Las Vegas

A few weeks ago, Trent and I headed out to Las Vegas. The once home of the mafia is now the home of our dear friends Joni and Derek and Jen and Rob. We had the luxury of making this a long trip so we could enjoy all of Derek and Joni's wedding festivities and spend some quality time with Jen and Rob. I beg Trent to move us to Las Vegas...this happens almost weekly. This must say a lot about the friends that live there because I am not a big fan of the city itself. Our first day was spent on the strip of Las Vegas.

For August in Las Vegas, the weather was not bad. We started out at the Bellagio, which is now our favorite hotel in Vegas. We wandered through the conservatory that was beautifully decorated. We marveled at the animals that were made entirely of flowers. There were also some amazing streams of water that shot right over your head. I just love being at the Bellagio. They play music outside all around their property. I could not help it - I started to dance my way down the ramp that goes to the street.

We visited the Venetian Hotel and watched the statues come to life at Ceaser's Palace. We met up with Derek for lunch at the Mesa Grill, a Bobby Flay Restaurant. The food was great and it was so nice to talk with Derek about his upcoming wedding and their future plans. I mostly enjoyed watching Trent and Derek laugh so much at their own jokes. I love to see Trent that happy - thank you Derek!

Then we headed off to the M&M factory and to see the lions at the MGM Grand.

We were lucky enough to be staying at Jen and Rob's home and they graciously hosted a BBQ that night. Jen and Rob make some really great food. Rob and Trent later watched football and Jen and I talked and talked. Oh, I love her.The next day was spent with Jen. We drove out to the Hoover Dam to look at the new bridge that is being built over the dam. It is huge and, I image, would be scary to drive over. We had fun making all the "dam jokes" possible. As we were leaning over the wall to get a good look at the dam, some dam water kept spraying us in the face. Aww....the last joke is out.

That night we went to Derek and Joni's rehearsal reception that was held at a private club downtown. It was beautiful inside and out. Trent and I loved getting to know both Joni and Derek's family members. For dinner, Derek, Joni, Trent, and I all ordered the same combo: crab cake, steak fillet, and chocolate cake. It was a combo that could not be beat! The rest of the evening was full of talking and laughing. At one point, I saw Trent and Derek laughing as hard as I think they could. It ended up being quite funny - "I'll tell you what, that man fell in a dump truck, broke his neck, and died."

After dinner, Trent and watched a few shows at the Bellagio fountains.

Saturday started out having a pancake breakfast with Jen and Rob. Again, the food was perfect. Thanks Jen. Then we drove to the temple for the sealing. Derek and Joni were sealed in the Las Vegas temple. The ceremony was simple and beautiful. Joni and Derek just beamed! Afterwards, Trent was summonsed to go out and take pictures with the wedding party. I was also able to get some pictures.

The guys are comparing their rings. So cute.

After the sealing, Trent and I hit up In-n-Out for the second time during our trip. So good. (I write a lot about food.) Then we made our way to White Cross Pharmacy. I had read that they had the best milkshake in Vegas. As we got there, Trent looked around at the neighborhood and building and asked, "where did you read this?" I reassured him and we went inside. Turns out that it was in a recent movie. I can't recall the name of the movie. We got our milkshake and it was quite good. I was happy about the excursion.Joni and Derek had a ring ceremony at TPC Summerlin, a beautifully green golf course. The site of the ceremony overlooked all of downtown Las Vegas and the mountains. I loved watching Trent walk down the aisle as he took his spot of best man. The Bishop that gave the ring ceremony did an amazing job as he talked about the symbolism and history of wearing wedding rings.

After the ring ceremony, we went inside the club house for the reception. Dinner was fun and we were able to sit next to a friend of ours that was in law school with Trent. Trent also gave a speech - which was the best speech I have heard at a wedding. He was appropriately funny and sentimental, all in the right place. Good job, love! As the evening wore on, I realized how much I loved this trip. Good friends, good food, and a great husband. Who could ask for more? Well, maybe I could have asked for a better flight than the red eye that night.

Congrats to Derek and Joni. We love you and hope to see you soon.

Thank you to Jen and Rob. Your warmth and friendship were felt and appreciated.

Las Vegas: I love you but I hate you.