viva las vegas

my parents were kind enough to offer to watch the kids when my sister-in-law/friend/baby wrangler suggested we make a trip for my brother's birthday. we jumped at the chance. between potty training, binky withdrawals, and work... we wanted a mini vacay. we made the reservations months in advance with none other than william shatner... the priceline negotiator and counted down the days. 

oddly enough, when the day actually arrived, all that excitement turned into a ball of worry. all the 'what ifs' kept circling my mind as we drove further and further from the house. eventually enough conversation distracted me. and the fun factor clicked in. 

i left my parents copious notes. the true teacher in me just feels better when i've done this. and it's not to be neurotic/controlling or doubtful of their abilities. just helpful.  

i soaked him in all day.

we loaded the car. 

set the navigation. {p.s. ... how did people survive before navigation? AND... how do i still get lost?}

and took off.

we stayed at The Trump. william really hooked us up. i absolutely loved the hotel. best part... no casino = no smoking. it smelled bleachy clean. my favorite smell. 

only drawback... the conditioner. not strong enough for my hair. 

and... the jackhole who set the alarm clock to go off on their next unsuspecting victim at 4:30am. considering this was exactly 2 hours into that nights sleep. 

otherwise... perfection.

we ate at the Hash House.

and i<3 burgers

my favorite part of this meal was when ryan ordered tater tots and the napoleon dynamite antics ensued. 

we walked. and chatted. 

 

our room had a cool view. 

we admired the cosmopolitan hotel and ate their brunch.

we had an experienced tour guide who took us to old las vegas. 

we made our own cocktails for the pool. it saved us a small fortune. and the hotel staff never made a peep.
my new workout routine/eating plan made getting into a swimsuit fun... or maybe that was the drinks.

this guy was super fun. and hot.

ryan and i had dinner alone one night and went to the Grand Lux. it's owned by the Cheesecake Factory and it was heaven. especially this cake.

we roamed the palazzo and the venetian. 

and saw phantom of the opera. 

on our way home we stopped by Bass Pro Shops. 

other things worth mentioning:
i learned how to play roulette and won $75.

paul made friends with a 5 and 7 year old from England. he threw them around the pool for hours. i kid you not... the mom sat in her chair while they were flying through the air. {i will probably be that mom in 5 years}
kids from England are very knowledgeable of their metric system.
they've seen the queen in real life. we all spoke to them in an English accent.
when ryan asked them what their mom did for work they said, 'she goes to the gym and works on the computer' ummm... can i move to England?

us girls were invited to the encore beach club... i guess i'm not putting out the 'mom/frump' vibe anymore ;)
bathtub jets make shampoo bubbles grow at an exponential rate.
strawberry rum is delicious. and i am happy to not be pregnant or breastfeeding.