A Vacation Before We Move

In October, Ann (Brandt's mom) and Kris told us they were sending us to Las Vegas for our birthdays and Christmas. We decided on mid April because the annual fundraiser at my job was in March. Everything was booked when Brandt's position was eliminated at work so we decided to do Vegas on the cheap.

Our first day was uneventful. We started walking the strip in search of a place to eat. Our hotel was on the far north end and we didn't find many places worth trying. I was getting very hangry (hungry+angry=hangry) so we stopped at Senior Frogs. It was loud, expensive, and had OK food but my blood sugar levels had evened out!

Day two we walked all over the strip. We had a great (and cheap) breakfast at a Mexican place and explored.

M&Ms World

Walking on the strip.

Balagio Gardens were beautiful!

I met Yoshi!!

We took a trip up the Eiffel Tower.

We took a break at Ceasar's Palace and watched
the sea horses at next to one of the bars.

We watched the Balagio fountains twice from the
top of the Eiffel Tower.

Before we left, my boss told me how she had fed the sea turtles at Mandalay Bay. I was able to get one ticket for the one day they had open. It was amazing! I wish I could have gotten closer but it was still a great experience. The Shark Reef was also fun. I got to touch a sting ray and horseshoe crab (first time)!

Waiting in line for the Tournament of Kings.

We went to the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. They didn't allow pictures but I snuck in a few any way. We sat in France and our king was very interactive and fun. The show was great but the next morning Brandt started to feel sick.

Our view from the first row at the Tournament.

Peppermill Fireside Lounge.

We kept it low key the next day and I enjoyed a morning by the pool. We ate at the Peppermill Fireside Lounge, which has been featured in movies and TV shows including CSI: Las Vegas. We also went to Cirque Du Soliel: KA, which also didn't allow pictures. Brandt was feeling sick but went with me any way. I loved the music, acrobatics, costumes, and mostly everything. We were in the center of the 5th row and I could feel the fire on my face! We could see the expressions the actors made and could hear their voices.

When Brandt was researching which show we should go to, he discovered that last June one of the actor's ropes broke and she fell to her death. I was surprised the show was back on but glad we were able to go. Unfortunately, the final battle scene was recorded and projected on the set. It was anticlimactic and I wished they had a disclaimer. I did understand their reasoning though. Overall, it was a great show and I'd love to see another Cirque show some day.


THANK YOU to Ann, Kris, and Brandt's grandparents (who own the timeshare in Vegas) for sending us on this amazing trip! It was a great break from reality and it will probably be a long time before we have a chance to relax again. We appreciate the generous gift and truly had a great time... well until Brandt got sick, but we still made the best of it!