Vegas Vacation!

This past week Carlo and I traveled with some of our closest friends to see the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. If someone were to ask me to rate our trip on a scale from one to ten; I might have to give it an eleven. Aside from the loads of money we all had to fork over for public transportation,, I'd have to say I absolutely loved "sin city"...and NO, not because we did a lot of things that should "stay in Vegas" ;)  By the end we were missing the boys like crazy, but all in all we were so glad to have had the opportunity to unplug for a while and make some more great memories with sweet friends.
The first day Carlo and I went on a sunset tour of the Grand Canyon.  It was worth every penny. On the way to the Canyon we were able to explore the Hoover Dam and the town of Seligman, Arizona where the inspiration for the Cars movie came from on route 66. We traveled on a tour van with 8 other people, none of which were native North Americans except for the driver and myself. We spent 15 hours that day with strangers from all around the world.  It definitely made for an interesting trip.  I learned a lot about Canadian health care, Indian Sanskrit and tons about the educational system in Singapore and Dublin, Ireland. Sharing a sunset over the 11 mile wide Grand Canyon with this eclectic, interesting bunch was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

 

 

The next day we all finally got down to the strip to take it all in.  We definitely did lots of (window) shopping, walking, and more people watching than I have done in a long time....it was fantastic!   We saw the water dance at the Bellagio and the Treasure Island show for free.  Most of all we enjoyed the laid back schedule that our kid-free trip offered.

 

Later that night, we headed down to Freemont Street aka "Vintage Vegas" for dinner and more people-watching fun.  We had a blast!

 

 

The next night the girls and I did a wine tour. This too was   probably one of the highlights of my trip.  Good wine and even better company;) I will also mention that our night ended with a fabulous rendezvous with the guys at the MGM casino for some dancing!  Because the professional Bull Riding competition was in town that weekend, we stumbled upon a great country music band playing...I might have gotten the crowd to do a line dance toward the end of our evening;) Way too much fun!

 

 

On the last day Cole, Jeff, Carlo and I drove just 20 miles west of town to see the Red Rock Canyon.   Mind-blowing to say the least.
The weather was perfect for a short hike and a scenic drive around the humongous rock formation. We were so glad we took the time to see it.

 

 

The last night we all did dinner together at a fancy restaurant and saw the famous Cirque du Soleil show called Love. It was all Beatles music put to a theatrical, circus show.  It was incredible!

So after six nights of staying out WAAAAAY past my bedtime I need a nap...or five!

PS I will also be heading back to work part-time teaching Spanish once again starting next week. I am excited, but I will still need prayer. I am hoping the transition goes well and my sweet boys enjoy their time with our beloved Ms. Jenna while I'm away :)


Thank God for dear friends and vacations. The combination is simply sweet.