Tuesday May 4th was Derek's first trip to the World Famous San Diego Zoo, my very first employer. Erica and I had to work but my parents, cousin Charm and Auntie Baby took Derek. We took Derek to the Wild Animal Park for his 1-year birthday so this wasn't his first time seeing zoo animals. He had a great time and learned how to say "zoo" for the very first time!
On Wednesday May 5th, we took the day off of work to take Derek on his first Disneyland trip. Courtesy of Derek's Ninang(Godmother) Nora, we were able to get into Disneyland free of charge. During this road trip, took Derek on several rides including Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Carousel, Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Tea Cups and the Ferris Wheel at California Adventure, including a lot of walking. We also stopped to take a few pictures with several of the Disney Characters, including Pluto, Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Ninang Nora also got Derek his first Mickey Ears hat.
On the 16th of May, we ran our first 5K, the Coronado Bay Bridge Run. Not only was it Derek's first marathon, it was both Erica and I's first ever run. We started the run at 8AM and finished it within an hour. It was awesome being able to go on the bridge without having to ride in a car.
From Thursday May 20th thru Monday May 24th, we brought Derek to Las Vegas for the first time. I was chosen by my work to attend the annual ICSC Real Estate Conference for retail. Besides his first Vegas trip, it was first airplane ride. We stayed at "our Vegas Condo" The Signiture at MGM from Thursday thru Saturday. If you ever go to Vegas, you must stay at this place at least once in your lifetime. For the first three days, we hit up The Signature's lazy river. Even with the college spring break & bachelor/bachlorette atmosphere we all enjoyed the lazy river. We also hit up the M&M store, where Derek got a blue M&M pillow and took a picture with a green M&M. From Saturday night thru Monday, we stayed stayed at Bally's (Courtesy of my work. They also paid for my flight to Vegas and back.) Our view was amazing! We could see the Bellagio water show from our room and had a great view of Paris' Eiffel Tower and hotel. We also did plenty of walking, watching the Bellagio water show from the strip and hit up a few malls, including the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, the Forum Shops at Caeser's and Fashion Mall near Treasure Island. In addition, we took lots of sight-seeing pics during our exploration of the Vegas Strip. A few spots in During this trip, we hit up a total of 6 buffets, including MGM's, Paris (2x), Planet Hollywood, Bellagio and Caeser's buffets. It sounds like a lot of food, but really we each at one or two plates of food and followed Derek around as he explored each buffet setting. Overall, the whole family had a blast!
