Viva Las Vegas!

Vegas...wow! What a trip! 

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Last weekend we flew to Vegas to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday! My dad has never been to Vegas and he doesn't fly, so my mom decided to take him on a road trip to the Grand Canyon and to Las Vegas for his 50th birthday. Jeb, Kassidy, and I had big plans to surprise him by flying out and meeting them at The Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage on Friday night.  Unfortunately, dad had looked at my mom's credit card bill a few weeks ago and started to pick up on the whole "surprise" thing. Then, while at a Thunder game, he tricked my brother into basically telling him that we were flying out to meet them in Vegas...so much for the surprise! We did, however, still surprise him by having my grandma and grandpa fly out to meet us for the big celebration. He had no clue they were going to show up for the big birthday weekend! My best friend Kari flew out on Friday afternoon with Jeb and I, and then Kassidy and my grandparents flew out that night and met us at the show. 

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I was super nervous about leaving the kids, even if it was for just two nights. Neither of them had ever stayed overnight with anyone besides my parents, so I was a little apprehensive about the trip. My Granny Carol and my Aunt Johnna were coming to stay the weekend at our house and I knew that Reid would be fine as long as he had Grayson around to keep him occupied while we were away. My stomach was in knots as we said our goodbyes to the kids. Reid was so busy playing Mario on the Wii that he barely had time to give his mama a goodbye kiss! As we walked out the door, neither one of them seemed to even notice! So, with a smooth send off from the kids and the reassurance from Jeb that they were in good hands my mind was put to ease and we headed for the airport. Jeb and I really aren't gamblers, but I was so excited to have a relaxing "adult" weekend with my family and see some great Vegas shows!  

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Jeb decided he needed his boots shined at the airport.

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Ready for take-off! I am NOT a good flier! I get extremely nervous every time that I fly and it only gets worse as I get older. The entire way to the airport Jeb and Kari kept talking about cemeteries and dying and it was really freaking me out. As we passed the cemetery in front of Will Rogers Airport, Kari says, "It's really weird that there's a cemetery right when you pull into the airport." Then Jeb starts talking about where he wants to be buried and Kari says, "well I already have a plot." Jeb replies, "Let's hear it!" He thought she meant plan. He had no idea what a plot was, lol! All of this talk wasn't helping the mini panic attack that was brewing up inside of me, but after a glass of wine I was completely relaxed and ready for some Vegas! Bring on the turbulence! 

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Thankfully, both the flight to Dallas and to Vegas were very smooth. And it helped that we had free Facebook on Wifi to distract me on the plane, as well as an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras to watch on the iPad! I'm glad Kari was with us to help keep me busy while in the air because Jeb's never been a good flying partner for me. He falls asleep during take-off and sleeps the entire time!

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 I've been to Vegas once before the summer that we were married, but this was Jeb's first trip. He really didn't know what to expect so he wasn't all that excited, but I knew he was going to LOVE it!

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My little brother loves to stay at Caesar's Palace. Probably because that's where they staying in the movie, The Hangover, but it does have a really good location right in the middle of the strip. We stayed in the Augusta Tower that was near the front of the hotel that had just been remodeled. We had a beautiful suite with a great view of the strip!

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 Chocolate gold coins on our pillow! We couldn't wait to take these back home to Reid because he's been watching a new pirate show on the Disney Channel where they put all the gold coins they've collected in a treasure chest at the end of the show. I knew he'd totally dig these "gold doubloons."

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 So, not a good picture at all - but a view of the strip from our room

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 Vegas, baby...yeah!

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 After we got up to our room on Friday evening we changed and headed to dinner. We had reservations at a steakhouse in Caesar's called Nero's. It was AMAZING!

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It was so nice to actually be able to fix my hair and get all dressed up. I'm always worried about getting the kids bathed, dressed, and ready that I hardly ever have time anymore to fix up myself!

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Dinner at Nero's 

If you've never been to Vegas then you need to go! You could make a trip just out of eating at all the amazing restaurants!!! I watch Food Network all the time, so I'm familiar with a lot of the famous chefs that have restaurants in Vegas and I was so excited to eat at some of them. We definitely don't have places like this to eat in Shawnee! I order a aged filet mignon with potato au gratin and it was absolutely delicious. These steaks were very fancy...dry aged, wet aged...I had no idea what to order! The restaurants in Vegas are over-the-top...the food, the drinks, the lighting, the service, the atmosphere...SUPERB!

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How cute are my parents? He doesn't even look 50!!!

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 We had a little time before we had to walk over to the Mirage for the show, so we walked around Caesar's checking out all the sites. Caesar's has a mall called The Forum Shops that has some of the best shopping ever!

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Pussycat Dolls at Caesar's - when it gets later in the evening they have girls come and dance in this area while you gamble at the tables. I LOVE the leopard chairs!

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 PURE nightclub...This night they were having a private birthday party for Ashely Green, actress from the Twilight movies. Kari and I were trying really hard to get on the list ;)

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Next, it was time for The Beatles LOVE cirque du soleil at the Mirage. We saw this show about 3 years ago and fell in love with it. My mom even flew my brother out for the weekend that same summer just so he could see this show. Yes, it is that good...we think so, anyway. You don't even have to be a Beatles fan to love this show. The music, costumes, and choreography is, yep, you guessed it...AMAZING! 

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Vegas - Summer 2007

Here's Kari and I at the same show almost 3 years ago!

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 The Rollins LOVE :)

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Kassidy's plane was running a little late, so dad kept worrying about Kass and how he was going to get to the show on time. We knew that he was fine and no of us were worried because we knew grandma and papa were with him. As the show started, here came Kassidy, grandma, and papa, walking down our row to get in their seats. Dad was completely surprised! He had no idea my grandparents were coming! He asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

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 I'm crazy about this guy!!! He would be a great Beatle!

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 After the show Friday night, we got a little something to eat, walked around the casinos a little more, then headed back to the room to hang out.

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 Father-in-law/Son-in-law love :)

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 This is so my dad...always chillaxin'

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 GQ

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 Look at that hair!

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 And this is so my brother...always doing push-ups, hand stands, or something crazy in his underwear!

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 Getting his game face on - this guy is ready for some SERIOUS shopping! Now Kassidy, he is a shopper...more than any girl I know. This kid will SHOP! The Nike store, Burberry, Diesel...he was in heaven! 

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 Early Saturday morning...Papa was ready for some breakfast and some black jack!

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We had such a wonderful time with grandma and papa on this trip! They used to go out to Vegas several times a year, so they're ole' Vegas pros! Papa taught me how to win at the black jack table and showed Jeb a few tricks at Craps. Papa is always telling jokes and is full of laughter, so it's always such a joy to hang out with him!

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My gorgeous grandma!

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Saturday morning we did a little shopping (there was a great kids clothing store at the Forum shops in Caesars!) and then we went across the street to a smaller casino called Bill's. It was a saloon/old western themed casino and was much smaller than most of the casinos on the strip. My dad's not much for crowds of people and lots of noise, so this little laid-back casino was much more fun for him.

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One of my favorite men...yes, I'm still my daddy's girl!

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 Giving us the big 5-0!!!

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My Everything!

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 Kari had a great day on Saturday. She won on the black jack table!

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 Lunch at a little restaurant in the back of Bill's. It wasn't very good, by the way, but we sure had fun laughing at my dad making jokes about how terrible his ribs were!

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Looks like Papa Glenn and I make a pretty great team!

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The hotels and casinos in Vegas are unbelievable. All of the decor and architecture are just gorgeous. From the Italian inspired theme of the Venetian to the whimsical decor of the Wynn, these hotels are definitely a site to see! You could spend days in each of them just seeing all of the beautiful decorations! Most of them have malls inside of them, multiple gourmet restaurants, unique bars, and the Venetian even has a little river with gondola rides!

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 Saturday night was the 50th Birthday Celebration!

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 At the Venetian

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 I loved this huge rabbit at the Venetian!

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 Dinner at Emeril's steakhouse, Delmonico!

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 Happy 50th Birthday, dad!

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blowing out the candle!

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 Always laughing...

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 Love the new shirt, Kass!

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Quick pic after some shopping for the kiddos

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Walking the strip...

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The Bellagio

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 Love this ceiling...and this guy :)

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 The water show in front of the Bellagio is fantastic!

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 This...is where things get interesting! Saturday night we went and saw the show, Mystere, at Treasure Island. Mystere is the original, and longest running, cirque du soleil in Vegas. The show was incredible and had performers that had all sorts of crazy, unbelievable tricks and talents! There was one part in the show where one guy would stand on another guys hand doing a hand stand, as well as other types of crazy tricks with their bodies.  I mentioned something about Kass and Jeb not being able to do that, and of course, it was on! When we got back to the room we had our own little "cirque du soleil!"

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 Weird

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 Even weirder...

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 What the heck...even I joined it!!!

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Kari was their spotter, lol!

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 Look at those muscles! Ladies, he's available...

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They were actually pretty good!

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 notice the hair...

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the most weird of them all...

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 And after numerous attempts to do something cool...SUCCESS!

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 On our last day, we had brunch at Serendipity 3. I guess this is kind of like a well-known, fun little restaurant where celebrities are frequently spotted. There's also one in New York. Apparently, Tom Cruise recently took Suri to eat here and have their famous "frozen hot chocolate" and the Kardashian's love to eat here as well. The food is fantastic, but their portion sizes are outrageous! Look at grandma and papa's coffee cups!

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 Frozen Hot Chocolate!

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 Dad could not get over the portion sizes! His little rant included, "This is the most ridiculous thing in Vegas. This is more than ridiculous! There are people starving in Aftrica. We should package some of this stuff up and give it to the homeless guy across the street. It took a dinosaur egg to make that omelette! This is just crazy! No wonder Kim Kardashian's butt is so big!!!"

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 Kass - cracking up at all of dad's comments

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our spread

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 cutest parents ever!!!

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I'm so blessed to have this guy as my daddy! He's always been there for me, has done so much for me to make my life easier, and always keeps me laughing. His kind heart and generous spirit make him one pretty special guy!

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 Fratter - all decked out in his new attire!

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 Too cool for school!

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 The Birthday Boy!

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It was fabulous weekend, to say the least! Other than my babies not being with me, it was probably the best trip I've even taken! It was a relaxing, but exciting, fun, but not too crazy, short, but not too short weekend getaway! I think my dad really enjoyed himself, especially since all of his "people" came out to help him celebrate his "over-the-hill" milestone! Hopefully, a trip like that made turning the big 5-0 just a little bit easier on him ;)