Las Vegas--NO KIDS!

We have been married nine years, we are both officially in our 30s and have been focused on our kids for the last 4 years. We splurged and used all of Chris' bonus to take a "Mommy & Daddy" trip to Las Vegas (which, for those who know us well, know that it is VERY hard not to be "practical" like using the money fix something around the house or just put it in savings).

Anyway, we had 5 days and 4 nights aways while Gramma & Papa watched the kiddos. (By the way they did such an awesome job with the kids that they weren't even excited when we got home). The first 2 nights we stayed at THEHotel at the Mandelay. The room was nice, the tub was amazing, but we probably wouldn't stay there again because we didn't care too much for the decor, proximity to the other hotels, how crowded the pools were, the confusing lay-out of the hotel, and the restaurant selection. We did spend our entire first day there being totally lazy by the pool (which was awesome because we didn't have to work around nap schedules or hover around the baby pool). We also had some nice runs around Mandelay's "track" that circles the pool. Another highlight was spending a few hours together at Starbucks, reading the Word and just talking. It was a treasure.

The second 2 nights we moved to the Venetian. It was so much more our style. It was light, bright, open, a closer walk to everything else and had a much better pool setting (for adults anyway--I bet the kids like the Mandelay much better). There were a much better selection of restaurants in and around the Venetian (though they do not have a Starbucks in the hotel--we had our Bible time at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf instead). :)

Our trip highlights in a nutshell:
**Being together**Time alone (no kids)**Relaxing/no schedule**The sun**Lounging at the pools**Dressing up and going out dancing (though I should have listened to my friend Lindsay and NOT gone to Tao--yuck)**Taking a nap in the hotel after the pool and before going out for the evening**Sharing wonderful meals out with engaging conversation (loved MESA and Mon Ami Gabi--you have to try them both)**Not having to clean anything all week**Looking into each other's eyes and tearing up because we are so in love with one another.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH CHRIS!!!!

Getting in a picture before going out for the night.

Nice view.

The weather was actually really nice.

Can you guess what hotel lobby this picture was taken in?

This is Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris hotel. We were sat at the exact same table 2 days in a row. The view of the fountain across the street was great, the food was better, and the company was the best. I liked their chopped salad (without the blue cheese) so much that I got it both times.

We had a $25 casino credit from the hotel and blew it in less than 15 minutes (and that is because we only played quarter machines and played on a few different machines). I am so glad that we don't gamble; we'd be broke and living on the streets.

We had such a great time at the pool. Even with using nearly an entire can of 50SPF, we still absorbed more vitamin D in a few days than we would back home in a year.

***Mom and Dad, we are already discussing where our next trip will be...thanks for taking such good care of the kids for us. WE LOVE YOU!