This past week I have been on Spring Break, so what better time to head to Las Vegas?! It worked out really well, for a few reasons. There was "talk" that Grant might be there for work, but we didn't know for sure. I had also found a feeding conference that sounded really interesting to get some continuing education hours for my SLP certification. When I was looking into the possibilities, the timing just seemed perfect as long as it all worked out. Well at the beginning of March, we found out Grant would be there for work, so I booked my trip!
I left Thursday evening after work, flying out of Twin Falls. Allegiant Air flies nonstop to Las Vegas from there, but only has flights on Thursdays & Sundays. It was a little farther than driving to Boise, but it was CHEAP! I rented a car in Las Vegas and drove to Nellis AFB, where Grant was staying for work. (I was able to stay with him for the week...free room, yes!). We went to In-N-Out Burger and then down to Old Vegas and The Strip. Grant was working nights (which was the crappy part of the trip), so he wanted to stay up late. I was a trooper, and I think we stayed out until almost 3:30am and went to bed around 4am. And that's PST...so really it was 5am my time, meaning I'd been up for about 22 hours! Whew. It was fun though. :)
Fremont Street - Old Vegas
A video played on the ceiling! See the white screen/ceiling in the first picture?
That's right...this guy stuffed himself into that box...
Stratosphere
New York, New York
Luxor
Nice, right?
Friday was a less eventful day. When Grant got up, we went to the gym and then to dinner at Blueberry Hill, a diner-ish place right outside of base (and Grant's favorite restaurant there). After he went to work, I watched basketball and a movie and went to bed early!
Saturday I got up and went for a run while Grant slept. He had this day off, so we decided we would spend it "Vegas style." We went to the Bellagio Buffet for dinner, and since we got there before 4pm, we only paid the brunch price vs. the dinner price, even though they changed over to dinner meals shortly after. Score!
He was trying snow crab...and he doesn't like seafood!
Some of the MANY desserts we tried. :)
The ceiling in the lobby of Bellagio...they look like tissue paper, but are made of glass!
Pretty spring flowers in the Bellagio gardens.
Outside of Bellagio (Paris is across the street)
We then walked outside to watch the fountain show at the Bellagio. The water "dances" to different music, and it's really awesome. I couldn't believe how high the water shot at times. It sounded like fireworks. :)
Then we walked around and found some slot machines to play for a bit. We eventually made our way to The Venetian to pick up our show tickets to the Blue Man Group. The show started at 10pm, so we checked out a couple more casinos before heading back to The Venetian for the show. The show was pretty neat. We sat in the first few rows and had to wear a poncho because we were in the "splash zone." That's what happens when you let the husband get the tickets! ;) The drum parts of the show were cool, but they also did some skits which I didn't like as much. They were a little too long and just kind of cheesy.
Inside Caesar's Palace..the "sky" ceiling was so cool!
The Venetian
Grant winning! :)
Part of the Blue Man Group show...they spun in a circle so fast that they looked like they were dancing!
At some point before the show, I lost my cardigan, either while walking outside or sitting in the casino. I was pretty bummed and sort of looked for it, but no luck. I tried not to let it ruin my night, but it sort of did. :(
We did a little more gambling, but then headed back to base to end our night. An interesting thing about Vegas is that there is no "open container" law, meaning you can walk pretty much anywhere with your drink! I got a drink at one casino and took it with me while we walked down to another one. It was weird at first, but nice that you didn't have to stay in one place to finish your drink. AND I learned that if you are gambling and a waitress asks you if you want a drink, you say "Yes" because it's free!! I turned one down because I thought I'd have to pay for it....THEN Grant told me it was free. Bummer. ;)
Sunday I slept in for a long time. I think the late nights finally caught up with me. I went for another run after Grant went to work, and then left for the airport to pick up my friend and co-worker, Amy. She was coming down for the conference, also, and since her husband is also military, she was able to stay on base.
Monday & Tuesday, we went to our conference all day. It was a pretty good conference about feeding disorders in children. I don't see any kids for this right now, but I thought it would be a good course to gain some knowledge in case I ever did. The conference wasn't as specific as I'd have liked it to be, but it was still good information.
Wednesday, Grant & I went to breakfast (he had to switch back over to days) again at Blueberry Hill, and then I went to Verizon to check out some phones (I got a new phone, so look for a post on that later!). The weather was BEAUTIFUL, so when Grant got back from work, I wanted to go outside and enjoy it instead of sitting in the hotel room. I got him to go back down to The Strip just to walk around some more. And I won't lie, I wanted to play the Wheel of Fortune slots again. :)
Inside Paris...cute little "street" with shops & restaurants.
If you see a slot machine this big, you have to play. I only did $1 and lost, of course. :)
Beautiful sky that evening!
Thursday was a lazy day, as Amy &I had to head back to the airport early that afternoon. It was sad to leave the gorgeous weather (sunny, 70s-80s all week!) and come back to cool, wet, windy Idaho weather. It makes me so anxious for spring/summer to get here!! Overall, I had a fun trip. It was my first time in Las Vegas, so it was quite an experience, but now I've got the itch to go back! :)
