It's amazing how much Vegas is NOT like the movies. It's portrayed at this glorified glamorized wonderland, and it just isn't. When Nick and I went to California the Thanks Giving before we were married, we drove through and I wasn't impressed. After staying the weekend, I'm even less impressed.
The one good thing about going? Visiting Nick's parents, that was a ton of fun, and I'm sure they enjoyed every moment as much as we did. Tristan was completely enamored the whole time, soaking up all the attention like a sponge. Ok, one other good thing about Vegas…..The Food! Oh my gosh, it was amazing! They made these fluffy succulent pancakes that were by far the best thing I have ever tasted, or smelled, holy cow. I should have taken pictures of all the foods we tried. We went to two cafes, a latin restaurant, and an oriental rice/noodle house. MMMMMMM, oh and this is a first. An ice cream parlor that made me a cookies'n'cream milk shake….that I didn't need to reblend, how awesome is that??
So we headed down on Friday around 2 PM, hoping to get to Vegas by the latest 8 or 9. We actually made very good time, having to stop only in ST. George to stretch our legs and once at a gas station because about half an our from our destination, Tristan freaked out. I don't blame him. We could see the bright lights of Vegas 50 miles away, and there was a massive storm right over top of it. I swear it was the thickest, fattest, brightest lightning I've ever seen in my life. Nick's comment "we're driving into Satan's city".
We got to the hotel, the Mandalay Bay, and found our way to the parking garage. We were supposed to meet Nick's parents, but we couldn't get ahold of them. So we decided to go into the hotel, wander around and wait for them. Icky, we stepped into the elevator and smelled smoke. Then we stepped off the elevator, and nearly drown in it. It was like a thick fog from all the people huffing and puffing in the casino. And dang, that casino took up the entire bottom portion of the hotel, you couldn't get anywhere without walking through it. We finally met up with Dad and Diane, but by the time we made it to the room, which was like a mile away, we all reeked. It was getting late, so we decided to get some dinner and go to bed. Conference was going to come mighty early for all of us who spent the day traveling. We found a little cafe kind of diner thingy outside the casino and decided to try it. The girl took us back to a table right by the bar, and it stunk of alcohol and barf. Tristan and I promptly went back up to the room, it was all giving me a headache. But they brought me back a tasty sandwich, best I've had in a long time! And we watched the Time Machine on TV before going to bed.
Conference the next morning was awesome. I loved the talks, and I loved the announcement about the Provo Tabernacle being converted into a temple. How incredible is that going to be? I just kept thinking the whole time we were watching about what was going down below us. People were dancing drunkenly around the golden calf while we were listening to the messages of the prophets. Ironic. Inbetween sessions, we wondered around the Luxor hotel, all the shops, around the beach, and through the convention center. The Mandalay complex is massive! We also decided to go through the shark aquarium after priesthood session, which Nick was super excited for. While the boys were away, me and Diane took a walk down the strip, marveling to each other just how many people were scantily clad and carrying bottles of alcohol. Vegas has seriously got some issues.
When the boys returned, we went through the shark aquarium, which was exquisit! They had a tank full of African cichlids, all of which Nick and I have kept. And then they had this massive sunken ship display, and sharks swam all around you. It was fantastic. Dad and Diane got Tristan a nemo and stingray stuffy, which he adores, Seriously, he loves the little nemo! It's cute. Then we went to the oriental restaurant, and I got a soup, it was fabulous. Really, I didn't have one bad meal while we were there, Vegas sure knows food. We didn't stay up too late, well, 2 AM…..silly Tristan, and Sunday morning we got ready to head back home and watched the morning session of conference. Then we wandered around, took some pictures in the gardens and got on I-15 back to Provo.
Like I said, the only good thing was visiting family. And it was very generous of Dad and Diane to pay for our gas there and back as well as all our food. We had a very fun time being with them, and I'm glad they got to spoil Tristan for a few days. He really enjoyed it. But Vegas is nothing but filth. People go there to sin, how sick is that? There are people smoking and drinking openly, there are new stands on every corner with naked women, and people handing out cards for strips clubs and the like. I felt so disgusting every time we walked through a casino, seeing all the frowning faces of gambling addicts. Really, I don't think I saw anyone smiling. And all the skin…. I've never seen so much immodesty. It made me sad for all those people, idling their lives away on nothing. I'm glad I know better, I'm glad I have an eternal perspective. I feel so blessed to have been raised by righteous parents who taught me the simple truths of life from a young age. I'm glad I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that I can recognize filth when I see it. I'm glad I'm not desensitized to the ugliness of the world. I've seen Sodom and Gomorra, and I have no desire to go back.
My one regret? I didn't get to see the Temple, the one bit of wholesomeness there. And I wanted to get a picture with the poster of Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. at Caesar's Palace. Oh well. But thank you Dad and Diane for a wonderful weekend spending time together! We can't wait till Christmas!
