Easter Sunday--Vegas Day 1

We left for Las Vegas Easter Sunday afternoon.  Which meant a lot of activity packed into one day.  

First, was the visit from the Easter bunny and baskets to find.

Next was 9 AM Mass

We brought a friend to Mass.  This is our neighbor Jade.  She has the longest hair I've ever seen.

Then came the Easter egg hunt....Actually, we postponed the Easter egg hunt but Ella and Sophie had their own...over and over.....and over.  Here, Sophie is hiding her eyes while Ella hides the eggs...again.

We left for the airport at about two.  Jack and Barbara came over to collect the girls and their stuff.  We left right from the house after lots of hugs.  It felt strange leaving on a holiday and I don't know that I would do it again.  The up-side was the cheaper fare, no crowds and a bump up to first class for both of us.  It was my first time ever in first class* and I can see why people (Lawrence :)  get spoiled by it.  I liked the comfy chair, the hot towel and the beverage service every ten minutes.  (I did not take a picture of us sitting in first class so as to appear calm and cool, as if I sit there all the time.)

Of course, the best part of arriving for our vacation Easter Sunday was the time with Chris.  I think we took a collective deep breath and relaxed for the first time in awhile.  We picked up the rental car, checked into the hotel and chose a place for dinner.  It was a German restaurant/ beer hall that I found online.  Hofbrauhaus is off the strip so we never would have run into it but it was the perfect place to celebrate after a Lent of no cerveza for Chris.

Here we are in their "outdoor" beer garden.  We ran across quite a few spaces in Vegas made to simulate the outdoors.  I found it fascinating as well as strange.  I mean, why not just go outside?  The restaurant was packed in the beer hall but very noisy.  The food was good.  The funniest thing?  In this very German-culture heavy restaurant, our waiter admitted to not knowing where Germany is.  (I seriously hope he was joking.)

Here I am about to try some of Chris' very yucky-looking, pinkish/ reddish cabbage.  It was actually very good.  No need for the face :)

I think this may be the only photo I took of the hotel.  Too bad because it was very pretty.  We stayed in the towers connected to the MGM Grand.  We were not right on the strip but close enough to walk.  We enjoyed the quiet.  After dinner Sunday night, we drove to meet Chris' Aunt Virginia and Uncle Phil at their hotel, the Wynn.  We were very late.  We had no idea how long it would take to drive down the strip.  They were nice enough to have a drink with us anyway.

Inside the Wynn

We did not go into all of the big hotels but these were my favorite decorations of the ones I saw.  I loved the balls of live flowers and white twinkle lights.  I wish I'd taken a picture of Chris' aunt and uncle there.  This one was taken a few days later when we went back with Dave and Jes and
the camera.

*Easter Sunday was the day of several firsts:  first time in Vegas, first time sitting in first class and first time reading a book on a Kindle.  It wasn't as awful as I'd expected.  I might even do it again.