My in-laws just bought a new condo and so we thought we'd meet up with them and the "other grandsons" for the weekend. Since they haven't had the furniture from the Gold Hill, OR, house delivered yet... it was a BYOB (bring your own bedding) deal. As a matter of fact, we also brought our own table and chairs too! But this just all made it funner for the kids and dogs.
The drive to Vegas is about 8 hours for us. So we headed out in the late afternoon, stopping for dinner in St. George. Yes, you guessed it... "In N Out Burger".
With the time change (Mountain to Pacific), we arrived in Vegas at about 10:00 pm. Coincidentally, my in-laws, who were driving from San Diego, pulled up to the entrance of the condo at the exact same time as us. Couldn't have timed that better if we tried.
Our weekend was filled with all sorts of fun activities. Like a huge pancake, eggs, and bacon breakfast... courtesy of the mother-son cooking team.
Next activity on the list, was shopping at Trader Joes. We really liked their new red wine from Italy. And, I now have enough Yogi Ginger Tea (about 30 boxes) to see me through any apocalypse.Other things we did...
Swimming in the outdoor pool.
Chilling (well, not really when it's 115 degrees out) in the Hot Tub.
Shopping at Costco --- because in Nevada, their Costco's sell liquor.
Walking our poor little wiener dogs on broiling hot pavement. Poor Max, quickly learned how to walk on his toe nails to avoid getting the pads of his paws burnt. There was very little grass at the condo... not too dog-friendly.
We visited the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday night. Wow. Way too many people and way too hot. We felt like we were all going to pass out from the heat. It was a good night to be one of those folks that sells water... I know we bought a bunch.
When we arrived on "The Strip", Devon left us to go try his luck at the MGM Grand Casino. Carolynn, Phil, and I decided that it would be fun for the boys to see all the outdoor shows... such as the Pirates at Treasure Island, Volcano at the Mirage, and the Fountains at the Bellagio.
Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived on the strip, we lost David. One minute we were all heading down a pedestrian escalator and when I did a head count, I came up one kid short. Joshua and I flew into alarm mode. He double-backed to where we last saw him and I followed. Panic gripped me at the thought of how on earth we were going to find him. It has been so long since I've been in a lost child scenario... that I thought I was immune. Wrong.After a few minutes, Phil & Carolynn found David up the street a bit. It seems that instead of getting on the escalator with us, David decided to take an elevator and got turned around when he reached the bottom. Poor David had to endure with his mother yelling at him for wandering off... in the middle of the sidewalk. Later I explained to him that I was more afraid than angry... I think he was a little afraid too. I spent the rest of the night/weekend ALWAYS knowing where David was.
As for the shows. None of the kids liked the show at Treasure Island. They thought it was more of a girly show and less of a pirate adventure.
The Mirage was disappointing. Phil said that they've cut back on their special effects, so we only got half of the usual spectacle.
However, the Bellagio Fountains exceeded expectations. The kids all loved how the fountains move in time to different music played. We ended up staying for several songs.
On Sunday, we went back to the strip in the day to check our Circus Circus. The boys all wanted to ride the indoor roller coaster. To which they all gave it a big thumbs up.
They also had fun making flat pennies there. Such a simple little gadget. Guaranteed to produce a cool souvenier.
Next it was across the street to the Riveria to visit their famous magic shop. This was an awesome shopping experience. They not only have a gazillion cool magic tricks, gadgets, etc. for sale... but the proprieter did all sorts of tricks for us. None of us left that store empty handed.
When we got back to the condo, the magic shows began en masse. All the cousins had become closet Houdinis.
Poor Grandma, she was the lone member of the Magic Show audience, who had to watch each and every trick. Luckily, she enjoyed them all.
Even Devon got in on the act. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Hmmm... did I just call my husband an "old dog"?
Before we left the strip, we did a quick tour of the Luxor (which really is a one of kind hotel ... in more ways than one).
Finally, it was time to grab some dinner. Yes, you guessed it, "In N Out Burger", once again. We could eat there every day and not get sick of it. As a matter of fact, I think we did eat there every day. The real trick to eating at In N Out Burger was finding enough seats so we could all eat together.
Oh, and what was the outcome of Devon's trip to the MGM Grand Casino? Let's just say that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Which includes all the money he brought to "play" at the casino.
Monday morning, we were up bright and early, and heading for home. One benefit of packing up in the wee small hours of the morning ... was getting to see this awesome sunrise.
