Vegas Bound: Making Memories

Our day started at 2:30am for our adventure to Vegas! We have been planning this trip for a couple of months since we found out that we would be coming for a travel conference. I knew that this would be a great opportunity for Nanny to take another adventure with us and an even greater opportunity for her and I to get to spend some time exploring together while Jess attended her sessions. So needless to say that our bags were packed, our alarms were set, and we were on the road by 3:00am! Oh and to make the first day a little more adventurous, none of us slept a wink the night before!

We arrived at the JAX airport in plenty of time to park our vehicle and use the shuttle service to take us to the gate. This would be our first time flying Southwest Airlines, except Nanny who is a frequent flyer with them. The initial check-in process was very smooth and we had no issues with our TSA security check.

Boarding a Southwest flight started out a little different than I am used to because there are no assigned seats, it is first come, first serve. I am not so sure how I would have felt about this had we not been allowed to board the plane towards the beginning of the process, but I can see where some might like it. This day reminded me so much of the many traveling days Nanny, Papa and I shared together growing up and those matching shirts we used to have to wear so that we could find one another easily in the airport. I thought about that a few times today as we walked to our terminal together. I am so thankful and so fortunate that I had those days growing up and that I get to still experience these adventures with Nanny! Jess and I enjoy traveling with her so much.

Our flights were very enjoyable! We made our way to Las Vegas with great time, with one stop in Atlanta and another in San Antonio, Texas. I got to spend a lot of time sitting by the window reflecting on all the memories I have traveling across this beautiful country. I have been to all 50 states and each one of them have such beauty in their own way.

I am always mesmerized at the landscape, and the intricate designs that can be seen from above as one piece of property borders another to form the quilt like design from above. I could sit and ride for hours just staring out of the window, watching the clouds, spotting other airplanes, and thinking on all of the blessings of my life! God has been so good to us! His detailed design of creation is just a glimpse into His greatness and His sovereignty!

We landed in Las Vegas around 11:00am and even though it was a great flight, we felt as if it had to be at least 6:00pm! We laughed at the fact that we had just flown across the country, stopped at two airports along the way and somehow managed to only have the small snack size pretzels they offered us. We were exhausted but so excited! We were tired but we were ready for adventure!

We grabbed our luggage and off we went to our hotel! We decided to grab our first bite to eat at our hotel at great place called The Hash House. We highly recommend this for anyone visiting Vegas! We spent a little time at the slot machines, and then we ended our evening by experiencing the beauty of Vegas at night from the High Roller! (Also highly recommended)

We are not ashamed to say that since we did not get any sleep the night before, day 1 in Vegas ended by 7:00pm! We turned in for an early night so that we could rest up for day 2.

Day 2:

Our 2nd day got off to a great start! Jess had to be up and off to her conference early in the morning so we took advantage of an early start and set out for our adventures for the day. We started out by having an excellent breakfast at The Hash House inside of the LinQ hotel! If you are in Vegas, this has to be a place that you add to your list of places to eat. We enjoyed it very much and would highly recommend it to anyone, not only was the food excellent but the service was phenomenal as well!

This was the day that we decided to test the limits on the scooter that we were able to rent for Nanny. We ventured out onto the strip after stopping by a slot machine or two on the way out the door, and headed towards the shopping centers. One thing that we wanted to do was be sure and visit the Trump International Hotel. One of the interesting things about this hotel is that unlike so many of the others in Vegas, there is no smoking or gambling allowed! From this point we found ourselves inside one of the shopping malls again. The shopping in Vegas is truly next level, and luxurious to say the least for most of it.

We made our way from shop to shop taking in all the Vegas sights, and as we made our way back towards our hotel, we also realized that the battery powered scooter nanny was buzzing around town on needed a charge! We thought it would be clever to stop by the nearest casino and find a plug in, that lasted all of 10 minutes. Apparently security does not approve of using random plug in’s at the Casino to charge your scooter. Fortunately we were able to squeeze 10 minutes out of it to get us back to our hotel.

We were able to end day 2 by having dinner in our hotel with Jess as she got to tell us about all of the great travel things she learned at her convention. This was also the day that I realized what walking 6 miles on the Vegas strip felt like.

Day 3:

Our third day looked much like our second one due to the fact that we wanted to make sure we saw as much of the city as we could. We decided to continue our shopping adventures and make our way around to the Casino’s to enjoy our time together. It is amazing to me how so many of the same luxurious shops can be found all across the Vegas strip in the various hotel shopping centers.

The highlight of our day for this adventure was eating at one of our favorite places – The Cheesecake Factory! Normally when we travel we try to eat at local places that come highly recommended, except when we have the option to stop into a Cheesecake Factory!

Day 4:

Our 4th day of adventure was planned ahead of time and it was probably our favorite day of this trip! Nanny and I love a road trip and so we took the opportunity to rent a car and drive towards Phoenix, Arizona so that we could visit with some of our family.

Her and I have spent many many hours traveling together and this trip just continued to add to those memories that I cherish. Some might not agree but the desert is absolutely beautiful with all of the mountain ranges off in the distance and the collage of various landforms of deep orange and red coloring towering out of the ground on both sides of the road. We topped this trip off with listening to a really great audiobook along the way by Ina Garten. I chose this book because we have both enjoyed watching Ina on the Food Network over the years together. It made for a great trip. The memories are ones that I will cherish forever!

Day 5:

Traveling for work can be exhausting, especially when there are so many different events planned throughout the day. Jess had a very full week with so many items on the itinerary each day that it was difficult for her to join us for our adventures so on this last day of exploring she was able to join us!

We visited two really great attractions and got to explore some of the favorite spots in Vegas for tourists!

Here are some of those adventures that you might want to add to your own Vegas adventures list:

• Bellagio Fountains
• The Arte Immersive Art Museum
• The Sphere

We ended our day by having a nice night out for dinner at the Yardbird restaurant inside of the Venetian Hotel!

There were so many things that we had on our list that we didn’t get to, but there were so many things that we did. I am an advocate for over planning things to do and being able to do as many as you can but do them well! Sometimes we can try to rush through each thing just to say that we did it but as a result we end up not taking in the moment and truly enjoying the journey.

This week has been nothing short of incredible memories and wonderful adventures. One thing that we can all do a little better on is making room in our life for adventures along the way where memories can be made that will last a lifetime. Work will always be there, and there will always be something else that needs to be done, but the opportunities to make memories with those we love most will not.

This world is filled with absolute beauty that is just waiting on you and I to visit and appreciate it. The creation that we are surrounded with has been gifted to us by the creator and every now and then we should be sure and set out on a journey to see it.

Vegas might not be your destination of choice for your next adventure of making memories, but the good part is that the destination never really matters in the first place, it’s always about the journey along the way that counts. So book the trip, set out on the road trip, take the pictures together and be sure and watch the show because the memories are waiting on you to make them, and once you do, they are yours forever!

Thank you to my two favorite travel partners for such a wonderful week in Las Vegas! Thank you Jess for allowing us to come along on your work adventure and experience another journey together, and thank you Nanny for always being willing to go again and again! I am glad that we were able to add these miles to our memories and I’m looking forward to the next one!