This last week was spring break for my kids. We planned to take the whole week off from life and just relax. Keeping up with tradition, we met my siblings in Las Vegas for some serious R&R! I admit, I really needed it. I was starting to feel extremely overwhelmed in my life. I was putting too many things on my plate and doing a mediocre job at all of them. I revisited my priority list and made another resolution to stick to it, no matter what.
1. God
2. Stephen
3. My family
4. My health
5. Music
That's it. That's what matters most to me at this time in my life. The bottom two change a lot, but these are what make me happy. The top three haven't changed in twelve years. I don't plan on ever changing them. With this in mind, I am seriously ready to hit the ground running. I needed an entire week off. I am so glad I took it.
Las Vegas never disappoints. This year we stayed at the Aria Hotel and Casino. It was stunning inside. If you are looking for a relatively crowd and smoke free environment, this is your place. However, this hotel seemed to really cater to the true Vegas high rollers which was not us. We stayed in a two room suit near the top of the hotel. The Hotel mistakenly put us on a smoking floor. This started our trip off terribly. Every time we walked down the hall way we could smell all types of smoke. Not fun. I get a massive head ache any time I smell smoke. Luckily, our room did not smell like smoke mostly because the Aria uses state of the art air purifiers.
Our bathroom was not great. There was no sound proof doors leading to the bathroom. So if you had to go number 2, you had to do it with everyone listening. HA! Also, the doors to the bathroom and toilet were completely see through. Pathetic if you ask me, unless of course you are in to seeing your significant other use the toilet. I wake up before Stephen every day of my life and I like to get ready while watching a show or listening to a podcast. This was not possible in this bathroom set up.
Other than that the hotel was awesome. We ate at the buffet and loved it. The spa was AMAZING! The gym was upgraded and comfortable. The sky pool and cabana did not disappoint. Our service at the cabana was unbeatable. Alan was the best at keeping us happy and in the shade! The service at the hotel was not as great as other hotels we have stayed with, but it wasn't terrible. There are so many things I would change to make the VIP experience better. There is a VIP entrance, but you have to carry your luggage a long around the hotel to even find it. There is no VIP drop off. We had to carry our luggage around the building and down the stairs to check out. Not cool.
We saw two shows. Both were so different from the other. It was fun to sit in the first row and then the fourth row. We felt like we were a part of the action. We ate at so many amazing places. I think I ate my entire body weight in food in one week.
On the last day in Vegas we took the boys to the children's museum. They loved it. Every year I try to convince them to do something different, but they are not ready. Maybe next year they will want to zip line the strip with me. Maybe.
I really have the coolest family. I know everyone says that, but my family is the coolest. They are always willing to try something new, or dress up, or just be silly. What else can mormons really do in Vegas? We just lived it up, relaxed, and laughed. We also made up an incredible rap song that Michael is working on mixing up for us! JUST WAIT! You'll die!
Stephen flew home Wednesday evening and I drove back to my parents house in Kingman. We spend the next few days just hanging out with my family. I love them. It was so hard to leave my parents. I know the next time I will see them will be at the end of May but it is always hard to make that 6 1/2 hour drive home.
