Summer Regional

So every summer Edward Jones does a Summer Regional trip for it's Financial Advisors and their families. Adam's region which consists of Financial Advisors from Southern Utah, Las Vegas area, and some of Arizona go somewhere usually the third weekend of June. Last year we missed it, cause we had Milo. So Milo's birthday will most likely fall on it often. It goes from Thursday and ends on a Sunday. They go somewhere different every year. They are limited where they can hold it. It can't be more than 400 miles, and it has to have places that can provide things that they need. Like professional babysitters for kid camps, places that can provide the rooms and everything else they need. This year the had it at Lake Las Vegas. It was at a Hilton hotel that's on this lake area. It was nice. It had a nice pool and a makeshift white sand beach area that we could take the kids too. We also had a double room so the kids enjoyed their own beds. We enjoyed them having their own beds so they weren't all crammed in one room all over our floor. 

The morning start out with a breakfast buffet. Most of the mornings consist of meetings. Meetings for Adam, meetings for the both of us together, and then a spouse meeting for just me. The spouse meeting was a lot of fun. They talked to us about being a support system for your spouse. They also had this fun section on photography, which we all enjoyed. They feed us a breakfast buffet, then we have meetings until about 11 or 12 and then we have free time. Thursday pretty much consists of all welcome stuff, and schedule stuff. Lunch time is free time, except your first time there, which on one day you get invited to lunch by the region leader or the general partner. So friday after some meetings we went to lunch with the region leader, his wife, and some other new Financial Advisors. We spent our afternoons swimming and playing with friends. During meetings that we both had to go to, we would take the kids to the kid's camp. Gabe loved it, cause her group had some fun stuff for all of the kids to do. They had crafts and games and snacks, etc. Ollie was in with the younger group with Milo. So essentially it was kinda like dropping him off at nursery. He liked it the first time, but the next day he was kinda over it. :/ It was a good thing that he had a friend in there with him that he could play with. Milo didn't love it at all really. Luckily it was only for short periods of time. By the last day he recognized the place, and started crying as soon as he got there. Not fun. Luckily he did chill out after a few minutes. We left him in his stroller and they usually would just push him around to keep him happy. Or he'd play with a toy in his stroller. His stroller was like his comfortable zone, so we went with it. It wasn't his favorite, and we didn't love dropping him off. 

Loving hanging out in the hotel watching the Disney channel and hanging out on the big cushy beds.

Each night they had a buffet style dinner. After dinner one night, I took Milo up to bed, and Adam took the kids with some friends to walk along the beach area. 

These are the kids in their room in their own beds, which they loved. We packed all the extra pillows around them, and they slept like champs. 

Friday was Milo's birthday. We tried to still make it a fun day even though we celebrated before we went to Vegas. He got spoiled and most people knew it was his birthday so he heard birthday wishes most of the day, and got sung to at the Luau themed dinner that they had that night. 

Our window overlooked the pool, so the kids loved watching people out the window. 

The kids loved playing hide and go seek in the hotel rooms. It was Ollie's idea one day while we waited for Daddy. There actually were a lot of places to hide. 

At lunch on Friday with the region leader, some friends sat close by. Normally I might be annoyed at their kids screaming to my kids across the restaurant, but it kept my kids entertained at an adultish lunch, so I didn't care. Maybe I should have. Ah well. 

Hanging out at the pool and the beach Friday afternoon.

Who doesn't love chilling on a beach eating cheetos on their birthday?

After our Luau dinner Friday night they had "beach" games for the kids. It was super fun for all of them. At dinner the whole group sang Happy Birthday to Milo. 

The hotel was by some shops and restaurants. So after the dinner we took the kids to get ice cream for Milo's birthday. 

Saturday the guys had meetings until noon. So some of the other moms and myself drove over to a Chuck e Cheese to let the kids play. My kids and the buddies they play with occasionally loved playing there and with each other. The other two moms who have one kid at like a year and half each kinda got over it fast, but still had a fun time I hope. We had the Dads meet up at In n Out after for lunch. 

Milo loved whatever rides that I could find for him to do. 

I think I spent atleast 8 tokens for Ollie to ride this police car over and over. 

It was kinda fun to see my kids be able to enjoy older kid games. 

The kids were so beat after playing and lunch. After a stop at Hobby Lobby to browse and a nap for Milo we spent the rest of the day playing in the pool. Saturday night is the official fancy night. Fancy dinner cocktail style, with a very nice official award ceremony for all the Financial Advisors. I was super under dressed. (Even though they told me I could be casual) Oh well lesson learned. Next year I'll get fancy- kinda nice to have an excuse to get dolled up. They do this recognition for the new FA's. So Adam got to go up for the "hazing", even though he should have done it last year. They pretty much just make them put on silly stuff for a picture.

 After that it's all very award night style. There are certain milestones and goals that they can achieve and earn in the first five years of the job. Then others they can earn later in life as they progress in their careers. It's super cool to see new people earn awards and people who have been in the business long earn milestones. So my awesome husband won some awesome things for things that he has accomplished. I was so proud of him. 

Milo had this thing with not sleeping well and waking up at five in the morning. It wasn't fun. Also not fun he's continued that since coming home. We would kind of rotate taking him. One morning Adam went for a long walk with him. I guess the nice thing is the early mornings make for good sunrise pictures. 

It's kinda nice thing to look forward to each year. We really enjoyed it. They usually announce the location of next year after the award ceremony, but they haven't chosen one yet. So the last couple years have been in Sedona Arizona, and Palm Springs California so some fun places they travel to. We're hoping next year we get to join in somewhere cool.