Yes! I actually got to Vegas!!

When the plane finally touched down at the Las Vegas Airport, the people in the terminal could probably hear the cheers from our plane. It had been a very long 24 hours (that's how long I had been with these people!) so everyone was just a little excited to finally be there. After getting off of the plane, I headed to the tram (something I had never heard of before!) and then over to baggage claim to get my bag and see my family! I was greeted by my mom (who I hadn't seen since last August!) my mom's boyfriend, Dave (who I had never met before) my sister, Kristin and her husband, Javier (who I hadn't seen since last June!) my brother, Kevin, (who I also hadn't seen since last June), and Lauren and Kelly! So, it was a big wonderful welcome, just a day too late. I missed out on the big surprise for my mom, but they videoed it on Lauren's camera so at least I got to see it and boy she was sure surprised. And of course my mom had to tell me the biggest surprise of all was that I (big mouth Shannon) didn't let the secret out about us all coming to surprise her! Haha, funny Mom!

So, we head straight to the Outlet Mall to do some major shopping. It had started to rain (of course it did while I was there - it only rains, like what? 3 days a year in Vegas??) After our shopping trip my mom wanted to head to her favorite locale in Vegas - Old Vegas. We went to the Golden Nugget and had some dinner and then walked around a bit afterwards. It was pretty smokey down in those casinos so Kristin, Lauren, Jav, and I head back to the hotel and I call Mindy (my best friend from high school who lives in Vegas for those of you not in the know!) The rest of the clan stay to do some gambling. Mindy comes to the hotel to see us and it's so awesome to see her! We haven't seen each other since my wedding in 2002 - over 5 years ago! But it was just like old times and every is the same as it was back in high school - so much fun! Kelly and Kevin come back soon (they don't like to lose!) and we all just chatted in the hotel room and got caught up with each other.

Mindy and I head to her house around midnight where her husband is there waiting for us to bring him some Taco Bell! Probably a little later than he thought he would get to eat dinner! Well, of course I am on vacation and I get some food too! And it was sure good! I haven't had Taco Bell in months! But after the day I had, I thought I deserved it! :) Mindy gets her high school box out and we go through it laughing hysterically along the way. "Oh my God, what am I wearing?" and "I can't believe I had my hair like like!" were a few things you would have heard us saying. It was so fun to catch up with her and talk about the good ole times we had in high school. Around 2am we go to bed and I don't wake up again until 830! I haven't slept in that long for a LONG time!

Kristin and Jav came to pick me up and we headed to pick up my packet for my race the next day and then to the mall for some more shopping (it was still cold out so now laying out at the pool today either!) I came to Vegas on the wrong weekend for sure! Everyone ended up at the mall eventually and then my mom gave us each $50 to spend because she had been up $400 on the blackjack tables the night before. Whoo hoo! More spending money! After shopping we headed down the strip to see the sights. We went to Paris, The Miracle Mile Shops (yes, more shopping!) The M & M Factory, and other Las Vegas tourist places. It was fun, but very crowded! It was finally not raining and so everyone had come back outside!

After going back to the motel to get ready, Kristin picked the Rio World Carnival Buffet for her birthday dinner. We get there to find quite a long line, but we have all heard that the food is definitely worth the wait. So we wait and don't end up getting to eat until close to 9pm, but it was sure good! There was every type of food imaginable at this place! And the desserts were amazing! It was for sure worth the wait. Kevin, Dave, and Javier ate their weight in crab legs, but they weren't really my thing and I didn't think they were all they were cracked up to be...haha...get it? Funny I know! :)

I get to Mindy's house and chat for a while before heading to bed because we have to get up early, at 6am, to get to our 5K the next morning. 6am comes fast that night, and I am still feeling the effects of all of that food I had eaten the night before, but I still have a pretty good feeling about the race. My whole family got up early to come and watch me, which shocked and delighted me. I really couldn't believe they got up early on their vacations to watch me run. So, I better do well now! We start right at 730am and Mindy and I stay pretty close to each other for the first half. I feel ok during the race, but definitely not great as my legs feel like lead and my stomach is still pretty full from the night before. But I forge ahead and I'm pretty sure that I can still make an under 30 minute 5K. Mindy pulls ahead of me so either she sped up or I slowed down, or maybe both, but I knew she was going to blow her previous PR out of the water! So, that made me really excited for her. I made sure I could see her the whole time because I didn't want her to beat me too bad ;) but she was definetly faster than me today! She finished in 27:35!!! And I finished in 28:07!! She was 3rd in our age group and I was 4th! So, we both had a great race and my family was there to cheer us on at the end, which was nice to hear. It was a wonderful way to end my trip (although very short trip!) to Las Vegas.

So, although my trip was delayed and shortened, I am so glad that I got to go and see my mom and my sisters and brother, and my best friend. It was all worth it in the end and I couldn't have had a better time. Well, maybe I could have if I had more days, but there's always next time!