The Tuckers: 2017

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Snow!

We had snow on Friday! The weather forecasters were predicting it, but in Houston I never believe it will happen until it is does. Austin had snow Thursday evening and I know others who woke up in the middle of the night to see it falling in and around Houston. We slept while it fell, but I did wake up early to see if we had snow and we did! I had heard it wouldn't stick so I thought I'd miss it, but it was a small layer of snow everywhere!

I went a little nuts taking photos (was a little late to work..worth it!) Driving to work was more interesting than usual, seeing families out playing in it and others out with child-like grins on their place as they just take it in. This has been a rough year, so its good to have some weather that makes the city happy, and is photographic for its beauty and not its destruction.

Its a bit surreal to me to see a pool surrounded by snow -- and no I don't want to go for a swim! I had to get my arms wet this weekend to clean the pool, and that was enough for me. Our first winter and we've already had snow. I think the last time it snowed was our first winter at the old house (2009), there was no snow while we lived in the townhouse.

This weekend we were also able to have our first fire in the fireplace, we had to have it repaired and the work was done on Saturday. I didn't realize how much I had missed the sound and beauty of a fire in the fireplace.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Wednesday musings

Some random thoughts for this (finally) chilly Wednesday.

I went to my first ever Lady Gaga concert this weekend. She is an amazing performer....and I had a great time with my sister and her friend. We made it a girls' night really nearly a girls weekend for me, and it was just what I needed! I knew I wouldn't want to drive back home afterwards so I'd booked a hotel (across the street from the venue) and taken Monday off work. It worked out well to get to get ready at the hotel, uber to a place to eat (we'd planned to walk but it was raining), and had a little slumber party time with my sister afterwards, and spent the day with her on Monday.
I highly recommend nights out with friends, trying to get Kevin to put one together with his friends too. Don't get me wrong we love spending time together, we just also need that friend bonding time.
I also realize I really enjoy having an event a ways off in the future to look forward to, I've known it for travel but I think I should take that approach with in-town events too. I plan to look for a 2018 event that we'd both enjoy
We have finally started on our Christmas shopping, I always feel like I'm behind but at least I've started checking folks off my list -- I have to get on it since we are doing Christmas early as we will be out of town on Christmas.
We are terrible at getting gifts for each other, but honestly we need some big ticket items so to me that works well as our gifts to each other/ourselves.....on our list this year - fixing our fireplace so we can have a fire; possibly a new computer.

I may come back and add to this, but am posting for now so it doesn't becoming "musings from days ago..."

Sunday, November 5, 2017

World Series Champs!

The World Series went better than we could've imagined! Astros won it for the first time ever!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of late night games - and squeezing in a delicious birthday dinner before the Astros' first World Series win!

We knew there was a chance there would be a parade if they won (we wouldn't even say the word to not jinx it). Once it was announced we knew we had to be a part of it.

I was able to take the afternoon off work (it'll all be there on Monday) and we were two of about a million people who lined the streets, and parking garages on Friday. We'd planned to take light rail but heard it was backed up so just walked it through downtown -- there were so many people and it was a sea of orange.

As short as I am I couldn't see very much of the parade, but did see the players and the trophy (they were on fire trucks and double deckers buses) and just being in the crowd was a great feeling. Kevin's brother (a huge baseball fan) made it too and brought our niece and nephew. I still don't know how they found us, but am so glad they did. It made it even better to share the experience with them -- and my niece had a great seat - on a mini-van. I did feel a little badly putting her on the car of someone we didn't know, but she was able to see the parade and didn't damage the car (sadly others' cars did get damaged by people standing on them). They walked even further than we did, and we all walked back to my office garage to pick up our car (mapping it we all walked over 2 miles). We found a spot we could get to and let some of the traffic die out and had some delicious pizza and tasted mac and cheese balls (so good, glad there were 5 of us to split the 3 balls - nephew must have a hollow leg as he ate a whole one).

We got Keith back to his car and Kevin and I had a drink at another spot in our old neighborhood to let even more of the traffic clear out.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

World Series bound

The Astros are back in the World Series!!!!

Its the first time since 2005, and we are so excited for it. I did a quick search for ticket prices, and looks like we'll be watching at home -- over $700 for standing room only?!?!

I should get to watch more of it this time. I watched what I could in 2005, but was also in grad school so I had classes multiple nights a week, and even had an exam during the first game in Houston (and on my birthday). Our professor did let us see the text-based view of the game online during our test, and I got out early enough to meet my boyfriend (now husband) at a viewing party..

Here's hoping this series goes better for Houston, it couldn't happen at a better time for our city as we still work to recover from Harvey.

Today we'll be hunting for league champ shirts!

Saturday, October 7, 2017

pool project

The Houston area is still very much in recovery mode, and we are doing what we can to help. We also realize at the same time that life goes on, and one way we can help is to make sure area businesses have customers so we decided to go ahead and with a project we were looking at before Harvey. We wanted to get a rotten wooden walkway replaced (it was getting to be a hazard with loose boards) and also get the decking around the pool - which was several surfaces (pavers, rocks that hurt to step on) redone to be one consistent surface and easier on the feet.

With the issues Kevin's mom has had with her fall at their pool we were very aware that it needs to be non-slip, and went with a company that uses a rubber material. They did it all a couple of weeks ago and we are very happy with it. The walkway really shows the change -- before/during/after below, and it is really bouncy since there isn't concrete under it but rather layers and layers of rubber. The rest of it is more solid since they were able to put it on top of the existing concrete/pavers.

Seems a shame we got to it as pool season is ending, but we will still enjoy it this fall and for many years to come!

Monday, September 4, 2017

post Harvey

Wait...it's September?? I've seen several memes and it's true....many people in SE Texas don't know what day it is and now we don't really know what month it is either. Kevin and I were fortunate not to have flooding but are still affected by Hurricane Harvey. I honestly think we have a version of survivors guilt and are going to be working through how best to move forward, helping who and where we can and also taking care of ourselves.

Others have put feelings much better than I have, and I've shared more than I can count on social media, This article on survival guilt was a helpful read for me today (thanks sis)...

I am actually excited to get back to work tomorrow...it will be one step towards "normal". I worry for our students and how many of them are directly impacted....we will do what we can to help.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Stay Strong Houston

We are very fortunate to be safe and dry in our home, but have been watching non-stop coverage of Hurricane Harvey for....what..3 days?

At this point we just feel damn helpless. We are checking in with family and friends with phone, text, and social media and all have been safe, some do have water in their homes. We're actually concerned that one set of friends may lose their home.

I'm afraid its far from over, we are supposed to get several more days of rain, and then the cleanup begins....

Stay Strong Houston!

Friday, August 25, 2017

Harvey

I never feel ready for a hurricane, but here we are 'hunkering down' for Hurricane Harvey.

The storm came up quickly and we did what preparations we could -- yesterday I refilled meds for the dog, bought food and batteries (by the time I got to the store every banana, loaf of bread and bottle of water was gone), put gas in the Jeep, and got cash. Today we put stuff away that is outside and I even filled up the bathtubs with water.

We are watching way too much coverage of it coming in.....Stay safe Texas!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

back to school

I feel like I have to come up for air at work. Getting ready for a new school year is always busy but this year especially it seems like it never slowed down and everyone needs something...and usually they need it yesterday.

I hope to take a minute to see the solar eclipse tomorrow, its the first day of classes at my school so it will be a busy day. I made DIY viewer boxes out of cereal boxes yesterday, here's hoping they work!

Monday, August 7, 2017

Marble Falls

We are back from our trip, and we had a great time! Well, the humans on the trip did...Smokey not so much (more on that later).

A lesson I've finally learned is that going into a vacation you can research and plan (and you should), but some of the highlights of a trip may be things you never considered.

This may be a lengthy recap, as I want to be able to capture what we did both for myself and for if others consider a trip there in the future. I was pleasantly surprised with all there was to do in and around the town - We initially chose the destination because it was close to an off-road park we wanted to return to.

We started enjoying the week off even while we were in town. We celebrated our niece and oldest nephew's birthdays with a pizza and pool party at my in-laws' house. We also went to see the movie Dunkirk, we almost never go to the movies. I'd never heard of this incident, but my historian husband had and so off to the theatre we went. I was surprised at how little dialogue was used in the film, and yet it really worked -- the sounds and images told the story.

We drove out on Tuesday. We finally stopped at Chappell Hill, its usually closed when we drive by (late Friday or Sunday), but we were finally driving by during their business hours so we stopped in and bought some sausage. For next time we need to remember they have a dining area (future lunch idea?). I also bought some peppered pickles, they are HOT! I cannot look at them without trying to say the tongue twister...

We got settled into our rental house -- we finally found one that is truly pet-friendly - and did some grocery shopping for the week -- I thought HEBs in Houston were busy, but this one was the busiest I've ever seen, especially the parking lot. Talking to a local on the trip it turns out they are building a larger one and they need it..the store serves the entire area.

That night we visited a local brew pub, Double Horn Brewing. I think its a seasonal, but try electric watermelon if you are there....very watermelony (is that a word?), the food was good too, that beer just sticks out in my head.

Wednesday

We spent part of the morning at the house, the smoke detector had started beeping early that morning so we had the owner come out and fix it....it was actually nice to have an extra excuse to stay in a little later, and we got to hear a little about the house and got some recommendations from the owner.

After we got ready for the day we explored the shops near us (we were right in the middle of town) and did a little shopping -- a resale shop that benefits an animal shelter, I couldn't resist! bought some books and earrings

We drove out to see Dead Man's Hole, I have to admit reading about what happened out there was eerie, and the threatening rain may it more so.

One of the nearby wineries has a location in town, and it was a great way to combine wine tasting and pizzas -- Flat Creek Enoteca. The weekday lunch is a great deal (small salad and personal size pizza), and goes well with their wines. We each had a wine flight, for my glass of wine I chose a lavender bubbly cocktail.

Thursday

We spent the morning at Hidden Falls Adventure Park to do some off-roading. We had the park almost to ourselves and the clouds kept the temperature down. Kevin is definitely still a beginner, but getting better, and we explored all the trails we were ready for. I still need to work on learning how to be a spotter, I did get out to scope it out a few places, but am really not sure what I'm doing so usually he'd get out of the car too.

Afterwards we got the Jeep washed and then found a beautiful view at a local winery. This winery,
Torr Na Lochs, overlooks two nearby lakes, and we had some delicious wine (and a cheese plate) and even met a couple of winery dogs! Again we had the place almost to ourselves and enjoyed the views.

That night for dinner we went to the River City Grill and had a great view to watch boats on the river, we had no idea this was such a river-centric town. In town it looks to be called a lake but from the map its part of the Colorado river. I'm glad we didn't come one week later as they host a boat race that while fun to see probably would've made getting around town and finding places to eat and stay a bit harder.

Friday

One of the highlights of the trip, and something I'd never heard of before was Longhorn Caverns State Park. We'd originally planned to visit a wildlife refuge, but realizing the time of year it would've been way too hot to be enjoyable. While looking at a brochure for a winery it had an area map with local landmarks to help place where the winery is, and one of those landmarks was the caverns. We looked it up online and knew we had to go! We didn't end up seeing that winery (2 was enough; we also hit 2 breweries) but I am thankful we saw their brochure so we didn't miss the caverns.

The caverns are only accessible on a guided tour and we were able to join up on a tour that had just started. The temperature change alone was worth the trip, but it also had a lot of history and amazing formations. Our guide would point out tiny bats along the way, and showed us where a speakeasy had a bar and dance floor set up. I was doing good not to slip walking in my tennis shoes, I cannot imagine getting down there in the 1920s with heels, a dress, and very minimal lighting... I highly recommend this tour if you are in the area.

That evening we went to visit Save the World Brewing and met my brother for dinner.

Smokey had gotten sick that day so we stayed in to visit with my brother most of the evening and keep an eye on the dog. He is doing much better now but he seems to work himself up into a little ball of nerves, and its a bad cycle of don't eat, feel sick...feel sick so don't eat.....so apparently vacation is relaxing for everyone but our dog...he was still not himself coming home Saturday, and even all day at home on Sunday...he's finally getting back to normal now

Sunday, July 30, 2017

July

Once again I have abandoned this little blog...

July was a big month for us!

We attended my 20 year (how has it been 20 yrs?!?) high school reunion in my hometown. Kevin was a very good sport and went even though he knows almost no one I graduated with. I stressed about what to wear, who I'd talk to, and even wondered why I wanted to go (I had no interest in the 10 year). I still can't explain why I wanted to go, but am glad we did. It was great to see people who I'd grown up with, some I'm still in contact with (or at least Facebook friends with), others I haven't seen (digitally or in person) since 1997. I have to hand it to those who came solo as being very brave; I don't think I'd have done that.

The following week - July 25 - we sold the townhouse! We actually signed the papers to sell in the same room that we signed the papers to buy it. The real estate market has been weird this summer, but we are so glad we could sell it - and met the new owner briefly. Its a great area, just no longer best for us. At one point we considered renting it out, so glad we didn't have to pursue that....

Summer birthday

I just realized this has been sitting in my drafts since early July...oops..I want to get it posted as soon we'll have some vacation entries (I hope)...

We had our first true party at the new house, and it was a success!

Our goal was to be ready to have people over by Kevin's June birthday, 2 months after we moved in, and we did it.

Decorating is still a work in progress, I could say it is because we've focused on the additional furnishings we needed and that is true but also because decorating just takes me a long time.

In time for the party we added:

real patio furniture -- we shopped all over and Kevin finally found this one online, magic words *no assembly required* (pillows and end tables were HomeGoods finds)

a guest bed! Frame is new, the mattress is actually our old one, but its still a nice one -- and though I was skeptical at first a king really fits in the space and lets us use our previous comforter, which I still love. We gave ourselves a deadline for this one since my brother came in from out of town for the party, and we wanted to have a guest bed to be able to host in the future.

The part was great fun -- it poured rain all morning so we were a little worried, and some folks weren't able to make it due to the weather, but we had a good time visiting with all who made it and the kids (5 total) played well together in the pool.

We chose a Mexican fiesta theme -- catered fajitas was the best way to go. I was able to just pick it up that afternoon and we didn't have to worry about cooking. We kept it in the oven and got it out when it was time to eat. It even came with all the fixing - the chips and queso were used just as much for nachos which I'd have never thought of but our guests enjoyed. We thought we over ordered food but not one piece of meat was left; we also had margaritas (with marg glasses!), beer, sodas, and waters; and the grocery store cake was a hit too...I'm still not sure where the birthday candles I bought ended up. I think birthday boy was relieved to not have to blow out candles.

Kevin spent his actual birthday (Sunday) resting from too much sun, drinks and not enough sleep so we've had to postpone his birthday dinner, but we'll do it another day -- as he recently said he'll get to have his birthday in July.

We are really excited to be able to have people over again.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

settling in

We've been in our new house just over a month, and the boxes are mostly unpacked (and more importantly we know where things are). There is still a lot to do, but it already feels like home. The backyard is the most private and quiet we've ever had, and looking around it I still can't quite believe its ours...

I'm glad it is relaxing, since we're still stressing about selling the townhouse, we know it will happen its just been a weird market in Houston this spring.

We had our first pool party yesterday -- Kevin's brother, wife, 3 nephews and niece, and their dog all came over for the afternoon. The kids' reactions to the house were hilarious - "is this real?", "are you rich?", "can you leave it to me when you die?" (where do their ideas come from?) . They had all been at a swim meet that morning, but still swam most of the time they were here, we also took the opportunity to find a nearby meat market and try out their fajitas -- delicious, since Kevin had pounded them out. We should've bought more! We had hot dogs for the kids, but the two older boys wanted the fajitas --- have to remember as they get older that they want the adult food more and more. They also ate the entire dozen mini ice creams we'd bought....swimming makes them hungry! better them eating them than me :) We hope this is the first of many get togethers in our backyard and can't think of a better group to have been first!

Some random house observations from the first month:

the first night, we realized there is no door between our bedroom and bathroom ..down the road we'll have one added, but was funny to realize we'd never noticed that missing door. The main adjustment we've made is that I use my hairdryer in a guest bath in the morning
there are so many light switches! we still don't know what some of them do, but are slowly figuring most of them out
We have a back door doorbell, and its a different tone than the front door (front is ding dong; back is just ding), It'll take me a long while to remember that we have two, when I think doorbell I think front door
our driveway is tough to back down with its curve, but so much easier than backing onto a busy street!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

moved

We moved! and this time i mean it, its the last move for the foreseeable future.

Moving day was chaotic and nearly gave me a panic attack (since floor cleaner guy got started way late and was barely getting going as our moving truck arrived), but everything got moved, and weather was agreeable (but hot for April).

I have still not learned to give myself enough time to pack**, so a fair amount of stuff (including the whole pantry) wasn't packed in time for the movers -- but our priority (heavy furniture) did all go. I spent a good part of last week wrapping up stuff at the old house (and storage unit), I can happily say that all of our stuff is now at the house, and we are unpacking, funny to realize how much of our stuff can stay in boxes for days (weeks?) and we won't miss it -- kitchen, bedroom, bathroom were definitely the priorities.

getting to spread out again and needing to get some additional furniture means pictures will have to wait, but we are loving the backyard! we even got into the pool, pushed a week due to a cool front the weekend we moved in....

**this time it was also hard to pack as we had to balance packing and keeping the house presentable for showings

Friday, April 7, 2017

TGIF

I think I say this each time I try to sell a house -- but as soon as we move I'm not making the bed again for . We've been trying to keep the house show ready, with motivation waning since we haven't had a showing all week....but, we have an open house scheduled this weekend (which means more cleaning) and 2 showings already booked for the weekend too. I wish one wasn't at 9 am, but hey...you can come at almost any time to see the house and fall in love and buy it.

I don't think it feels real to us that we are moving, partly since we're holding off on starting major packing (it'll start right after open house), and so we've just been doing the no-fun part of moving - trying to get utilities set up, movers, papers galore for the lender (rocket mortgage makes me laugh because no way can it be that easy!)

We'll be busy this weekend with showings and hopefully make it to the art car parade for some fun, and time outside - gotta soak in this spring weather for the brief time we have it....

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

lock box

Wonder what we're up to? This photo pretty much sums it up. Its a keybox so that our house can be seen by potential buyers.

We got our house listed last week and have already had 4 showings --- keeping the house show ready is not easy, and I have NO idea how folks with kids do it! Making the bed, cleaning the kitchen, keeping all of our stuff put away and getting myself and the dog out in time for last minute showings has kept me running.

I know its worth it because the more showings we have the sooner we will have an offer (I hope).

I know folks will ask why we are moving again so soon (been in our current place 2 1/2 years). We'd originally thought we'd stay longer, but long term we need more space, less stairs, and a yard (and pool!). We debated waiting another year, but knowing we will need to move it just seems like the right time to do it, and honestly this is already our compromise -- I wanted to be here through Super Bowl (to enjoy our proximity to all the festivities), and once that came and went we got serious about listing.

Moving is never easy, and this one IS the last one for a long time.....

a funny observation...I realized that most people buy a house to give their kids a yard....we will buy a house to give my husband (and dog) a true yard (again).....

**a week later, i had to title this 'lock box' and oh yes, believe me i keep saying put it in a lock box...

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Home Alone

Kevin is at his first ever out of town (actually out of state) conference. I considered going with him (I really want to be a tag along on a conference), but several factors - including it being a week earlier than we first thought - made us decide it would make more sense for me not to go. Which means, that for the first time since his grad school days I'm home for a few days without him.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm excited -- total TV control! plus I can starfish across our bed if I want to. Sure I will miss him, but making the best of it - no sports and I can watch the shows that pile up on the DVR since he's not a fan...

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Space Center Houston

I just got back from my annual professional conference. This year it was held locally - Clear Lake - and while I'm a bit bummed I didn't get to go to another part of the state, it worked out pretty well as I was able to minimize my nights away (good since our dog needs pills every morning and night now) and still get to participate in the professional development and networking opportunities.

One evening I also got to spend time at Space Center Houston, I haven't been there in at least a decade and before that my last visit was probably a grade school field trip. While there, I kept thinking why don't I come here, its so close! I'm already looking at planning a trip back with Kevin.

One of our general session speakers was sick and they were able to get an ASTRONAUT to come to speak to us in her place. I have to admit I was more excited about the replacement speaker (though I do wish our original speaker a speedy recovery). He (Col Ken Cameron) was fascinating (and funny!) to listen to, and it was interesting to hear about NASA as a company, they have communication and bureaucracy problems, like any employer. I loved his pictures and stories about time in space -- they took Blue Bell ice cream with them when they docked with the Mir space station....Blue Bell has been eaten in space!!!

I highly recommend you visit Space Center Houston if you are ever in Houston, and I also brought back many ideas to try out at work.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Super Bowl Festivities

We've been enjoying the Super Bowl festivities in downtown, leading up to the big game on Sunday.

I asked Kevin just last night if he found it weird he's been into downtown 3 times this week - I go every day (for work), but he doesn't generally get down there this much! It is weird but in a good way -- one trip to take it all in (so much hustle and bustle doesn't even feel like the same city), another trip to meet me after my volunteer shift (we intended to go to NFL Experience but ran out of time after grabbing dinner at Biggio's and deciding it better to go on a night we didn't have work the next day). We had fun people watching and happened to see the red carpet to a gala, lots of NFL hall of famers; and then last night we finally made it inside.

I was glad to finally get to see NFL Experience as a spectator. We wandered the whole area -- lots of football events, green screens, even a Skittles locker room! We stopped into a section to see the referee calls and were able to watch a panel discussion of a former QB and former referee talk about their experiences and answer questions, even my lifelong football fan of a husband learned a few new things.

We also wandered through Discovery Green (park) and the city blocks connected that are blocked off for free events --- the area is unrecognizable! Some of the best things we saw are not even part of the event, just kids being kids -- an impromptu dance-off, and they were good!

We saw a lot of food options - food trucks galore, but opted to head out of the festivities to eat at a restaurant, sitting and having the food brought to me was a winner!

I have one more shift today, should be busy being the weekend of the big game. My volunteering is going well -- it has made me feel more of a part of the festivities; my assignments have all been at "NFL Experience" inside the convention center. Seeing the kids so excited to do anything football (I helped retrieve and set up balls for punt, pass kick one shift) is the best! Some kids are so tiny, and some adults become like kids again.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Resolutions

oops. I just realized this never posted -- two weeks late but here are my new year's resolutions

Looking at my past resolutions, I probably need to quit making resolutions...oh well....I like to make these declarations with the turn of the year, and want to work at keeping them, here they are:

work related: begin reading chronicle of higher ed
stop cursing -- its gotten a bit out of control in recent years...
move this year - this is a big one, I hate that we are going to move again so soon, but while the townhouse is fun (and we LOVE the area), its not going to work for us long term -- lack of yard, little storage, and so many stairs (main level has no bathroom, so any time we need to go to restroom its up or down a flight of stairs)--sadly I have this situation at work right now TOO!
take a cooking class
read 17 books this year
Participate in online weight loss program I signed up for through my health insurance
Stop wasting time on computer.....figure out plans and do those things - I can spend so much time on the computer and not have any idea what I did, so I want to plan what I want to do -- even if that is skim facebook, pinterest...
Finish a crochet project - I've got a good start on this one!

I've actually finished a crochet project (beanie for K), and we've started on moving plans (well, at this point selling plans) -- got a storage unit to help with getting place ready for showings. I've also been to two online meetings with my

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Viva Las Vegas

Happy New Year!

Its hard to believe the holidays have already come and gone and I've been back at work nearly a week (how can it only be Thursday?!?)

We had a great Christmas with family, and took advantage of the time off to take a trip to Las Vegas! I've been resistant to taking trips during the holidays, but finally realized/accepted we need to align our trips with the school year since Kevin teaches, and we'll take full advantage of the time we get off at the holidays. We are lucky that we both work for colleges so we get similar days off.

I'd been to Vegas as a kid, and Kevin had never been so it was really the first trip there for both of us, and we had such a great time. There is so much to see and do I don't know how anyone could be bored in this town.

It was an easy, non-stop flight and we stayed just off the strip -- at Signature at MGM, we'd wanted a non-smoking hotel, and while it was a walk to the strip it was nice and quiet at the hotel, and a gorgeous hotel - room even had a fridge, microwave and even a small stove (we only used the fridge and coffee maker, but good to know).

We booked our shows/excursions before the trip so we could work out the best schedule for ourselves, and I think we did pretty well, a mix of things to do and time to explore. Our planned itinerary was as follows:

Tuesday - arrive, explore

Wednesday - explore during day (and pick up show tickets), Cirque du Soleil show at night (also makes sure we get to bed early since we have an early morning)

Thursday - Jeep tour (early morning, so booked it midway through to adjust to time zone); nap, dinner with Kevin's coworker who was also in town

Friday - explore during day (and pick up show tickets), comedy show at night

Saturday - head home

We've learned to be flexible on trips and while we stuck to the itinerary pretty well, we adjusted as needed, We didn't make it to the comedy show, we were just too tired when we got back to the room and decided to stay in and have room service. We did let Kevin's coworker convince us to go check out Fremont Street Experience and are so glad we did - we had dinner at a spot right along it and though we were wiped from the Jeep tour and a busy day (missed our planned nap) we walked around to see it, a pedestrian only street and an overhead canopy with a music and light show on the hour.

Other highlights from the trip:

Cirque du Soleil show - we chose the Love show, can't go wrong with Beatles music, and it was amazing to see the interpretations to the songs, and in addition to the songs they had audio from recording sessions that we'd never heard before.

Jeep tour - Kevin wanted to get to do some off-roading, and so we booked this excursion, and midway through our trip it also worked out to be refreshing to get some time away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. We were a smaller group than I thought - only the two of us and one other family and our tour guide, in 3 separate vehicles, and we went to a nearby natural area, Red Rock Canyon. We had a beautiful day for it, and we were able to sight see a bit, and Kevin was able to get more experience with rock crawling. We did not expect to be driving in snow! that definitely made it more challenging.

electronic craps - We've known from our few trips to the casino that we like the game craps, and this time discovered the electronic version. We liked it for several reasons: minimum bet is lower, you can sit (standing at the table gets tiring), predictable pace of the game, and it also has spaces where you can get descriptions of what the various parts of the table mean, great since we are still learning!

roller coaster - as soon as I saw some of the casinos had roller coasters, I knew I wanted to ride one. I really mix Six Flags Astroworld and haven't been on a coaster in years. I got some ideas of which ones to do, and chose based on which sounded good and which we were closest to, Manhattan Express at New York New York won. It was just what i wanted, had a loop and a barrel roll, and amazing views since its on top of the building (when I could keep my eyes open). $14 for like a 2 minute ride, but worth it!

We also did a fair amount of just walking around and exploring, and i couldn't get over all the shopping! We also gawked at a spiral escalator in the Forum shops, I'm still not sure how its possible! and the food, we ate well on the trip...

Tips:

use uber, we also saw a lot of coupons for lyft, but have never used it so stuck with uber. We did take a taxi once (from airport to hotel) and the same trip back with uber was one third the price!

If you want photos with the Beatles Love signs, take them when you go early to pick up tickets - we had the place (including the store) to ourselves