Apologies to those of you who have been waiting to read about our trip to Las Vegas. It probably goes without saying that I've completely lost my blogging mojo over this past year. I have so few opportunities to sit down and work on the blog uninterrupted, and when those precious opportunities arise I have been choosing to focus on other things. I'm sorry to say that blogging just doesn't top the list of things I like to do with my limited "me" time anymore. But don't worry... I'm currently exploring less time-consuming options for preserving our memories and sharing them with you. I've began experimenting with Instagram for the day-to-day "little" happenings of our family, which you can check out at www.instagram.com/kelishfamily. Instagram certainly won't replace the blog, but it will allow me to move forward while I attempt to catch the blog up on all our 2017 adventures.
Anyway. Now back to previously-scheduled programming.
On Sunday, May 7 ((oh my goodness, was it really that long ago?!)) we hit the road for our first family trip to Las Vegas!
We made our first (and ONLY!) stop of the 560-mile journey a little less than half-way, at a McDonald's in Tulare. The kids are such incredible road trippers (and travelers in general!) that we are more than happy to treat them with Happy Meals along the way.
While we were on the road Avalon made this list of "Things to do in Vages". :)
My blog readers probably remember my love of windmills from past road trip posts. :) I'm not sure I have ever seen so many in one spot!
I don't remember exactly where this was. Our journey from Sacramento took us South on the 99 to East on the 58 to I-15 North to Las Vegas, which was all completely new scenery for this lifelong Californian. It has only taken me 33 years to appreciate the diversity of my home state!
First glimpses of the high desert
Joshua Trees! This was a nostalgic sight to Shaun, having grown up in the Antelope Valley, but this was my very first time in this part of the state (that I can remember, anyway).
We spotted this "creative expression of human presence in the desert" along I-15 about 10 miles out from Las Vegas.
I was a little giddy during our drive down the Las Vegas Strip... it had been ten years since my last visit!
After our cruise down the Strip we drove a little further to my aunt's house in North Las Vegas, where it didn't take Eddie long to find a favorite toy. He pulled this vintage wooden puppy dog around almost non-stop the two days we were there!
Practicing his putting with Uncle Spence
As much as I love to research and plan our trips, I also have to acknowledge that the best, most memorable things to happen are always spontaneous in nature. We left Monday, May 8 completely unplanned and ended up having an amazing experience... going behind the scenes at Creech Air Force Base in Las Vegas, where my uncle works. Shaun and I had to get complete background checks just to step on the base, after which we were able to see a real RPA (remote piloted aircraft, better known as drones to us civilians) and experience a real RPA simulator--the exact same simulators that RPA pilots are trained on.
It was a beyond-fascinating experience. I had no idea that the RPAs flown all over the world by the United States Air Force are controlled from various places on the unassuming Creech AFB in Las Vegas! (Don't worry, I'm not spilling any sensitive information here... that fact is widely known, and my uncle told us that there are protests at the gate of the base about four times a year).
Shaun and I in front of an RPA. I took a few pics throughout the whole privileged experience but this is probably the only one I should put online. ;)
The kids were not allowed to come along on our tour, so they hung out with Aunt Sharyn in the van and in my uncle's office. To reward them their patience, we stopped at a really cool playground on the way back to the house.
Back at my aunt and uncle's house, the girls decided to outline Eloise with rocks on the putting green
At least this strange little project kept them entertained while they waited for dinner!
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Enjoying a lazy morning the next day
After a really nice visit with my aunt and uncle, on Tuesday, May 9 we said goodbye and headed to the Strip for Part Two of our Vegas trip, where we were booked for a 3-day stay at Bally's.
To anyone familiar with the Las Vegas strip, Bally's probably seems like a pretty random choice of hotel. The truth is, we were inspired to take this trip because of a deal we received through Wyndham Resorts as members of their rewards club. Yep... it was a time share spiel scenario. But hey, we got a great rate at our choice of one of three Wyndham hotels, a few other perks, and Shaun and I finally have our own time share horror story to tell. (Spoiler alert... it actually wasn't horrible at all. We were in and out in two hours and never felt uncomfortable by the hard sell.)
We chose Bally's purely because of its fantastic location, right smack dab in the middle of the Strip. It ended up being way nicer than I thought it would be and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It is one of the older hotels on the Strip, but has been kept up to date and, most importantly, the rooms were very clean. We were particularly glad that we chose a good hotel because we had convinced our Danish friends Rasmus and Louise to meet up with us there to kick off their trip to the U.S.! They flew in from Denmark that evening with their 5-year-old son Frederik and we all enjoyed a very fun couple of days in Las Vegas!
Goofy girls waiting for Daddy to get us checked in at Bally's
Eddie getting in on the giddy goofiness
I knew we probably wouldn't make it to the real Vegas sign this trip, so I insisted we stop in front of this replica at a souvenir kiosk in the casino
Once in our room, Eddie took an immediate liking to this door hanger
"These guys my friends!" he excitedly exclaimed. LOL!
On Tuesday evening we knocked one of the items off my family-friendly, budget-friendly Las Vegas to-do list... dinner at the new Taco Bell Cantina on the Vegas strip.
Naturally, they served alcohol. Shaun went for a beer while I got adventurous (haha) with a spiked Freeze. I had no idea what kind to get, so the girls at the front register recommended some red concoction with Fireball whiskey, which I'd actually never had before. It was just as delicious as it should have been for fourteen bucks. (Hey, when in Vegas!)
Cheers to our expensive Taco Bell meal ever, but definitely the most memorable!
Ellie and I on the tram over to Wyndham Desert Blue Wednesday morning for our time share presentation. Yes, they let us bring our kids... and I highly recommend that you bring some along if you ever agree to sit through a time share spiel. I have a feeling our three angels were the reason they took "no" for an answer and sent us on our way after the contracted two hours. ;) Just kidding--the kids behaved incredibly well... and all time share jokes aside, the Desert Blue was a gorgeous property and Shaun and I were both impressed by the way Wyndham does the time share business. We just may be interested at some point in the future, but for now our cruising addiction consumes most of our monthly vacation budget. :)
Once we were back at the hotel, it was pool time!
Just chillin' poolside in Vegas! Even though there are more kid-friendly options in Vegas (my cousin tells me that the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay pools are the best for kids), I really enjoyed the low key atmosphere at the Bally's pool. No loud music or rowdy drunks, just some quiet fun in the hot Vegas sun.
Eloise wrapped herself up in a pool towel and took a little nap on a lounge chair. This is only one of many reasons my kids make such good travelers... if they get exhausted, they usually just conk out wherever we are in lieu of having an over-tired meltdown.
Eddie got a lift from Rasmus on the way to dinner
It was such a cozy ride, he fell asleep!
Meanwhile, Eloise held hands with new BFF Frederik the whole way to dinner
Waiting in line at Wicked Spoon :)
Eddie was completely conked out by the time we arrived at the buffet. It was a running joke during our trip that Shaun and Rasmus often looked like they could be a couple, so of course I had to snap this pic of the boys with their boy, all color-coordinated for a night out on the town. LOL!
Our big shot eldest e-mailed her Nana on her hand-me-down cell phone while we waited for our table
A shot of us at dinner. I can't even describe how amazing this buffet was. Once upon a time I used to love buffets, but not so much these days, ESPECIALLY since having kids to make plates for. I would much rather relax and be served, especially for $40+ a person... but OMG. This unique buffet is definitely a "must-do" on every Vegas trip I take in the future.
In case you were wondering where Eddie was in the previous picture. ;) Remember what I said about my kids just conking out wherever we are? He did end up waking up in time to eat some pizza, mashed potatoes, prime rib and ice cream. :)
I took several pics of us walking back to Bally's after dinner, but they all came out blurry like this! :( Ellie and Frederik held hands again the whole way back. :)
Thursday, May 11th was our last full day in Vegas so we hit the ground running with a visit to Circus Circus. The kids LOVE Circus Circus in Reno so I knew they'd love the bigger-and-better Vegas version, which I hadn't experienced since my first trip to Las Vegas as a tweenager. We later took a walk down the Strip to the Sprinkles cupcake shop, and topped off the day with dinner and a visit with one of Shaun's old friends from Humboldt who now lives in Las Vegas.
Showing off the emojis they won while waiting for the circus show to begin
Frederik refused to look at me for a pic
Hanging out back at the hotel. We were so lucky to be able to get connecting rooms!
Arriving at Sprinkles, a destination on my Vegas "to do" list
Sprinkles' famous cupcake ATM
Avalon was all smiles for this pic in front of the cupcakes, but ended up opting for ice cream instead
Spoiling our dinner!
Reunion in the Bally's food court with Laila, Shaun's friend from college, plus our five kiddos
These five became fast friends
Hanging out at the counter of Johnny Rockets
And so concluded our Vegas Vacation. The next morning, Friday, May 12 all eight of us piled into our van for the long drive home. Our trip to Las Vegas was way too short; there were so many things I wanted to see and do that we just didn't get around to. At least we have plenty of reasons to return sometime in the [hopefully near] future!
Our vacation might have been over, but the fun continued with Rasmus, Louise and Frederik staying with us in Clarksburg through the weekend. Since we'd had a busy week we opted to stay home and enjoy some fun on our homestead. :)
Old friends tooling around the yard on the Jeep on Saturday
((Flashback to these three cuties together at Fairy Tale town two years ago!))
Introducing Frederik to America's pastime. :) Turns out he's a natural! Not sure how many opportunities he will get to play baseball in Denmark, but he loved it!
Frederik spent a lot of time driving Eddie around in the Jeep, which Eddie enjoyed WAY more than this photo may suggest! He loved having another boy around to play with and called Frederik, "that guy, my friend."
Hanging out in the front yard on Sunday, which was Mother's Day
Fortunately it was warm enough to dust off the water slide for the season
We said goodbye to our friends on Monday morning as they headed off to continue their California adventure. It was wonderful to spend time with them in Las Vegas as well as at home in Clarksburg, and we can't wait until we meet again!
