortunately we missed sunset at the lake (as we had planned) due to something that popped up, but that's okay because in the end, it's only because of me having time to kill that I found a unique moment to share with you today!

As I was killing time, I was sitting on a big boulder in the parking lot.  Close to the boulder was a praying mantis cozied in a bush.  Being clever, I snuck up on it and took a few pictures of it.

It was as still as a statue!  It was the perfect model.  I was impressed.  (Little did I know at the time.)

After sharing the praying mantis with a couple of other people in the parking lot, and a round or four of photos taken, we came to the realization that the poor thing was dead!  After a good laugh, we all agreed that it was still the perfect model for a photo shoot and continued to take pictures.  Mother nature's joke on us.

Moments respecting nature's space.

Moments realizing that you were wrong and laughing about it!