Vegas, baby! Summertime = Roadtrip time!

This past weekend, I went to Vegas with Susie and Rachel (two of my co-workers) and former Nauvoo companion, Sister Megan Rees. :) We originally planned to just take any old roadtrip, but then it sort of morphed into Vegas...mostly because we knew people down there we wanted to see. I'm not really into Vegas; at least not a whole lot of time on the strip or anything...I just think it's a waste of time; I'm not drinking or gambling, so...I basically go to a buffet, watch a watershow at the Bellagio, and I'm pretty much done. :) (Unless I can go to a show like...oh, I dunno...the Beatles show might have rocked.)


But there's so much more to Vegas than the strip. C'mon, people!!! :) We rented a car because I was the only one with a vehicle...and...uh...anyone who really knows my little Jetta knows we'd never ever make it! This way, we had cruise control, consistent air conditioning, and did I mention how beautiful our little GMC Envoy was? Hello, black with silver chrome! It was hilarious! We were supposed to get a normal-sized car...but they ran out or something? So they "upgraded" us for free. (If that upgrade had included a gas card to cover the extra GAS we had to get that weekend, I would have been a very happy customer.) And yes. In-N-Out Burger was the first place we stopped once we got to Vegas. Hip Hip HURRYAH!!! (That was for you, Aubs and Dans...and Jess, if you're reading this...) :)

After waking up the next morning (we stayed with Sister Hansen and her family...she's already in the MTC now, and will be serving in the Utica, NY mission!!!) and having breakfast with the Hansen's, we went to meet up with Susie's brother and his family to go hiking and sight-seeing at Red Rock. It was REALLY hot, but that dry, desert wind kept blowing, so it wasn't too terrible. (108 degrees, but...eh...) Hiking or camping around any red rock always makes me think of summer trips with my family. My mom is OBSESSED with the red rock. :)



This was at the end of our Red Rock adventure (The red rock is behind us to the other side...) and yes...I was there, but clearly I was the master taking the picture. There was one that Susie's little niece took that I was jumping in as well, but...it didn't look like we were jumping at all, soooo..lol. Oh, well. It was a great adventure, though!!! I'd love to go back and go rock climbing...there were plenty of amazing climbs. Note to self: go back soon!! After that, we went back to the Hansen's and jumped into their pool in our clothes. (Yep. None of us thought to bring a SWIMMING SUIT to Vegas...don't ask what we were thinking!) But boy oh BOY did that water feel good!!!


Later, after we'd cleaned up and actually got ready for the day, we headed down to the strip to go to a buffet in the Bellagio. But lest I forget this very important detail, let me tell you now: The Hansen's live just around the corner from Sigfried and Roy. Yes. And their tigers. Well, actually, we're not sure if their tigers still "live" there, but Hansen said they did for sure when she was little because she would lay in bed at night and could hear them roaring. Crazy, eh? And this is actually a picture of us in front of the gate across the street from their house...we didn't dare take a picture in front of their ACTUAL house (even if they get that all the time or whatever...it just feels invasive to me...) And goodness knows we wouldn't want to intrude on their lives....lol.





THEN...here comes the best part....I remembered that wonderful Amanda (formerly Rawlings) Jensen and her husband, Curt, had just moved down to Vegas about a month ago, so I called her up to see if she would like to meet up with us at the buffet. You'd think it couldn't get better than seeing an old friend. :) But Elise was also randomly in town!!! She's going to medical school at NYU right now, and just happened to be in Vegas for the weekend as well!!! It was a happy little reunion. :) Remember the times we all lived practically on top of each other and saw each other multiple times of the day? *happy sigh* Crazy how life changes...but I still love both those girls!!! Manda, I still will never forget how you helped me so much getting through that last year at USU...I have you to thank for my sanity. :) (Refrain from any cracks about my actual sanity level!!!)


Then, of course, on Sunday, we went to go hear Sister Audrey Hansen give her last talk in her home ward there in Vegas. She's ever the same Audrey...pulling everything together even at the last second, and still doing it beautifully! She's going to be the greatest missionary! I can't believe she and Woahn are already gone again! Such amazing girls!!! I sure love them. I love all those sisters from Nauvoo. Sister Hansen had Rees and I sing with her, too...of course, we only ran through it that morning five minutes before we ran out the door, but...any other way, and it wouldn't have been our Audrey!!! :) We were all exhausted by the time we got back to Provo, but the trip was worth it. It's nice to get out and do something completely out of the normal routine every once in a while. It was a break away from life, and a good time to see old friends again. :)


P.S. I'd like everyone to know that little miss Megan Rees read the second book of Twilight every possible second that human interaction was not required. Should you doubt me, please take a look at the picture below: