VEGAS!!!!

        You know what they say, "What happens in Vegas, goes on my blog."  Turns out that whoever "they" are, they speak da truf.  Last weekend for Memorial Day we felt in need of a vacation...so Mike and I packed up our bags and took a spur of the moment trip to the city of lights (and sin, but we'll get into that later).  We got to The Cannery Hotel & Casino late Sunday night, so we just had pizza and chilled in the pool.  It was like 80 degrees out at 9pm.  No big deal.
        We also made a midnight run to the Wal-mart to get tylenol, snacks, and a red box.  So classy (who needs paper view...or is it pay per view?) Oh! And the hotel had the best mattress ever.  I'd bet my life on it...or at least the rest of my sleeping years (which are my favorite years, btw).

Just Drivin' so many miles and lookin' like a thug

"This road goes on for miles! We're out of water!" 

Mike is apparently a serial pizza-eater.  Look at that face...

Why yes. I ate this whole thing.

This is Mike's "I made this hotel" stance

So the next morning we awoke to a mess.  Someone had broken in our  hotel room!  No just kidding.  This is just the daily squalor in which we have grown accustomed to live.

After tidying up a bit, we dined like Kings on awesome breakfast foods (delightfully cooked eggs, blueberry pancakes, the works) and people watched in the Casino.  Vegas would really be an exciting place were it not for all of the depressed expressions on the slot machine players' faces.  Seriously, no one looked as happy as us.  Was that because we had an awesome breakfast?  Or because to us, the coolest thing about "vacation" was a pool and a hotel?  Or because they've lost $200,000 before 10:00am?  We may never know.  

Mike is happy due to pancakes. 

During the day, we tripped out to the outlet stores to buy some inexpensive clothing goods.  We snagged some new clothes for Mike and sunglasses for the both of us to help us "blend in."  It was gorgeous weather all day, and Mike was psyched he wore his "Cougars" shirt; we met a cool LDS couple from Utah who were also vacationing there for the weekend.

When we checked into our next apt, the LVH, we got the 23rd floor; awesome.  Not only did it feel like a 5-star room, but it was so high up you could see the entire city!  I was a little bummed it was so far off the strip, but it meant that we got a really cheap hotel and no road noise (not to mention any skanky stuff.  Most of the couples staying there seemed retired/just old).  

Swank King-sized bed.  Man, we lived in the lap of luxury!

Gorg. view from our window! 

This does not adequately capture the significance of a good bathroom, big tub, etc.

Apparently, it was tradition to slap your dirty shoes on the ceiling beams in the parking garage to leave a semi-permenant mark on Vegas

We had an awesome all-you-can-eat buffet at Treasure Island that afternoon. Brisket.  Pizza.  Salads.  Chinese dishes.  COTTON. CANDY.  Need I say more?

It was fun to tour the hotels up and down the strip that evening.  It's crazy to see all of the people who bring their children on the strip!  I felt like every other minute Mike was like "don't look down," or I was like "don't look up."  We got a system down to where, when they pulled the driving billboard up advertising semi-nude models, I would point in the opposite direction and say, "Hey look! McDonalds!" 

It's also funny the amount of money people fork out in casinos and forum shops.  We learned you can have just as much fun playing "red light green light" and "freeze!" on moving sidewalks and escalators as you can gambling.  And they're free.  

This is the gondola that went underneath the Luxor

This is a beautiful upscale hotel they just built.  Can't remember the name...

Treasure Island.  Mike is a pirate....er...

The Bellagio water show

The Bellagio indoor gardens

M&M world

"Why they have so many choices?"

Mike's mug shot 

My mug shot

Later that night, we took a trip back to Summerlin, a wealthier neighborhood that Mike served in on his mission.  It was really a neat experience to see where he used to live and for him to re-live some of the awesome experiences he had on his mission.  I'm so grateful to have such a keeper! 

Happy Vacationing!