Vegas Vacation

My daughter and I were so excited to visit Las Vegas.  It was a first visit for her (she’s 6) and I hadn’t been there for over ten years.  We were pumped…and then we tried to leave Minneapolis.

The President was scheduled to speak in St. Paul the afternoon of our departure.  We were waiting to board our flight when we were told our plane was in a holding pattern due to Air Force One landing.  Great.  Well, we thought, it won’t be too long of a delay and then we’ll be on our way.  Wrong.

By the time the plane landed, the passengers unloaded, and we boarded, our flight was delayed on the ground for the President’s departure.  Ugh.  Not again….

We finally were cleared to depart for Denver, our connecting city.  Once we arrived, however, we were hit with more bad news.  The flight to Vegas had left and we were stuck in Denver for three hours until the next flight was available.  Not good.

My daughter proceeded to have an epic meltdown.  I’d never seen anything like it.  I was waiting for her head to spin around and vomit to spew out.  Poor kid and poor me.  She did not want to wait for the flight and sit on another plane.  I decided we’d stay in Denver and canceled all the Vegas plans.

Once she calmed down, she said she wanted to visit Las Vegas after all.  As I’m rescheduling the flights and hotel, she’s crying and I’m crying.  It’s stressful beyond belief.  The Southwest gate agents were so nice and accommodating.  They helped straighten everything out.

The next morning, we flew out to Vegas and that’s when the fun began.  My daughter totally loved it.  The Tropicana was nice enough to upgrade our room so we had an awesome view of the strip.

Las Vegas may be an adult playground, but during the day it’s a blast for kids as well.  The sights and sounds provide sensory overload for them.  At night, it’s beyond.  We went for a ride on a gondola at the Venetian and it was the best part of the trip.  The gondolier was so sweet and had an amazing voice.  It was truly memorable and the best part of the visit.

For all the yuck we dealt with at the beginning, Vegas more than made up for it.  We can’t wait to visit again…and I’m looking forward to a separate trip for a little adult fun!