Las Vegas April 2012- MOMS Club luncheon/weekend

I've been involved with our local MOMS Club chapter for nearly 5 years. It is a wonderful way for stay at home moms to meet other stay at home moms (and the kids to meet/play w/ other kids) and support each other in this not so easy job of raising kids full time. :) Our chapter is small but we all know each other really well and see each other often. I've been the president for the past 3 years (totally not done on purpose) and it has been a good experience. Every year, there is an annual luncheon held to motivate, train, inspire, etc moms club members around the region. This year they decided to have it in Las Vegas. I have never been before but this year, one of our newest members was totally pumped about going and after talking to Mike about it, I told her I would go with her if she decided to go. (I do have to say I was hesitant to commit to going because I would have to fly out to Vegas just one day after returning from Costa Rica. But Mike said it wasn't a big deal to him that I go right after we got back and I didn't need too much more to motivate me after that!). I had been to Vegas once before... back in maybe 2002 Mike took me for a few days. There is so much to see in Vegas, I was excited to go back to check it out again.

So we returned from Costa Rica on a Thursday. I spent Friday during the day unpacking & doing some of the more necessary laundry. Then I packed for Vegas and Rebecca and I were off that evening at 7pm on a flight to Vegas.

Once in Vegas we checked into our hotel (Circus Circus... going for economy this trip! :) and then set off to check out the sites. We went up to see the circus area in our hotel with the rides and such and then we walked down the strip looking at the hotels all the way down to The Bellagio. It was quite late Oklahoma time by the time we reached that point so we headed back down to our hotel.

Here I am outside of the Bellagio but you see the Paris hotel in the background.

And here is the Bellagio in the background with their fountain show (which is pretty cool to watch). 

And the video...

They do play all sorts of songs, not just Elvis. ;o) The one before this was a classical piece. I think it is every 15 minutes for the water show during the operating hours. 

When you are walking the strip in Vegas you get to see all sorts of things. Pretty much anything goes. I didn't take any pictures of the crazier things... and I would probably spare you even if I had. But there are lots of people who come out, dressed in costume, and make money by people paying them to take pictures with them. There were a few that caught my eye- a couple of them I had to take the picture for Jackson... but one in particular really caught my eye. :)

The hotels are all very unique and many are fun to explore inside and out. Here are some of the highlights... I think Paris, the Venetian, Bellagio, and Circus Circus are in this picture below.

One of my favorite things to see inside the hotels on this trip was inside the Bellagio in their garden/conservatory. I don't remember if I'd seen this area on my last trip but apparently they change it out every so often. This time is was made to look like bits and pieces of Holland... from all the flowers (gorgeous lovely smelling flowers including beautiful tulips!), the wooden shoes, the umbrellas, the bicycle, windmill, etc. I was completely blown away to see this portrait that was made completely with real flowers!! Amazing. I think it would almost be worth it to go to Vegas every time this garden is redone... if money was no object. ;o)

Another thing that I hadn't seen before was the chocolate fountain inside the Bellagio. It runs through a sweet shop just behind the gardens and you can buy lots of yummy treats inside. There is white and regular chocolate running through the fountain and it is all enclosed in glass. We also saw this mannequin dressed in chocolate and this amazing dragon made from chocolate. Such talent!

Saturday morning we had to wake up with our alarms (and I really didn't want to get out of the bed!) and get ready for the luncheon. We got breakfast and coffee to go in the hotel and walked down the strip just a short way to the hotel where the luncheon was being held. We had a really great time with the other Moms from our region... and there were quite a few. We got to chat about club things, listen to inspirational stories, and we also ate lunch. :) Rebecca and I got some really great ideas to bring back to our group as well. 

Saturday night we ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at the MGM hotel (the fish I had was delicious) and then afterward we went and saw Cirque Du Soleil's Ka. (There is a little preview on their site.) It was pretty neat and the acrobatics were amazing. The set was very unique and the special effects were extraordinary. 

It was on Saturday, maybe when we were heading back to the hotel to change for dinner, that we decided to go ahead and get a bus pass. The walking was getting old (especially that we were just walking up the same areas repeatedly only to get as far as we'd gotten the last time!) as well as the heat and I remembered when my feet were killing me on the last Vegas trip that we hopped on the bus very inexpensively. We were so thankful to sit in those bus seats. ;o) We should have done it sooner. So from then on, when we weren't walking in front of the hotels that we wanted to see, we were going to them on the bus. 

Sunday we decided to try out the buffet scene and after reading a good review of the Aria brunch buffet, we headed that way. I am not normally fond of buffets but this was really nice... lots of international dishes (including sushi!), tons of vegetarian options, and crab legs! I wish my stomach could have held more. ;o) I also got the unlimited bloody mary... only to drink maybe 1.5. Ah well... we had places to go! 

Namely.... 

My all time favorite place to shop for inexpensive, cute clothes. :) When I was looking up the Vegas locations (I had spied an H&M bag on the strip so I knew they were out there!) I read an article that said this store was the largest in the world. In the WORLD?!?! It was pretty huge. 

After some other last minute shopping and then a scramble to get our bags at the hotel and get to the airport in time, our trip had come to an end. :( It was a super fast trip but very full and definitely fun! There is still so much that we didn't do so I guess that means I might have to go back one day... but other travels will come first. :)