Our time in Sin City

We are back from our first weekend away in Vegas and it seems like it just FLEW by! We really did have a great time and it was nice knowing that the kids were doing so well while we were gone, but boy did we miss them! I think the longest part of the day was the drive between the airport and home yesterday morning.

We got to Vegas first thing on Saturday morning and started off our day with a breakfast buffet. We then walked over to the Wynn Hotel & Casino as I had heard so much about it that I wanted to see it. It certainly was one of the fanciest places I had ever seen! We were still killing time before we could check in so we drove out to a Restaurant/Brewery off the strip that Marshall really wanted to go to. I went along with it and was pleasantly surprised as the food was delicious (not always standard for breweries). Come to find out they were a restaurant for 15 years before the owner decided to start brewing beer too. It was obvious. My favorite thing we ate there were fried Wisconsin cheese curds with a horseradish dill sauce and a really delicious ranch. We then headed over to Mandalay Bay to check in. I was impressed from the second we pulled up! It was a beautiful hotel and there were so many things to do and eat there (I really wasn't sure what it was going to be like considering the great deal I got when I booked it online). We hung out for a bit, did some gambling, had dinner and then it was time to head to the Brad Paisley concert. It was so great because it was right there at the Mandalay Bay events center. The concert was INCREDIBLE!! We had such a great time and it was super entertaining. Marshall more or less just goes along for the ride with country stuff but even he said it was a great time. There were songs, videos, etc and it was really quite an entertaining evening. The opening acts were Scotty McCreery and The Band Perry and then Carrie Underwood even made a surprise appearance to sing her duet with Brad Paisley, quite unexpected and fun! I think Marshall's biggest concern was feeling out of place in the crowd but somehow we got seated in the "regular adults" section (ha ha) where everyone was enjoying themselves but they weren't going crazy, so he was quite comfortable. After the concert we got dessert and decided to go to bed as we were so very tired. We figured we would (finally) catch up on our sleep instead of pushing it and then have a nice Sunday. We slept sooooo well and it was the first time in almost 3 years where we both slept through the night :)

On Sunday we did a brunch breakfast at Mandalay Bay and then had a lot of fun playing all of the games. What's cool about Mandalay Bay is that it is connected by walkways and tram to the Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York and MGM grand so we got to check it all out. Marshall really enjoys the $5 Blackjack tables so while he was doing that I played a fun big wheel game and won $50 on a $1 bet TWICE!! Overall, we aren't huge gamblers but we did have some fun playing various games (Craps too! We won on that as well even though overall we didn't come out ahead, but not too far behind). We had lunch, hung out, walked around, had dinner and then on Sunday it was time to go see Carrot Top at the Luxor. We had heard that everyone groans when talking about it but no one complains after seeing the show. It ended up being HILARIOUS!! A great mix of prop comedy, stand up, videos and sound effects. The whole crowd was having a great time and I really would recommend the show to anyone going to Vegas. We stayed out a bit later on Sunday night going around the different casinos and by the time we got back to our room that night I was soooo tired! Then the first thing the next morning it was already time to head home. Luckily it is such a quick flight between Vegas and Fresno as by that point we were just dying to see the kids again.

Overall, it was a really great time and we think we probably have our Vegas fix covered for the next few years. It was tough leaving the kids but of course the benefits outweighed the negatives. I keep trying to remember that it is important to focus on our relationship during these years as at some point it will be "just us" again. There's a quote from an article about how hard it is to be the mother of small children that really resonated with me. It said "Don’t blame yourself for thinking that your life is hard. You’re suffering now because you’re turning into a new woman, a woman who is never allowed to be alone. For what? Only so that you can become strong enough to be a woman who will be left." It's so true. The kids are all consuming right now and my life has done a 180. The thing is, if I did it "right" (AKA the way we want it to be) then they will be happy, well adjusted kids who will have their own lives and families. We will be left "alone" again at some point and that's why I want our relationship to still be strong and vibrant then too. So here's to lots of fun family time as well as couples time for us in the future.