What a month it has been for our little family! It was our first full month of living in the Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada and it has been full of fun, adventure and a little bit of work, too. First some travel updates and reviews…then some personal updates as well.
Family Adventures-
San Diego
The month started off with a bang. We decided to take advantage of Labor Day weekend and head to San Diego. We stayed at the Hilton on the Bay and it was stunning…we even brought Millie with us! The first day we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was gorgeous. Andy had never seen a Polar Bear before, and I had never seen a hippo (unfortunately the guy wouldn’t move, so i couldn’t get a great picture) and we felt like giddy little kids. Word to the wise…we went at the end of the day…it was perfect, not too crowded at all. Also, Andy got in free with a military discount and I believe my ticket was at a discounted price.
That night we went to Old Town to eat at Cafe Coyote and had wonderful mexican food (and margaritas, too of course) at an outdoor table, live music…perfection
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The next day we did a the Old TownTrolley Tour…I would highly recommend this. It was a great way to see the entire city. You can hop on and off the tour at your leisure. Our favorite stop might have been in Coronado. The beach was lovely and the town was full of stuff to do. Andy also had the best piece of pizza we’ve ever tasted at Landini’s. We grabbed a beer at Craft and Commerce on their outdoor patio. We heard that the food was amazing here, but unfortunately they were only serving Brunch and we weren’t in the mood. Also we saw that they gave some locals meals off of the regular menu and that kind of ticked us off. Our last stop was at the USS Midway. This wasn’t my cup of tea, but I think this is a guy’s dream of a tourist destination. I wish our nephew was with us because he would have loved it! Vi did great throughout the entire day! It was our first time using the baby carrier and she was happy the whole time.
The last day in San Diego we went to La Jolla Cove. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. If we went back, I would spend an entire day here. If you’re into snorkeling, there were almost hundreds of people splashing around and there are also lots of cute shops and restaurants. Watching the Sea Lions was just so…breathtaking. This is just an amazing area.
Mama Debs and Pop come to visit-
Mid September Momma Debs and Pop came to visit. We packed a lot into those short few days. We found Momma Debs’ favorite Mexican restaurant…a chain out here called Cafe Rio. Think of a much better, more authentic Moes. They even make their own tortillas!
Hoover Dam-
We went to the Hoover Dam…seriously cool. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Even the drive down to the dam was stunning. I would suggest doing the 30 minute tour instead of the hour tour unless you are die hard about visiting the dam.
The Strip-
We decided to go to the Venetian where we taught Pop to play craps, so fun! The Venetian is one of my favorite casinos on the strip, I just think the scenery is so impressive and the dealers are incredibly nice. We went to Aquaknox for dinner. Absolutely loved the atmosphere, food was good and the waiter gave us a military discount (even though they don’t give discounts at the restaurant.) After that we went to the Wynn and went to their outside bar on the water…the water show is cooky, but awesome, highly recommend it.
This is less than a half hour from our house and we love it here. We didn’t do any of the hiking trails, but the views from the scenic drive that goes around the park were breathtaking…and because Andy’s military, it’s free! The military discount is becoming my new favorite thing!
The Strip…again.
There was a medical group Air Force Ball last week, but some of the group in Andy’s class didn’t want to spend the $400 for just the uniform…after all…there are 3 babies on the way! So, I organized our own fun. We went to Mon Ami Gabi. I love this restaurant because it’s one of the only formal dining restaurants on the strip that is reasonably priced…AND if you don’t mind waiting a little bit longer for a table, you can get an outdoor or window seat that overlooks the Bellagio Fountains. Spectacular.
After that we went to the Cosmopolitan. I love this hotel because it has a huge crystal chandelier in the center of it…just walking around makes you feel fancy. The picture I took with my phone does not do it justice. They also had a great band playing. I would definitely suggest the chandelier bar there, however we did not have a good gambling experience …table limits were too high and we never saw a drink girl.
To top off the month…the Dawgs beat LSWho! Andy and I bought a fire pit to celebrate and I have a feeling we will be using that a lot now because the weather is so fantastic! October will be a slower month, but we do plan on going to the Grand Canyon, we’ll keep you posted!
Andy-
Andy is finally doing dentistry! The first month out here he was doing a lot of in-processing…aka paperwork. It’s the government, so it took about a month to complete 😉 But, over the past couple of weeks he has finally started to see patients, he’s even begun an ortho case which he is really excited about. Residency is not a cakewalk (not that we expected it to be) the hours can be long and there’s a lot of projects and presentations he has to do…along with seeing patients. Soon he will start a month long oral surgery rotation.
Violet-
Doesn’t she look so sweet…so angelic? Well, 4 Months was my favorite, 5 months….has been one of the most challenging. Between teething and the frustration of not being able to sit up quite yet, Violet has been a little more difficult this month. More than anything she’s just a bit harder to entertain. But, wouldn’t trade her for the world, even when she’s grumpy, she’s still a doll baby. This month we have started solids, just fruit so far. Loves bananas, tolerates pears and despises peaches (maybe she won’t be a southern belle after all) She is also 48% for weight and 79% for height…where she gets her long legs from we have no idea!
Me-
This month I have really gotten into a routine with Vi. She goes down for a nap in the morning and I get in a devotional, workout and shower…then we leave for our adventure of the day…which normally means the grocery store, park or our gymboree class. When we get back I start house work and try to start dinner before Andy gets home. It’s definitely a change from the news grind. Deadlines are a tad bit softer at home!
