A Little Vegas Break

I've been pretty quiet for the past week or so because E and I decided to cut loose and go out of town. It's been so stressful lately trying to make these big decisions that have such a lasting impact on our lives. E had been working multiple 26 day stretches with just a day or two off in between and we all needed a break.

For E, close to home relaxation means Las Vegas. I know not everyone "does" Las Vegas the same way so that might seem crazy, but we tend to stay away from the party/gambling/excessive drinking scene. For us, Vegas means lounging in the pool, sleeping in, eating good food and taking in a show. This time, we took advantage of what turned out to be their "renovation" promotion to stay at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, which is in the process of becoming the Delano Las Vegas.

Super White Living Room. The photo on the wall is of a couples underwater junk. Klassy.

With this awesome little promotion, E and I were able to get a really swanky, modern suite. It was split into two main rooms, a living room with a couch, desk, TV and small guest bathroom, and a bedroom with a huge king bed, closet suite, TV, and a master bath.

Bedroom with a VERY comfy King bed. Excuse all the clothes, I was unpacking.

One of our favorite things has got to be the black out blinds, E never sleeps as well at home as he does in Las Vegas. Air conditioning cranked up, black out blinds drawn, sprawled out in more space than we need. It always gets the job done.

The delicious master bathroom

The bathrooms at The Hotel aka Delano Las Vegas have all been redone, and provided a nice break from the stark white of the suite. They included these lush, plushy white robes and slippers and we spent a good chunk of time lounging around in them. The shower was wonderful too and the tub, with is super fill waterfall faucet, would have been top of my list if it hadn't been for a small plumbing mishap. The construction crew has been working 24 hours to complete the remodel and it seems they made a few hiccups along the way. On our last night there, we had just drawn a delicious, steaming hot bath when we realized the tub was a little too full. We pulled the plug to draw some water out when bam, the bathroom's main sewage pipe started to back up into the shower. No actual sewage came up but the shower STANK. It was not pleasant and we called maintenance to come repair it as soon as we checked out, they were willing to come sooner but we were already heading to bed and didn't want company. 

Michael Jackson ONE

Every time we visit Vegas we try to take in at least one show. We've seen O, Beatles LOVE, Zumanity, Ka, and a couple of others over the years. This trip it was Michael Jackson's ONE by Cirque du Soleil and it was quite a show. They did a lot of acrobatic floor work and a fantastic number with trampolines that was crazy. Couple that with Michael Jackson's timeless music and you should absolutely see it if you find yourself in Las Vegas. 

Show Selfie

We didn't take nearly as many photos this trip since we were too busy enjoying ourselves, so I apologize for the lack of photographic interest. We hit some fabulous restaurants, stopped in at my favorite store Tatyana at the Forum Shops (I found a gooooorgeous dress but it was a little pricey so I've got my fingers crossed for an upcoming sale!), slept late every day and spent at least a couple hours a day lounging in Mandalay Bays Lazy River and Wave Pool. We meant to check out the Delano's private pool and spa but never made it down there since it's hard to get past that Lazy River. I'm pretty sure I could float in that thing all day and be happy, though it would have been better with less people crowding it.

We capped off the trip with a visit to the Williams and Sonoma Outlet on our way home (thanks E <3 a="" again="" already="" although="" and="" are="" as="" at="" badly="" bit="" break="" brought="" but="" can="" cast="" come="" delicious="" favorite="" forward.="" forward="" he="" hectic="" hold="" home="" honey="" hoping="" i="" inside="" iron="" is="" it="" know="" linen="" little="" looking="" m="" most="" move="" my="" napkins.="" nbsp="" needed="" new="" not="" of="" on="" out="" p="" pans.="" past="" relaxation="" s="" shopping="" skillets="" some="" that="" the="" things="" those="" time="" to="" was="" we="" will="">

M and C's Las Vegas Wedding

M and Clay's Las Vegas Wedding

June 15th, 2011

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Location: Little Church of the West, Las Vegas NV

Dress: Prom dress altered by M's mom

Shoes: Etsy

Head Band: Made by M herself!!

Necklace: Planetjill, photo of baby R

Suit: Friar Tux, Charcoal Grey

The Details

Bride, Groom and Baby R

Happy Together 

I wish I had brought my nice camera along with me! Instead, I took E's portable little Canon Powershot and it just couldn't handle the heat outside or the low light in the chapel. M and C made a beautiful bride and groom and R was adorable in her dress, even though she was napless and cranky. Both families were able to come last minute, including C's sister who came all the way from Texas and you could tell everyone was there because they loved M and C. 

After the short but sweet ceremony, we went out to dinner at the Luxor buffet and then headed back to the rooms for some champagne, wedding cake and mojitos. We toasted the happy couple, shared stories of our troublemaking youth and ultimately sent M and C back to their room to enjoy their incredible hot tub with a view of the strip. E and I were so happy we could be there to celebrate with them will try to upload a little video of their ceremony when we get home. 

Las Vegas, Wedding Edition!

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Today, E and I are in Las Vegas for the wedding of two of our best friends, M and C. M and C have been together for years now and have the gorgeous little girl R featured on my blog at every possible opportunity. After much back and forthing over whether or not to have a big ceremony, M and C decided to just go for it and elope! E and I were supposed to be there surprise witnesses but plans often don't work out as they're supposed to so the whole family is coming along and we are sadly no longer a surprise. I don't expect that to damper the enjoyment of the day and we can't wait to be there for them this evening.

Our nice big king bed!

To make our trip a super secret surprise, and since we haven't been on vacation since we got married, E and I arrived in Vegas yesterday, a day before the wedding. We made the drive pretty quickly, about 3 hours and 45 minutes plus a stop for a lazy lunch at Bob's Bigboy. We checked in, walked around the hotel, and drove over to the forum shops for some shopping and dinner. To our great dismay, FAO Schwarz is no longer there! Apparently it closed last year and our tradition of bringing home a furry friend from every Vegas trip has ended. We were also sad to see that our traditional restaurant is gone which led to dinner at the delicious but unexciting Cheesecake factory.

Amazing pools!

Given our tradition of sleeping till the afternoon with the Las Vegas blackout drapes closed, I would normally be asleep right now if our hotel room clock wasn't off. I rolled over at about 8:30 this morning and our clock said 2:30pm! I assumed we had just been really tired, and woke E up to tell him the heat was keeping people away from the pools which were miraculously empty! He's gone back to sleep but I think we'll be hitting the buffet and the pool sooner than expected. If we have time, we'll get E's hair cut before the ceremony and then it's off to watch M and C get married!