Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Vegas Oracle Style

A couple of weeks ago Pat and I made another trip to Vegas, this time compliments of Oracle. Every June Pat has a week long convention in Las Vegas... he hates it ... we love it! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that he has to work all day, and go to business dinners at night, while we get to play:) The convention is held at the Mandalay Bay hotel but Oracle employees also stay at the Luxor and MGM.
Last year Pat and I went alone and stayed in the new tower at Mandalay Bay and loved it, so this year when I found out we were at the MGM I have to admit I was a little disappointed. My disappointment quickly turned to excitement however when Pat called the first day he was there and told me that we weren't in the MGM after all but in the new MGM Signature Towers. Justin, Karli, Jake & I left early the next morning and after 6 fun filled hours on the road belting out some of our favorite tunes on Justin's ipod, and a quick stop for lunch in St. George at In-N-Out we finally arrived in sin city.
Here is what awaited us....

Our Hotel
The Kitchen
Dining AreaLiving RoomMaster BedroomMaster Bathroom
View of the pool from our balcony

When we stepped out onto our balcony we saw the hotel pool below complete with a lazy river that seemed to be calling our names... after all it was a 108 degrees here and somewhere in the 60's back home. We quickly threw on our suits and soon we were (as Jake would say) chillaxin by this incredible pool.



The float tube cost 16.00 a day to rent so instead of turning ours in when we were done I found some kids that didn't have one and gave them ours. They were so excited!! All three of them got a huge smile on their faces and jumped on it at the same time. As they floated away laughing and giggling it made me smile...I don't know who was happier them or me.


That night we got cleaned up and walked down the strip to get a bite to eat. After dinner we had plans to meet up with my neice Heather and her husband Shaun who happened to be in town. They were going to meet us at the Hawaiian marketplace so shaun and Justin could entertain us with some outdoor Karaoke. Unfortunately Heather got sick during dinner and they weren't able to meet us so we walked down to the Bellagio to be entertained by the dancing waters instead.


The next day we hung out at the pool and also went on the Roller coaster at New York New York.
With heights of 205 feet, drops of 144 feet and speeds of up to 67 mph it was a lot of fun but one rough ride! We laughed & squealed as we sped along its twists and turns and upside down whoopdee loops:)
Ashley flew down that night after work to join in the fun. Since it was late and we were all pretty tired we spent the rest of the night just hanging out in our room.


The next day found us at the pool again and then later in the day we went to Fashion Show Mall minus Karli and Jake (they hate to shop!) That night we drove out to Henderson and ate at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It's worth the 15 minute drive out to the suburbs where it is more family friendly and you dont have to fight the crowds at the Forum Shops where the wait is at least an hour.



After dinner we found a Ben & Jerry's and stopped for icecream, what were we thinking?!


Pat worked hard the whole time preparing for the presentation that he had to give on the last day of the convention. Even though he only gets to see us a few hours a day he still loves having us there with him. What can I say... he's a stud!

Our plan was to leave Vegas Friday afternoon and drive to my parents condo in St. George where we could spend the weekend celebrating Fathers day and Pat would finally get a little R & R. Sadly I got the news while I was in Vegas that my Mom's younger sister, my cute Aunt Shirley had passed away. Shirley was my Aunt that lived in Mesa Arizona and would host our annual Thanksgiving dinners every year at her home. This wasn't just a one day event it was 4 days of food, family, & fun fun fun!!! I loved her so much I just couldn't miss her funeral, so when my family left for St. George I hopped on a plane and flew to Phoenix.


Shockingly they still had fun without me:)

Here is how they entertained themselves on the drive back to St George.


"Jake, KFC called they want their chicken legs back!" :)

"Justin, Frodo called he wants his feet back" :)

"Karli, China called they want their rice back!"
(Karli is a picky eater and sometimes it
seems like all she eats is rice:)

Karli got Ashley back though and it was hilarious, a little personal but funny none the less! That didn't stop Ashley and she was right back at her with a little spin off of Karli's comment. Ha ha ha...who doesn't love a good road trip... they are the best!

4 comments:

Amazed said...

I can't believe that crab makes you barf but the roller coaster at New York New York doesn't.....

Don't you just LOVE vacations?!!!

And I'm sorry about your Aunt. I lost someone I love this week as well and it hurts.

Can't wait to hear about the RS party! You know, the one you threw without me!

Karli said...

That was a nice hotel, and a way fun trip! I was sad you couldnt come to st. george... so lets just go back soon!

Justin said...

Good times!

Brian and April said...

Looks like a fun vacation!