Day 16 - The Vegas

Oh man, I LOVE the Vegas.  I was 8 years old and we were traveling on I-15 headed to California but we were spending the night in Vegas.  We pulled off Tropicana Ave. and headed to the Excalibur. 

I was AMAZED.  Everything on the strip was bright and flashing and ginormous.  That was what did it for me.  Fast forward to Senior Year and that is when the regular Vegas trips began.  It started by going to the NFR with my family:
 

Then we had a trip with my friends:
 
 
We graduated and headed off to school, where I started dating Matt's roommate Brandon and what better way to spend a weekend than in Vegas:
 
Zach was from Logandale (he calls it Pimpville) so he showed us the sights:
 
 
 
Matt was working so he didn't join his roommates on this trip.  Then, they all went off on their missions and I had to find someone else to head to the Vegas with me. 

That's my BFF Holly and our friend Amy (we call her Amy C. because I had a roommate named Amy as well).  So we headed down there in January.  It was here that we decided we would one day come back and see a cirque de soleil show. 
 

 
Then I headed to Vegas with my roommate Amy S (and there might have been some boys too).
 
and a maybe a boyfriend:
 
Sadly he was a premie and went on a mission and I went back to the Vegas with Amy and Darin:
 
 
Skip forward a year and I was back to the Vegas with this guy:
 
Matt was home from his mission so to celebrate, we headed to the Bellagio along with my sister and best friend.  We made a few stops on the way:
 
The Vegas isn't the Vegas without a wedding drive-thru.
 
The next few trips were just Matt and me.  You know things are serious when you go to the Vegas as just a couple.  Here's July:
 
and here's August:
 
 
 
Here is November:
 
In December I did a bunch of Christmas shopping with some friends.  The Vegas has some AWESOME shopping:
 
Look how cute me and my roomies are.

A little side note:  the best part about bringing boys to the Vegas with us was they carried all the shopping bags!!
 

My mom and Dad came down to Cedar City for New Year's Eve, so I got it in my brain that we should experience New Years in the Vegas.  It was INSANE!!!!  They shut down the boulevard and there were thousands of people everywhere.
Then, Matt and I got married and spend our first night in the Vegas.  Don't worry, I won't show you any pictures.  Then we went to the Vegas for Angie's graduation.  Next, we had Jeremy and decided to take a little getaway just us so of course we went to the Vegas:
 

A few months later we discovered I was pregnant again (the Vegas just keeps on giving), so we made one final trip before little Bailee entered our family:
 

I was rubbing his belly for luck.
Then jump to 2005, we stopped over in the Vegas on our way to Disneyland:

 
Stupid guy wouldn't move for our picture.
December of 2006, we headed down to Vegas for the NFR:
 
 
Two years later, we were back at the NFR:
 


Six months later, Holly decided we needed a girls trip:



To me, the Vegas isn't gambling, or shows, or questionable billboards.  When I think about the Vegas it will always be eating at the Red Lobster on Decatur, browsing Virgin Records, riding a gondola with Pookie while being serenaded, sitting for hours next to the fish tank at Caesars palace, touring the Luxor pyramid, lounging by the pool, and doing anything at the Bellagio.  That's my Vegas.  So the only thing left to say is "Thanks for the memories and I look forward to the ones to come!!"