Wednesday was definitely my
favorite day in Las Vegas!
Stacy and I learned SO MUCH in several sessions. It's amazing to think of just how eye-opening that conference was! We both feel so much more equipped to do our jobs more efficiently since we got home. But I digress....
Wednesday was my earliest day, as breakfast started at 7:30am. (Looking back, I now realize that because it's a "networking" breakfast - really, a fancy way of saying "forcing people to sit at random tables to get to know each other or sit in awkward silence forever" - and there are literally 37 countries and over 1,000 people represented at that conference, 7:30 was a suggestion.) I quickly learned that the water in the shower takes 15 minutes to warm up, even at 6:45am. Haha! Yep, I had to call the concierge or something like that, and ask them why the water wasn't getting hot. That extra 15 minutes would have cost me my breakfast, if I hadn't skipped pumping. (PS - our room was located exactly 12 minutes
walking from the conference center. And it was all in the MGM Grand. I learned how to run through that hotel like nobody's business, especially that day, when I had 30 minutes to get back, pump, and return to the conference).
I got down to breakfast with Stacy, and we went about our day, mostly in larger seminars.
I got to meet up with Robert for a few minutes here and there, but it was 10 minutes from the room to the pools, and with a nearly 1-year-old, that proved to be very difficult for him to get her there. However, it was almost to the conference center, so seeing them a couple of times was a nice break for me, and a long walk for Elizabeth & Daddy!
Hands-down, the best part about Wednesday was that we got to see Mike & Shannon! Shannon is Robert's cousin, and we just love both Mike & Shannon to pieces! We don't get to see them often, because they actually live in Vegas. Shannon and I share a common interest in collecting handbags and various entrepreneurial adventures, and have very similar personalities. Robert & Mike are laid back and definitely welcome a break where they get to hang out, too!
Shannon had planned to pick us up outside our hotel, but due to a huge traffic jam, there was a slight change of plans, and Mike picked us up instead. It was actually really nice to stand outside and hang out in the late afternoon, because it was shaded and breezy, and Ellie took the opportunity to nap in her stroller!
We went to Caesar's Palace so we could eat at my
favorite restaurant in the world! Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill! We were a little nervous about Elizabeth, because she hadn't had a nap longer than 30 minutes all day, but it worked out (read all the way to the end, after the pictures). Here are the pictures of our second day in Vegas:
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| Here's Daddy and Ellie at Mesa Grill |
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| Mike, Robert and Ellie at dinner |
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Ellie loved cousin Shannon's
bracelets! |
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...and cousin Shannon loved
spending time with Ellie! |
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Shannon even bought two brand new books
for Ellie Jo to enjoy while the adults were at
dinner! (Even now, these are her favorite books,
and her first choice when we go out to restaurants!) |
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| Appetizers! |
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My entree - Salmon! Shannon and I got the
same thing. I dream about this salmon far
too often. It was 2 years since I'd last had it! |
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| Tamale! I LOVE the colors on the plate! |
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| Sides! |
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Dessert! Oh yes, we did! We all shared one,
because after apps, dinner and chatting - we
were all pretty spent! |
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| Here's Daddy & Ellie outside Mesa Grill! |
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I think this is currently my cover photo on FB. :)
Our little family outside my favorite restaurant in
the whole world! |
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| She just had to touch the statue... |
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| It was fascinating! |
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We took this one for Auntie Ashley! (AKA "Munch")
This was here last time we were in Vegas, and I was
amazed that it was still in the same place! |
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| Tile ceiling art in Vegas! |
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Totally exhausted, but lost in a gaze at the huge
fountains! |
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| I loved the fountains outside! |
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I cropped the top of this statue...if you've ever been
to Caesar's, you know why :) |
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Paris Hotel! (This was the point
that I apologized to Shannon &
Mike for being such a tourist,
lol!) |
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Because you can't take
just one picture of it... |
I also want to point out that Ellie Jo was with us at dinner for nearly 3 1/2 hours - we each had a drink, shared apps, dinner, sides and dessert, and chatted forever - and she never once cried or screamed. That's right; our 11-month-old was literally a golden child! I think every member of the wait staff stopped by our table to compliment us on her behalf! (I'm hoping we didn't give Mike & Shannon a false sense of security, though - this behavior is rare and not always experienced by the parents!)
Getting to spend this time with Shannon & Mike was
so nice for us! Shannon and I drove back to the hotel without the guys (since Shannon ended up having to meet us there, Robert and Ellie rode back with Mike). Shannon showed me some backstreets that were so quiet! And I'm pretty sure we got hit on by a car full of teenage boys - yeah, that happened.
We got turned around somehow, and ended up having to go around the back of the hotel, but it was so cool, because we got to see the Underground at the MGM! Shannon and I were hauling a bunch of stuff up to our room, because she was SO GENEROUS and brought me a whole new wardrobe! (I was about 50lbs heavier before I had Ellie, and after running, softball, and throwing up for 9 months during the pregnancy, and then losing an additional 15lbs after losing the "normal" baby weight, lets just say none of my clothes fit the same. Shannon and I are nearly the same size, and have similar tastes in clothes. She was so sweet, and in down-sizing her wardrobe has blessed me SO MUCH with clothes that actually fit!)
The guys got there about 5 minutes after us, (which was good, because I'd left my purse in the room by mistake, so we didn't have a room key to get in), and we all went upstairs. Ellie was pretty tired, but she tolerated more talking, visiting, mommy going through Shannon's stuff to figure out what to take back with us and what to leave (we only had so much space in our suitcases), and some play time. But eventually, the crying started, and Mike said, "Ah ha! I KNEW you were a real baby!" Haha! She did a good job fooling him up to that point. :)
Anyway, they had to get home, and we needed to get to bed. Shannon wanted to meet up for lunch on Thursday, but due to her work appointments and my conference schedule, we just couldn't work it out. Next time we go down, we'll definitely be eating at Mona Mi Gabby
