What did you do for Spring Break?
We went to Vegas.
To gamble?
Uh no. To stay in a hotel with a large aquarium.
The boys loved being at one with the fish
(or moose, in Joseph's case),
and spent a lot of time following the fish around.
What we didn't love?
Work having Erik interrupt his "vacation"
to do, well, work,
and also having to pass through
a smoky casino to get a bite to eat,
or get out to our car.
Eh - I guess that's Vegas for ya.
Did you know that the oldest standing building
in Las Vegas is part of the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort?
It's hard to believe that the Las Vegas of today
(gambling, liquor, promiscuity, glitz, etc.)
actually started out as some Mormon settlers
finding an oasis in the desert
and building a fort there.
We stopped to see the "real Las Vegas" -
the old fort anyway,
and somehow didn't take a picture of it,
just a picture of Rebekah with her initial in lights
in the visitor center.
And then we were off to Death Valley National Park.
It was beautiful,
in a barren kind of way.
It was a lot of driving,
and the kids, being plugged into their technology
or sleeping,
missed most of the amazing changes in the landscape.
At the end of the drive,
we came to Scotty's Castle,
located, sure enough, right there in Death Valley.
Exploring an old castle perked the kids up a bit.
Christine liked it so much,
that she says she's going to go back there someday.
The kids, of course, earned their Junior Ranger badges.
Jalen Andrew was especially pleased
since he doesn't have as many as the other kids.
It was a fun trip.
We always enjoy seeing new sights
for this amazing land that we live in.
I wish we could have spent some more time,
and seen a little more,
but all in all we had a pleasant time.
