Utah and Las Vegas, Here We Come!

Last Christmas, Dave signed us up for a vacation package.  Basically if we listen to a time share presentation, we win a cruise, regardless if we sign up or not.  That was the enticement, the cruise.  So we planned a trip to Las Vegas where we would be put up in a nice hotel and then sit through a time share presentation.

I hadn't been to Utah for over a year so I decided to make a big trip out of, starting in Northern Utah and then making my way down to Las Vegas.  The girls and I (Dave didn't get to join us in Utah) drove to Reno and stayed with my cousin, Christine and her family for a night.  I feel like knocking out that first two hours made such a difference on our second day of travel. Anyway, the next morning, we met up with my in-laws down the road and then caravanned out to Utah.  We all stopped in West Jordan for a few days to see Josh and Tara and their kids.  Tara had just had a baby so it was the first time meeting little Allie. The girls and I actually stayed in Sandy with my aunt Sandra and uncle Randy.  It had been years since I'd seen them so it was fun to catch up.

We had a fun time with Josh and Tara.  We had lots of good food, watched movies, played games, and played at the park.  The girls loved playing with their cousins.

 

Little Allie.

Jocey really enjoyed dessert but cones are hard to eat.

I also met up with some of old roommates for Sunday dinner.  It was fun to catch up with Alicia, Stephanie, and Lindsay.  We had such great times together and I love catching up.

I also met up with my home town friend, Chamrie, who has moved up to Orem.  The girls stayed with her husband and kids while we had a dinner date.  It was nice to catch up too.  It's always fun to see how life turns out.

On our last day up north, as we started our drive down to southern Utah, we stopped at a park and played and had lunch with another one of my roommates, Betsy,d and her boys.

After that, we stopped at BYU where we met up with Matt, Dave's brother.  We bought some BYU mint brownies and some new BYU t-shirts and license plate covers.  Then we walked around campus looking at the changes that have been made.  I love BYU!  I get so excited every time I visit.  So many good memories and happy times.

We said our goodbyes and then headed down to Enoch.  We stayed at my parents' house even though they're not there right now.  My cousin Kipp and his wife Lauren are living there while my parents are on their mission.  They are the cutest and funnest couple ever.  It was really fun to get to know them both better. They both work and Kipp is in school so we really only saw each other at night.  But we talked a lot.

One night we headed back up to Beaver to see some Brough family.  They are so fun and hilarious and always make me feel so welcome.  We had dinner and then played games and then the girls and I headed back to Enoch.

Second cousins.

During the weekend, the girls and I went to lunch at Sizzler with my grandpa and two aunts, Carol and Norma.

I was also able to see one of my best friends, Holly, a couple times and meet her twins.  We also had Sunday family dinner, played at the park and outside, had family walks, had a surprise visit from my auntie Angela, and on our last night had a family BBQ.

 

Boston and Taylor.

 

Auntie Angela.

 

I love Enoch scenery.

The girls with Grandpa Great.

We are so studious.

 Ok here's a normal picture with my cousins, Lauren and Kaela.

We were able to see so many family members and friends on our trip out to Utah. Such a blast!

From Utah, we drove to Las Vegas, where we picked up Dave at the airport and checked into Circus Circus for a night.  We saw some acrobatic shows, ate good food, pretended to play arcade games, and went to the amusement park inside the casino called, The Adventuredome the following morning.  Emma was not too thrilled with the place nor was she tall enough for most rides so she and I mostly just watched Dave and Jocey enjoy the place.  They went on every ride they could and had a blast!

Later that day we headed to our BlueGreen vacation package hotel.  It was even nicer than the Circus Circus room.  It was like a fully furnished little apartment.  That night we went swimming and then just ate leftovers from the night before.

The next morning was our time share presentation.  It was interesting and informative but WAY TOO LONG!!  The girls were completely done after the 3 hour long presentation.  We said no.  And then said no again and again.  The presenter was very nice but I think most are told not to take no for an answer.  But we won!  We quickly headed to lunch and then Emma and I took naps, while Dave and Jocey went swimming again.

After naps, we headed to the strip.  We went to the M&M factory and watched a 3D film and then let Jocey pick out some M&Ms by color. That place is four stories high with all kinds of merchandise. So cool.

Notice how Jocey is holding the M&M's hand.  So cute.

Then we headed to the Bellagio to watch the fountains. The girls were enthralled. I loved watching their reactions. I was a little disappointed though. I remember it being longer, not just one song. Oh well, still cool.

Next, we headed to see another free show at Caesar's Palace . We were late since they have these things placed at the very back of the casino. And it was actually kind of lame. But the fish tank made up for it. The girls enjoyed looking at all the fish. I had really wanted to go to the aquarium at another casino but we ran out of time. I blame Dave. Last, we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was delicious.

We went back to our hotel and went to bed. Then we headed home the next morning. The traveling is always the part that worries me most because I worry the girls will get too restless and bored and just whine and cry and scream the whole time. But they are great little travelers. We had a great trip but were glad to be back home and in our own beds.