viva las vegas

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

This past weekend we traveled to Las Vegas for a vacation. We all flew out at different times from different cities, but met at Treasure Island, a hotel/casino right on the Vegas strip. Aaron and I loved being able to spend time with my mom and dad, three brothers + 1, and Grandma and Marie.

Grandma loves to gamble (slot machines only). Not because she's trying to win a lot of money (although I'm sure she likes it when that happens), but for the fun of it. She and Marie visit Las Vegas once a year. This is what we did on Friday afternoon after a big breakfast. We were pretty tired from the late flight we had on Thursday night. The pool was crowded, but the sun was hot and the sky was perfect. From left to right: Aaron, me, Stephen, Joey, Sierra, and Michael.On Friday night we had an awesome meal at Kahunaville in the hotel, and then saw the Blue Man Group show. It was very unique, maybe even weird, but it was amusing to watch dad as a number of very uncertain looks appeared on his face.The most important thing about this trip was that it was mom's birthday (8/18). We celebrated on Friday night in our hotel room after dinner and the show. We had this beautiful cake delivered by room service (candles and all!). She was pretty surprised I think. We played Catch Phrase until around midnight...it was hilarious! If you don't have that game, go get it. The only reason we quit was because Grandma and Marie wanted to hit the slots before they missed out on any big winnings. HA!The birthday girl with her Knight in shining armor!On Saturday morning, we got up early to ride horses in the Grand Canyon. It was about an hour bus trip to the edge of the canyon. It was a great experience, except for when the guide explained to the whole group with all sincerity that it has taken millions and millions of years for this landform to develop, and everyone just believed it as a truth.