The Birthday Weekend

I apologize in advance for this long post. It couldn't be any shorter or you might miss out on something!

Brad had a couple of free nights in a "jacuzzi suite" at one of the casinos in Biloxi. So, since our previously planned trip to a wedding fell through, Brad took his birthday girls to the coast for Leyden's birthday weekend. Leyden was absolutely thrilled about the jacuzzi suite. Not to mention to the "multi-level infinity pool" and the birthday luau that the casino was having to celebrate their 15th birthday (which just happened to be the same day as Leyden's birthday).

We invited my brother, Scott, to go with us, to add to the fun. He's a smoker, but we figured that there would be a balcony and he could smoke out there, as he does whenever he travels with us. Well, we got there on Friday evening and guess what - no balcony. While we were checking on the balcony situation, Leyden was investigating the jacuzzi part of the suite. We kept hearing various comments come from the bathroom:

"There's a TV in here! In the bathroom! A color TV with a REMOTE! And it has CARTOONS"

I called the front desk to ask about getting a suite with a balcony, and I was informed that we the jacuzzi suites don't have balconies, so we had to choose between a suite or a balcony. A discussion took place about whether we needed the jacuzzi tub or the balcony. It went something like this...

Me: We really need a place for Scott to smoke.
Scott: I can go downstairs. It's no big deal. (We were on the 5th floor - and the whole floor was non-smoking.)

Brad: Whatever y'all want to do.

Leyden: JACUZZI SUITE! JACUZZI SUITE!

Me: I hate for Scott to have to go all the way downstairs.

Scott: It's no big deal, really. We probably won't be in the room much anyway.

Leyden: It's MY birthday, and I say we keep the suite. HAVE YOU SEEN THE TV IN THERE?

She won...

and guess what? Not only could you watch TV while you're taking a bath... if you turned on the TV and sat on the potty, you could watch TV in the mirror above the tub. (Important details to kids, I'm telling you!)

After we got unpacked and settled in, we took Leyden to the pool for a swim. When we got back from the pool, she was ready for a bath. They left a little bath fizzy on the side of the tub, and that little detail was enough to make her love this hotel forever. She was more excited about her bath than she was about swimming. She turned on the cartoons and I started her water. She liked the way the water came in through a waterfall. She used the waterfall to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out of her hair. She had a nice, relaxing bath watching cartoons!

On Saturday morning, we all went to the pool. Leyden had a great time splashing in the waterfall. She also enjoyed looking through the glass on the infinity edge. From that side of the pool, you can see what is left of Casino Magic and Grand Biloxi. You can also see some of the yachts (pronounced yatch-ets, according to Scott) down on the water. Leyden made a friend in the lower level of the pool, and they played togther for a long time.

After a while we got hungry, so we went to our room and changed and rode a hopper bus to Hard Rock Casino. We found the Hard Rock Cafe and got on the waiting list. While we waited, Leyden and I looked at the Hard Rock pool while Scott and Brad wandered around. Leyden said we have to stay at Hard Rock next time so she can swim in the "cool pool". It is a zero-entry pool, in a free form shape. In the middle of the pool on the back side there is a pool bar where you can swim up and sit on a stool in the water. They have speakers all around the pool bar blasting - what else? - rock music. They have these neat teepee looking structures that have a round, cushioned lounge and shades on the top that can be tied back to let the sun in or draped across for shade. I could just imagine myself on that lounge with a good book and a cold drink.

We were finally seated in the Cafe and we let the server know that it was Leyden's birthday. Leyden ordered some sort of fancy mango drink in a souvenir glass, a drink "without all the stuff in it" as she said. (Translation: non-alcoholic.) The food was great, and after we finished eating, the server came out with a hot fudge sundae, complete with a lit candle. She had Leyden hold the sundae and stand in her chair and then she yelled out in the restaurant, "This is my friend, Leyden, and she is turning 10 today. Everybody give her a round of applause!" And the whole place applauded. Then she said, "On the count of three, everyone yell 'Happy Birthday' to Leyden! Ready? One, two, three!" And the whole place exploded with a very hearty "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" It was so much fun!!!

When we got back to our room, we lit 10 candles on the cupcakes that we had brought with us and sang, "Happy Birthday" to Leyden. She blew out the candles and ate a bunch of icing. (The icing slid off two of the cupcakes onto the other four while in transit to the hotel, so it was a really fun, sticky mess to eat!)

Saturday night, the casino had a 15th birthday party luau. There were performing parrots, the Happy Hookbills. They were so smart! They have one, Roxanne, that can paint. There was a juggler, stilt walkers, a man who could make anything out of balloons, a jump rope team, face painting, and fortune tellers. We had so much fun watching the performers and getting our faces painted! We didn't visit the fortune tellers. I told Leyden they are called "soothsayers" in the Bible and that the Bible says to stay away from them, so we did just that. We got leis from pretty hula dancers, and listened to the live band. Leyden even got a giant heart made out of six red balloons braided together. That guy could make anything! He made a giant squid for one little boy that was over five feet tall. There was one stilt walker wore this contraption that made him look like he was riding the bird. It was awesome! He could make the bird's mouth open and close, and its neck moved around like a real bird. It chewed on Leyden's fingers and snapped at people walking by. Its wings could spread open and its tail could, too. I've never seen anything like it. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time.

We headed back home on Sunday, after another hour at the pool and some lunch at the buffet. We were all exhausted and ready to get home. But the memories from that trip will hang around for a while. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind birthday weekend.