Babymoon Time

So for our Babymoon we had decided Las Vegas would be a good stop...but let me tell you how that came to be.

A few months ago I was watching The Office and watching Andy made me REALLY want to watch The Hangover, which made me REALLY want to go to Las Vegas. Larry originally wanted to do a Hawaiian cruise, but I was worried about Zika and being in the middle of the ocean on a boat for so long (I believe it's like 2 days there and 2 days back). I was still willing to go along if I could get the okay from my Dr (about Zika at least), but then my work mentioned we can't go negative on PTO anymore (prior to this we'd be able to go a few days negative as long as we made the hours up before taking more time off). That settled that.

Because I was in such a mood for Vegas I mentioned to Larry we could do a quick weekend going there and we could actually see shows this time. We were sure we had read that they were going smoke free out there and I've always wanted to see a  Cirque Du Soleil show so I thought it would be perfect (plus I was kind of excited to think about being in the pools - that we thought would be open - and getting to be in a bikini without feeling so self conscious for once!). Well about a week before we were set to leave I found out not only are the pools not open during the "winter", but they aren't going smoke free. That was enough for me to say never mind, let's pick something else, but when we looked at the maps of the hotels we'd be going into it seemed we'd be okay not going through the casinos so we figured it would be fine. Larry would gamble while I lounged in the room with candy, a book, and bad hotel TV, we'd go see shows we both wanted to see, eat at the buffets, it would be a good trip still!

My maternity road trip outfit :)

Fast Forward to Friday, the 24th, we headed down and enjoyed the road trip portion (with our traditional snowy conditions that happen EVERY time we head to or are coming home from Vegas). We made sure to get healthier snacks and load up on water this time around. It amazes me that Larry and I have spent so much time together and yet we can still find stuff to talk about with each other...car rides are the best for that! We started planning this future together that involved owning a business and it made me really hope we can make happen (it was a really nice vision we created for our future selves). We talked and laughed and ate and laugh and stopped many times for me to use the bathroom haha.

Traditional road trip selfie...BB included :)

Once we arrived in Vegas it wasn't quite as calming. We got there around 3, checked in, walked to the tram to go to Excalibur, walked from Excalibur to Monte Carlo, through that casino to the tram to take us to Bellagio, through that casino to get to the ticket area where we found out we were able to pick up our "O" and "Tournament of King" tickets. Did you know that those hotels MAKE you walk through the casinos to get ANYWHERE? Because I sure didn't and I wasn't all too pleased about that part.

Our hotel

We looked pretty good...except for my swollen face

Our seats weren't half bad...outside the "wet zone"

After we finally got our tickets we had to go back to Mandalay Bay, unpack the car, go up 32 floors to our room, which was literally at the end of the longest hallway. I was EXHAUSTED! I just wanted to lay in bed and sleep at that point. Unfortunately "O "( the Cirque Du Soleil show) started at 6 so we had enough time to re-apply deodorant, I changed my clothes (gym shorts and a maternity top work for a road trip, but not for a show), and head back out. We had 2 free buffets for our hotel, but it closed at 9:45 and so we weren't sure we'd be able to make it back after the show so we just figured we'd wing that one if we had to. The show was pretty cool. I didn't realize it would be as circus-y as it was. I guess I should've known, but didn't think of it. The dives were REALLY cool and the acrobatics were amazing! Some of the acts Larry and I were both saying "Whoa" out loud. There were two clowns that were trying to be funny and would come out after every few acts, but I didn't care for them so I'd rest my eyes during those performances haha. Luckily it ended a little early so we were able to get back to the hotel and to the buffet before the last seating. Dinner was amazing! I love eating at buffets, I know people who hate them, but we aren't one of those couples haha.

Saturday we decided to head out early (after eating a delicious breakfast at the buffet...seriously, the bacon was drool worthy and I am not a huge bacon fan) to get our tickets for Penn & Teller (Larry's magic show he wanted). We got there around 9 just to find out the box office doesn't open until 11. I was too tired and way too sore from all the walking on Friday to sit around for 2 hours so we decided to head back and just get our tickets after Tournament of Kings that night (that show started around 6 and Penn & Teller didn't start till 9 so we had enough time). That was the day I was going to let Larry gamble while I vegged out, but Larry decided he didn't want to leave me alone so he stayed in the room and napped while I ate my candy (Cadburry eggs thank you!) and watched really bad hotel TV (some of my favorite vacation memories are the shows we watch).  After a few hours we decided that walking the shops of the hotel might be fun...unfortunately by "shops" they mean like 8...only 1 of which interested us. It was a photography gallery that had some amazing shots. After that we went back to the room to relax some more. I feel bad because I was probably a bit grouchy from being sore, tired, and walking through way too much smoke than I cared for, so Larry probably didn't get the best wife that day. Getting ready for the shows I started to get a little more amped up. We had done TofK before, but loved it, so we knew that would be fun, and who doesn't love Penn & Teller?

Boy was I right too. TofK was good, we got front row so we HAD to be enthusiastic about it (which made it more fun). They changed the food on us, I swear it used to be just a turkey leg, but now it's a whole chicken (I have a hard time eating food that's still in the shape of the animal it was so I couldn't eat too much of it). They also only gave us the option of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or Sprite...and since I can't have caffeine we decided to order a virgin strawberry daiquiri in a souvenir cup for us to share. The food was still good and the show was still funny so it was a good start to the night.

 

 

Once that was over we hurried back to the car and drove over to the Rio to get our tickets for Penn & Teller. Because I'm a water fiend I was more than happy to see that they had a stand right outside the theater with waters. I didn't care that it was $6, but it was a good thing because it ended up coming with a souvenir cup as well, which worked out for us. I just needed the water. Right as they let us in we noticed there were signs telling us they were going to do a Love Ritual trick so we had to get a (paper) cup and four random cards. When we got into the theater there was a piano player playing Jazz music while we waited. He announced that they wanted the audience to go up on stage and inspect a box they had up there. I wasn't in the mood to walk so Larry went on his own. Tons of people took pictures up there, I got some from our seats of Larry (see below). The show was beyond awesome! If you like magic shows this one should be on your list! They were very interactive, very funny, and very clever! I was so amazed at their tricks (especially the password one they did where they brought 5 random people up and somehow got them to create a password they already had written down). Larry got to go up on stage a second time when they were doing a trick to turn an elephant (cow with a fake elephant nose) into a chicken. The Love Ritual one turned out to be an awesome trick they did with the audience. It's got too many twists and turns, but know that they were awesome with that as well! BB seemed to love it too, she was a HUGE wiggle worm, even though it was WAY past bed time. Larry even got to see a big movement and commented on it because it was so big (I love when he catches movements...it doesn't happen a lot). After that the show ended and they went out to take pictures with the audience members (does it get more "fan friendly" then that?). I didn't feel like taking pictures and I think Larry didn't want to push me so we didn't get any (I feel bad about that now, it would've been nice to have some). We did go back to our room to sleep though haha.

Again, seats weren't too shabby

Larry on stage inspecting the box

This morning we got up bright and early and got packed up to head out right at 8 AM. It was really early, but I was antsy to get back home and play with the kitties again. We stopped at Denny's for a big breakfast so that we could make it straight home in one shot just relying on the snacks. Luckily I didn't have to stop to go to the bathroom and since we filled up in St. George we were good on gas. Again we spent the drive talking and laughing and sharing stories. It was a great drive home...we do so good on road trips! Luckily the roads were clear on the way home so we didn't have any bad traffic situations. We got home with such good timing and were able to relax the rest of Sunday.

Overall I'd say the trip was a good one, but it would've been a lot better had I not been pregnant. Walking was tough, getting comfy to sleep was tough, and I felt like I was grouchy because I hated being in the smoke. The shows were amazing and the weather was really nice. Our hotel was new enough it was really clean and we got a really nice room. The drives were awesome and the food was really good so I really can't complain, I just think we probably should've booked a hotel on the beach in California instead...that would've been more babymoon/pregnancy friendly. Something for us to learn for next time (assuming there is a next time).