Pre-LV and LV Day 1

I know, I know.  I'm terribly and horribly behind on blogging again.  Going to Las Vegas for the weekend and then going to Tucson for Thanksgiving and then decorating the whole house, inside and out, for Christmas has been exhausting and overwhelming and time consuming.  But, I'm committed to catching up and staying caught up before I inevitably get behind again at Christmas.

On Wednesday the 18th (almost TWO weeks ago) Elliott wore this outfit to school.  I love this outfit.  Spencer wore it for 3 years and now it has passed on to the younger brother.

This picture is awful, but this is the turkey in the hallway outside of Elliott's class.  Every kid contributed a tail feather.

This is Elliott's.

I picked up Elliott from school that day and we went to Target.  For some random reason that I never did understand, he was mad at me and gave me the silent treatment.  He thought he was punishing me, but in reality it was total bliss to have him be quiet for a few minutes.  Usually it is non-stop chatter at an ear splitting volume.  He recovered from whatever he was pissy about as we walked to the car and a woman in the parking lot even commented that I had a real talker there.

Elliott's new winter hat.  The gremlins got a hold of the first picture.

We also stopped at Home Goods that day and stocked up on coffee for the month of December.

I once again forced the kids to play outside that afternoon.

I worked on Thursday.  Ginger, presumably, cuddled with this blanket for 14 hours.

Friday was day one of the big trip to Las Vegas.

A little background first.  I have a cousin who is in prison in Kingman, AZ.  My mom and dad have been to visit him, but my brothers and I have not.  You have to fill out an application and have a background check of sorts in order to be approved to visit.  Michael, my brother Nick and I did that in February not really knowing when we would get approved and when we would go.  Then Nick had to cancel a hotel reservation over the summer and the Hilton offered him a fantastic suite at a fantastic price in Las Vegas if he would sit through their time share presentation.  We decided we would go in November after Nick got home from sea and stop in Kingman on the way.

My parents and Nick left Tucson a little after 4 am and picked me and Michael up around 5:40 am.  We rented a mini van for the trip.

Michael tried to go back to sleep.  The gremlins in the camera didn't help.

My dad did go to sleep.  See him back there? 

There, I actually turned my whole body around to really show him. 

We got to Kingman around 9:15 and went to breakfast first. Nick ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy.  It was $2.50. 

I ordered the full, for $5.00.  I figured it would just be a wee little thing based on the price.

No.  Wrong.

I only ate half and Michael ate the rest. 

On our way to the prison.  Well, in the parking lot before we were on our way. 

We got to the prison at 10:30 and were immediately turned away because they were doing some sort of count and no visitors were allowed until 11:45.  OK.  So glad we got that ridiculously early start.  We drove 15 miles back to Kingman and wasted some time at a bookstore and then went back and got there at EXACTLY 11:45.

There are no pictures or documentation of any sort for the next 4 hours because phones and cameras are not allowed.  Not even for blogging purposes.  

Unbelievable.

We left Kingman at 4 and headed to the bright lights of Las Vegas.  

There was lots of sleeping on the way.  Except for me.  I just documented for blogging purposes. 

Nick didn't sleep.  Thank god.  Because, you know, he was driving.

And my dad managed to stay awake for like 18 seconds.  Just long enough to take a picture. 

We finally got into the room around 7.  It was a 2-bedroom suite and it was swanky.  Michael and I got the "master" bedroom. 

Look at the tub in the room! 

A glass door shower is somewhat awkward when multiple people who are not married to each other might need to use the bathroom when someone is in the shower. 

The kitchen 

The living room where Nick so graciously slept on the pull out couch. 

The other bedroom that my parents took. There was another bathroom in here too, but I am a blogging failure and didn't get a picture of it.

We had some drinks before heading out. 

We went to dinner at the db Brasserie in the Venetian.  Nick was mortified that I took pictures of the Christmas decorations as we walked through.  

We actually went out for another drink in the hotel before dinner.  I hadn't eaten anything but some chocolate covered pomegranates since the biscuits and gravy for breakfast and I was nearly in a hunger-caused coma by the time our food arrived.

My mom, Nick and I all got the pumpkin soup to start.  It was pretty much the most marvelous thing I have ever had in my entire life.  But I was so hungry that I would have probably said that about a bowl of (non-frosted) shredded wheat. 

I had duck for dinner. 

We all shared this pumpkin souffle for dessert.  My mom was in the bathroom when it was delivered and she was the one who really wanted it so we considered hiding her portion and telling her we ate the whole thing when she got back. 

More pictures on the way out.  Nick wouldn't even acknowledge that he knew me. 

We got back to the room around 10:00.  Michael and Nick went out to gamble where Michael foolishly lost all of our money.  I, on the other hand, was in bed by 10:20 and asleep by 10:20 and 4 seconds.  In my defense, Nevada is an hour behind Arizona, so it was really 11:20 for me.  Apparently I am also not accustomed, AT ALL, to getting out of bed prior to 6:15.  The 4:30 wake-up call was most unwelcome. 

Up next (hopefully tomorrow): Saturday in Las Vegas where we eat and drink some more and I get to see my friend Sarah for the first time in 11 years!