Katie's Wedding and Our Weekend Away

Last weekend we had so much fun going to Vegas for Katie and Kyler's wedding! We made a last minute decision to split the drive up and go to Cedar City on Thursday night, and then finish off the drive on Friday morning. This was the BEST idea I think we could have had, it gave us more time to have a much needed mini vacation :) We went out and ate ice cream before settling into the hotel, because I'm Jade and always need to get ice cream. This cute pup really wanted my ice cream and I almost cried because he was so cute! Emotions are high these days
 
 

The next morning we ate our breakfast and got ready for the rest of the drive. You would think this part of the drive would be so much easier because it was only a couple hours....but it wasn't. We were both tired and grumpy and didn't want to be in a car anymore! BUT before we got grumpy we stopped at Zion National Park and drove through their scenic route. It was gorgeous!! I couldn't believe it. I wasn't feeling up to hiking or anything but just seeing it was good enough for now. We will definitely be going back to do some hikes this summer before I blimp up :)

We finally made it to Vegas! My initial thought was that we would go somewhere exciting for lunch since we were in Vegas, but like I said we were tired and grumpy so it was In N Out and that was just fine by me. After we had some food we were feeling much more energized and decided to go to the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay!

We aren't very good at selfies...blame the height difference

It was a lot of fun to see all the fishies and sharks. Just the way they had it all decorated made it feel like we were really outside in the nature with the fish! I LOVE going to Aquariums so this was the perfect way to spend my afternoon after the drive. 

We still had some time to kill before we could check into the hotel so we drove down the strip and people watched :) It's what I do best. When we got back to the hotel we decided to take a quick dip in the pool. We were not used to the Vegas heat, and it was so refreshing to be in the water! Unfortunately it was also VERY VERY windy, which meant that after we were in the water it was freezing, but it wasn't hard to warm up in that heat. 

By that time we were hungry, it was still early but our bodies were used to eating right after work. Our hotel has a lot of restaurants in it so it was easy to find food. We decided it was fine to splurge and go to a fancier place since we hadn't been able ot go out for a while. For some reason, we always end up at the fancy restaurants in flip flops and T-shirts but we were hungry and didn't care. I got crab cakes and lobster bisque, and Curtis got a veal chop with cauliflower mash. I was very impressed with the food! It was so good, and then we split a berry creme brulee. The perfect end to our evening. By the time we got back to the hotel I was EXHAUSTED. It was rough, I tried so hard to stay awake but it wasn't happening. By 7:30 I was sound asleep....in my defense though that's 8:30 my time which isn't AS bad. Curtis got to stay up and watch basketball though so I'm sure he didn't mind that I was out. 

The next morning was wedding day!! The day that we had all been preparing for for months. I couldn't believe that it was actually time. Of course I was up by 6 since I went to bed so early so I went out and brought back some breakfast. then it was time to get ready. Here's a selfie because I felt so good about getting ready for the first time in a long time...

Of course we left our temple recommends in Utah so we had to go to the wedding early so they could look us up. It was such a fun sealing, and it just reminded me of how I felt on the day that I got sealed. So many great memories, and I can't wait for Katie and Kyler to experience all of the emotions of marriage :) After taking the pictures at the temple, we had about 5 hours before the reception started. Katie's friend Mariah, Curtis, and I spent the afternoon together getting lunch, watching a movie, and walking the strip! I just had to get my bag of blue M&M's, and they were such troopers to come with me. 

Note to self, don't walk the strip in flip flops, I had major blisters for a few days but it was totally worth it! We thought we were making great time, but of course I put in the wrong address that took us in the opposite direction. As a result we were 45 minutes late to the reception....fail on my part. But the important part is that we made it and got to party with the newly weds!

I was so glad that I got so much sleep the night before. I'm convinced that's why I had so much energy that day, and it was amazing!! I miss being able to do anything without having to go home to lay down. It was a fun day, and I'm happy that we were able to go down for it. The next day was depressing knowing that it was time to go home. Our hotel was so nice, I just wanted to stay there forever, but alas we can't always get what we want so we packed up and got in the car to make the journey home. Poor Curtis drove the whole way while I primarily slept.....the day before just got to me I guess. On the bright side, we got back in time to go to my parents house and enjoy a fun dinner with my family! I'm excited it's summer again so we can grill outside and play in the grass. Plus my brother brought his new puppy and I about died watching him run through the grass and trip over himself. Just look how cute he is!

In the end, it was the perfect getaway that we very much needed. Thanks for getting married Katie so we could have an excuse for a mini vacation!