Last October/November vacay

So, 3 days after >thebreakin< Mike and I left town for a week. 

It, honestly, was nerve wracking, 

until I realized there was nothing left to steal ;)  

So, off we went. 

First stop was Florida, 

for (Mike's) Grandpa Joe's birthday. 

90th Birthday. 

Both him and Ann are absolutely fantastic,

and you'd never know they were in their 80s/90s. 

His dimples kill me, 

and Grandma Ann made me promise not to use too much butter. 

"Not like that Paula Deen" 

"Yes Ma'am" 

Then we headed off to Las Vegas!

Neither one of us had ever been, but Mike likes to gamble

and I like to people watch. 

Do. I. Ever. 

We stayed at the Aria, which was amazing, and took our time wandering through various buffets, shops, hotels, Lion habitats (yup) and candy factories. 

We also wandered out to this stupid Stratosphere. Stupid, because you think it's not that far of a walk, until you are 57 miles in and you still have 14 to go. And it's not that spectacular when you get up there. Take a cab. You'll like it better...

We stopped at the Pawn Stars, pawn shop, and walked through Brooklyn and Paris. 

We also saw the Cirque du Soleil show "LOVE" which featured Beatles music. 

It was fantastic. 

There are a thousand more shows I want to see, and Mike wants to play more Poker, 

so I'd really love to go back. 

We packed up the car and headed north to 

Zion National Park. 

We stayed at a gorgeous little hotel and spent the next day hiking Angels Landing. 

There are chains to hold onto as you climb,

and I had to stop before the very peak because my knee wouldn't go. 

I met a man who taught me a "song about God" before I turned around, 

and Mike spotted my pink backpack heading back down. 

He made it to the top and soaked in the view. 

We then made a late night drive down to the Grand Canyon. 

It was dark when we arrived, so Mike set up camp. 

Camp. In November. It was 15 degrees that night. 

The next morning, I was VERY. VERY. sick. 

So we took it easy. We walked around the edge, stopping at the different "take photos here" 

and tagging along with some of the tour guides. 

After a night at the Red Feather Inn and a date with some Nyquil, I felt better, so we hiked down the Bright Angel trail for a few miles. We both definitely preferred hiking UP first then coming down, as opposing to going DOWN in a canyon, then trying to fight out way back up. After we left, we found our way to a small bar along Route 66 that served Grand Canyon beer, and finally got to try In N Out, which..isnt that good. Sorry.

We stopped at the Hacienda, and I passed out thanks to Nyquil.
Mike says I didnt miss much, but the next morning we ventured out to the Hoover Dam. 

We didnt have the time to tour it, 

so we just walked around the top for a bit and headed to the airport. 

It really was an excellent trip.