It seems like ages ago that I left for the big adventure but it was really less than 2 weeks ago.
I headed out on a Friday afternoon to both celebrate and help document my sister's wedding in Dallas. Flight was delayed and barely made the rehearsal but was proud of myself for maneuvering rush hour traffic in Dallas on my own without getting lost and actually made good time!
That night my sister treated me and her girls to a fun night of girl movies and snacks in a nearby hotel. Sara and I stayed up late into the night catching up and doing what sister's do best.. bond. I love her so much and feel blessed to have such an amazing and caring woman as my sister. I am so happy for her as she starts her new life with Darrell.
The next morning we slept in!! And then headed to the spa for 4 hours of pampering and getting prepared for the wedding. I know it's so cliche that women can't seem to do their own makeup and hair when they get married, but there is something really nice about having it all done for you on that special day. I think it was the perfect plan and reduced a ton of stress for everyone. I had a blast just hanging out and shooting the whole thing while bonding with my precious nieces that I miss like crazy.
The wedding was beautiful and fun and full of love. Just what my sister worked her heart out planning. I'm sure Darrell is happy as well. My photography skills are no where near that of a professional but I did my best to capture everything.
Saturday night I got to catch up with an old friend and see a few sites in good old Dallas and get a good night's sleep. Up early Sunday to catch my flight to Vegas... Got checked in and had plenty of time to just hang around the hotel and chill. The pool area at Mandalay is incredible. Pictures don't do it justice really. But I definitely enjoyed the sandy beach and cool water and had a nice dinner in the House of Blues while I planned out my week of conferences and meetings.
Late Sunday night my friend Paige made it to town and joined me for the rest of the week. She enjoyed the pool and puttzed around town during the days while I went to oh so fun conferences.
But once the seminars and sessions were done it was time to have some fun and explore Vegas!
I had been to Fremont street with Che when we went to Vegas in February but we weren't able to go at night. It was such a different experience in the evening. We really wanted to do the zip line that goes over the crowd but the line was huge and we just didn't have the patience to wait, plus I was wearing a skirt! But we had an awesome dinner and made lots of friends.
The rest of the week we took in the pool and did some shopping.
One evening I just needed a break from everything and borrowed the car to head out to Lake Mead to get some solitude in nature. It was amazing and exactly what I needed.
I couldn't help but wonder who had been here before me to create such a fire pit. It reminded me so much of a scene in the Gunslinger book by Stephen King which of course reminded me of Che and made me miss him that much more.
But the views and silence restored my soul and gave me the energy I needed to get through the rest of the week in that crazy city that never stops.
The last evening in Vegas entailed an awesome 80's party put on by the OAUG conference. I got to know a few of the peeps behind the scenes at the conference and it was definitely eye opening to see how much work goes into putting one of these conventions together. I had to do a little shopping to get my 80's outfit ready to go and Paige helped with the makeup. She ended up going with me and we had a blast dancing with our friends to old 80's tunes. I admit I even ended up on stage to the final song of the night. There is a video somewhere but I'm hoping it never surfaces.
By the time the week was over I was exhausted from going almost 24/7 but it was great fun and I met some really great people. Paige and I did our girl thing and bonded as well. Nothing like sharing pancakes at 3am with a good friend.
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