Las Vegas

Go, go, go, and then slow, slow, slow. Mark coined a new word on our trip to Vegas, and I think it's the most perfectly fitting word in the English language. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but if you know my Dad, I think you'll understand. So, everyone's heard of the word, "lollygag." Well, Walter takes lollygagging to a whole new level. So, what's our new word? "Wallygag", of course. We experienced a ton of Wallygagging while in Vegas, but it was all worth it. As I've said before, Dad stops to smell the roses (and the buffets). Anyway, back to the trip....

The first day involved lots of travel, but it was only about 10 am when we got to Vegas. We were checked into the Hilton and eating their buffet by 11:15...which was a good thing, because the baby was hungry! We spent the next couple of hours at the Hilton, and then made our way to the South end of the Strip where we hung out at the new Hooter's Casino until it was time to see the comedy club at the Tropicana. The baby got hungry again at Hooter's, so Jeff and I had some wings and fries. Nobody else was even a little bit hungry, so I guess I'm in the 'hungry as a horse' stage of pregnancy. The comedy show was hilarious, and I about peed my pants laughing. But, by time the show was over I was very tired and got pretty cranky. Luckily, everyone just made of fun of me, and then took me home. Being up for 24 hours straight while you are pregnant is NOT a good thing.

Day 2 was spent exploring more casinos, shopping, lounging at the pool and eating. I got some clearance items at Gap Maternity, which were an excellent buy. I LOVE the jeans. We also got a good deal at Ellis Island, where we all had a steak dinner for $4.95. They don't call my Dad frugal for nothing. [I just think that's a sentence that requires using a double negative.]

We decided to rent a car (a very cool Dodge Caravan) on Monday and traveled the outskirts of Vegas visiting Mount Charleston and Red Rock Canyon. The boys brought their cooler along, and I drove. We saw some interesting landscapes and cooled down a bit while up on the mountain. Did I mention it was about 105 degrees Fahrenheit every day we were there? That's about 10 degrees hotter than normal. Anyway, we finished off Day 3 with an awesome Cirque Du Solei show at the Mirage. It was called "Love," and based on the Beatles lives and music.

Our last full day in Vegas was my favorite. Nicole and I spoiled ourselves at the Spa. We both had 50 minute massages accompanied by a body treatment. Nicole had the seaweed mud treatment, while I had the body scrub. My massage was performed by a sexy European named Stoyan. I'm a lucky girl! After the massage we cleaned up and met the boys on the strip. All of us then ventured over to Planet Hollywood for an excellent buffet, which includes crab legs split down the middle. There is nothing better than crab meat that you don't have to work for! After dinner we made our way down to Fremont Street so Mark and Tony could see old Vegas. As usual, I got really tired before everyone else, so Jeff took me back to the Hilton, where we got one more good night of sleep before coming home.

Trips are fun, but I love coming back home to Hallie and Chance. Did I mention I cried for about two hours after dropping them off at the kennel before we left? I don't know if I'll ever do that again....