Just the girls! - road trip

"Vegas Strong" reads a plaque - the pause to remember the horrible event that terrorized many as gun shots rang out and not only took many lives, but changed a great many more.  Our hotel had a little fountain outside with this memorial plaque.  We stopped and thought about this event and the history behind the terror.  We pointed out the hotel in the distance.  But Vegas moves on.  The city has beautified many of its freeways and the lights are always amazing to see as the sunsets.  The city that never sleeps. 

I had not been to Vegas in many, many years and much has changed.  Costs have surged on all accounts - food that used to be the least expensive is now extremely high, and hotel pricing has added daily "resort fees" that make a stay not nearly as affordable as it used to be.  The sounds are different as you walk through the casino and no longer hear the infamous coins clanking.  Thankfully cigarette smoking is down, but it still makes for a less than enjoyable breath of air as the smoking areas have a cloudy film looming about.

I had avoided "sin city" because of little ones, but with close family living there, it was time to visit.  I wanted to take my mom and we went road tripping - just the girls!  We made it an adventure and had so much fun!  There is so much for families to do and little bits of learning that kept us busy from early in the morning until very, very late at night.

We had an aquarium in the hotel with mermaids, waterfalls, and a small art gallery.  We ate a lot, sipped coffee, enjoyed a downpour of rain, sat poolside, tasted chocolates, and admired the natural beauty of the desert.  Cracker Barrel, Starbucks, buffets, pizza with family, late nights with aunts and cousins, and even attended a gfited popular Vegas show wrapped our time there.  For health reasons, we even got in an extra day - being flexible and just together made this trip special.