Las Vegas/Scottsdale

Bobby and I under the famous Vegas sign

Bobby at the Hoover Dam

The scenery at Coconino National Forest in Sedona AZ

Heather, Ali, Jessie, Kari and Kristin

McKenzie and Olivia - my valentines!

Top row: Bobby, Kari, Finley, Heather, Brian

Bottom row: Olivia, Billy, Deb, McKenzie, Ali

We just got back from our family vacation. Although we are all exhausted and have a million things to get done by tomorrow, we very much enjoyed the time we had together.

Bobby and I left last Sunday for Las Vegas. It was so nice for the two of us to have some time together to get out and have some fun. I sat down at my first slot machine and won $5 on a nickel slot machine. I figured that was the extent of my luck so I cashed out. Bobby did enough losing for the both of us at black jack. Although Vegas is the place to go to gamble, we really didn't do a whole lot of gambling. We walked the strip and were approached by 15 time share people. We finally gave in and agreed to do a 90 min lunch presentation on a vacation package in exchange for Chris Angel tickets.

We saw Mystre at Treasure Island where we stayed. If you ask me how it was, I'll just stare at you dumbfounded. There really are no words to describe. The best one I can think of is "odd". Unfortunately we missed Chris Angel. Bobby was determined to get his latest tattoo while in Vegas and he finally found a place that could get him in at 5:30pm. What was supposed to take no more than 2 hours took 4 and we ended up missing the show. Being the huge dork I am, I stayed at the hotel and did homework that whole time so I was exhausted by the time he got back. We went out to dinner and called it a night that night.

We decided to rent a car and drive to Scottsdale where we were meeting up with Bobby's family. The drive was phenomenal. We took a detour and checked out the Hoover Dam. I'm sorry but yes, its a wonder how they did that but once you've seen it, you've seen it. I guess I'm just not all that into it. Bobby really enjoyed it and wanted to see it from every angle. I wasn't as excited about it and wanted to get on our way.

We decided to take the long way to Scottsdale and drive through Sedona, per the advice from our taxi driver. He told us it was beautiful and we just couldn't pass it up. Well, he was right. It was the most beautiful drive I have been on. We drove through Coconino National Forest and it was absolutely gorgeous. We wound up and down a mountain. It had just snowed the day before but the roads were clear and dry so it was great to see the scenery. The only bummer was that all of the scenic areas were closed due to the snow so there were not a lot of opportunities to stop for photos. I would love to go back there some day and stay in a resort in the forest.

In Scottsdale, it was cold, much like Las Vegas. McKenzie swam with Bobby one day and Finley got in with Heather and Brian for a bit but that was the extent of the swimming. We did go for some walks and visited the train park. We got together with Kristin and Jessie one night. We did some shopping and checked out a western themed dinner/entertainment deal one night as well. We were also invited to Bobby's uncle Billy's house. He and Deb had a nice pizza party for us. McKenzie decided we should have a dance off while we were there so we all gave it a shot. McKenzie said that Ali and Jane tied although we all think Bobby had the best dance moves. (You should have seen him shake his stuff!!)

We all made it home safe and sound. Although you should have seen us. We've decided until the kids can walk on their own, we are no longer traveling by plane by ourselves. On the way to the airport, McKenzie threw up on herself which was fun. Once we got to the rental car return we had to go through her suitcase and change her clothes. Then we had 4 suitcases, 4 carry-ons, 2 car seats and our coats which of course we were carrying along with puppy and blanky. From the shuttle to the airport, we had to carry all of these because there were no carts. Crossing the street, I think Bobby dropped a suitcase 4 times. Cars were stopped trying to go around him as he picked up on suitcase and dropped another. I couldn't help but laugh from the side of the street watching him. Once we got in and finally got everything checked, we almost had to run to our gate because they were already loading. You should have seen us in security. The guy running the machine had to help us because we had to unpack the diaper bag to show all the liquids, unpack the video camera (that we never used), unpack the lap top, you get the drift here. So as I'm trying to that, McKenzie is sitting in the middle of the walking area crying that her stomach hurts. I basically had to carry her through the metal detector. Then the nice security guard tried to make her feel better by giving her a sticker but instead I had to pick her up and run her to the garbage can so she could throw up again. They just looked at me like, okay, it's going to be one of those days. She was fine though after some 7up.

Now we're home. Even though we were together on vacation, I still feel like I wasn't able to spend a lot of time with the girls. I decided to keep them home today and we all played along with Alexa. I took the girls out for lunch and they just had all kinds of fun playing today. All in all, we've had a great week!!