Merry Belated Christmas!

All Kent had on his Christmas list was a getaway trip. Reagran played Santa as she stayed home last weekend with Ethan, Ella and Cannon to help that wish become a reality! I was really nervous to leave Cannon for three days but knew that Kent and I needed a break from the rat race to reconnect and relax. Kent found an amazing deal that allowed us to stay at a beautiful hotel in center of Las Vegas. I didn't take my camera with me and even my cell phone camera stopped working so go ahead and enjoy these pictures.

The views were amazing outside the window and in. Not one detail of this hotel was missed. We had a good time taking mental notes of things we'd like to incorporate in our future home (if and when. . .). The bed was so incredible that we actually looked it up online to order one for our home- we knew waiting 11 years to get a real bed would finally pay off.

Although if we do get the bed, is this seriously what Kent wants to wake up to see every morning? I think not. hahahahaha. Wow, I must be one tired woman!!! Not really the "Sleeping Beauty" type. See how enveloping those pillows are? My hair didn't stand a chance! I almost didn't post this picture (why, you ask?) but for the sake of documentation- here it is.

The first morning of our vacation started out perfectly- sleep in, eat breakfast, go to the spa. I had a hot stone massage, which I had never done before, and absolutely loved it and never wanted it to end.

Like all good things, it did come to an end but luckily the spa allows you to use the amenities for the whole day. This picture below is of the salt infused room that promotes healthy respiratory function. As you listen to the serenity of the music on surround sound, amplified by your own personal headphones as well, the massaging recliners massage to the flow of the music so you literally feel the music throughout your body. Wow!!!! I had some wonderful meditation time in this room.

The lounge was so peaceful and calm, I wish I could recreate a room like this at my house.

The hot stone beds were so helpful to encourage your muscles to relax before and after the massage. The room was very dark with peaceful music playing- once again a great time for meditation.

This room has three hot tubs of varying degrees. The first is a cold tub for rejuvenation, then the middle one for enjoyment and the third- a very hot one to really get your muscles to relax. There was also a eucalyptus steam room and a cedar sauna room.

If you'd rather soak in the hot tub outside, you could come out to the balcony and soak up the sun and enjoy the views of Vegas.

After an incredibly satisfying morning we walked around the hotel to appreciate the architecture and design that went into the construction.

After working up such an appetite we indulged in some delicious food that looked as good as it tasted.

A trip to Vegas is never complete without shopping on the strip.

We finished up our evening meeting up with one of Kent's old mission companions and his wife. We have such a good time with them and are glad that they took the time to meet up with us. After dinner with them, Kent and I went to see the Elvis show in our hotel. We love seeing the different Cirque Du Soleil shows. Although there weren't as many stunts and acrobatics in this one, the choreography and music was very entertaining and we had a great time.

Since it was a little tricky to get a flight home from Vegas on Sunday, we found a flight for $9.99 from Vegas to Mesa and stayed in Arizona for a night so we could get a direct flight home from AZ on Sunday night. This hotel was such a different feel from Vegas and it was a great way to slow down (the spa was just WAY to fast paced for us. haha) before coming home.

Our good friends from dental school, Quin and Joy, live in Arizona now and it was great to have the chance to meet up with them. We haven't seen each other in five years! They are in a Swing band that performed at this restaurant so we were able to eat lunch here and enjoy live music. The ASU swing dance club performed with the band and Kent even said he wants to learn to swing dance!!!!

No, this is NOT our rental car. :)

The band sang out in the cute little "Urban Barn" and every table on the patio and in the barn was full. My heart was so happy when I looked around and saw a lot of little old couples singing along and tapping their feet. It was just such a great feeling and even some couple got up and danced. What a great afternoon (except for the time earlier when I was bent out of shape about leaving my brush at home and not packing warm enough clothes but we won't mention that part of the trip)!!

Joy and Quin picked us up from our hotel later and we all went to this resort for dinner and gondola rides. It was perfect to walk around the hotel grounds and pull a chair up to one of the fire pits and just catch up like old times. It was as if we hadn't missed a beat. Kent and I were both so happy to be able to rekindle this friendship with our dear friends.

Can you believe this picture? The quality is horrible. I had to document anyway because if we don't then it's like it never happened.