What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas....

Unless it gets put on the blog!
Josh planned a Vegas trip for us back in August, and I was SO excited to have a few days for just the two of us to get away and spend time together. He even arranged for Pops and Memaw to keep the girls! And I'll go ahead and tell you that the way to my heart is to plan something AND arrange child care! I absolutely hate HATE asking someone to keep my kids. I always feel like I am inconveniencing someone, and it seriously makes me sick to my stomach to have to do it. (yes- I know. I am weird. I admit it). But since he did all of this... he got a Gold Star from me! AND to seal the deal....I got Reba and Brooks and Dunn tickets for my birthday to use in Vegas!
So after lots of anticipation, the day finally arrived! I dropped the girls off at Brandi's early, and headed to go pick up Josh at the firehall since he worked the night before.
I wanted to take a picture of Josh and I to send to everyone telling them that we were "Vegas Bound Baby"! But as usual...this is the face I got from him.

He's such a TURKEY BUTT! And then I end up with these crazy eyebrows that are touching the sky and clinched teeth because I am telling him "SMILE DANG IT!" So I told him we could sit here like this the whole flight while I took selfie after selfie...or he could just simply smile and make his wife happy!

And this is the outcome...two of us cracking up. Always. And thus the hashtag was born- #joshlovesselfies
Upon boarding our plane, we discovered that we had some kind of crazy VIP seating. We had lots of leg room, free TV, free snacks, and free DRINKS! SCORE!

The only drawback was that it was like 10am, and we had a long day of Vegas fun ahead of us. So I mixed this one little bottle with some OJ and called it good. The guy beside me, however, got his plane ticket money back in Bloody Marys! No joke- he had like 8 of those handy dandy little bottles. I was eager to see the plane land so that I could see him try to get up and walk off without falling. But in the end- he let me down. There was no comedy show, as he was apparently a professional at partying with Tito. He grabbed his bag and walked off like no big deal. Darn! I was hoping to come home with a great story to share.
We finally landed in Vegas and grabbed an Uber to our hotel. John and Debbie Summers were there waiting on us. They had jumped on the chance to go to the Reba and Brooks & Dunn concert. And we were excited to have some friends to hang with while in Vegas!
After unpacking, we met the Summers' at a pizza place for lunch. And on our walk back down Freemont, we spotted the Hart Attack Grill restaurant. It was hysterical! Their food is apparently so greasy and bad for you that they go ahead and make you wear a hospital gown while you eat! John insisted on a picture.

 And I attempted another picture because #joshlovesselfies

We spent that day walking around, people watching, and going to the strip to check things out.
John is a better picture sport than Josh Pool...

We found ourselves back downtown before too long hanging out and doing a little gambling. I sent this snapchat to a friend, and luckily she saved it and sent it back to me to show the photo bomber in the back ground! Greatness!

And I found this slot machine at one of the casinos and thought it was surely meant to be!

Nope. It took my money without ever looking back.
On Saturday, we slept in and eventually got dressed and headed to McDonalds to get some breakfast.
I got this picture while we were eating...

They won their Volleyball game, and this girl right here got the game ball for being MVP! Woo hoo!
John and Debbie went to do their thing for the day, and Josh and I ended up at the outlet mall! haha! See- I did marry a good man! But to keep it real and not give you too much of a false impression.... he went along with the intention of finding a place to sit, have a drink, and enjoy a cigar while people watching. Unfortunately no place like that was to be found. So he was stuck shopping with me. And boy am I glad he was!

Oh yes!! I am pretty sure I am the only person who goes to Vegas and spends her afternoon at the mall and ends up with a new Dooney! But we enjoyed the time together and enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. And before we knew it, it was time to go back to the room and get dressed for the evening!

Just seeing this sign as we walked in made me all excited!!
We enjoyed a nice steak dinner before the concert. But next time, I think we will reserve the steak dinners for Del Friscos.... This place was super pricey. It was good, but I hated to eat a ton and then go to the concert. However...the food WAS good.
Before the concert- I actually got Josh to take a picture with me! It was a miracle!

And finally- the event that I had been waiting for since November was here! REBA!!!!! I was excited to see Brooks and Dunn too, but not nearly as excited as I was to see Reba. I wasn't really sure what to expect of a concert with two different performers. In my mind, I figured one would come out and do half the show, and one would do the second half. End of story. Boy was I wrong!!!
They came out together and performed each others songs for the first part of the show.

And then they bounced back and forth each performing about 3 songs at a time and switching. Then they did a big section together, then more of each one. I was in HEAVEN. And Brooks and Dunn far exceeded any expectations I had. They were amazing! And it goes without saying that Reba was wonderful.

And the best part was that the show was over 2 hours long! I expected 30 minutes out of each performer and that's it. I'm so glad I was wrong. I am pretty sure it was the best concert I've ever been to. And I have been to several.
While we were waiting on our Uber back to downtown, I tried to get a picture of us in front of the fountain. I will admit- I take too many selfies of us. (sshhhh- don't tell Josh I admitted that!) But I am always on the hunt for the perfect picture. I am my own worst critic. I always look at a picture and think "my eyes are too big" or "my face is too round" or "I have 2 chins", and the list goes on. But aside from that....I kind of like torturing Josh with selfies since I know how much he loves HATES them! And I also get a kick out of the faces he tries to make while attempting to NOT smile.

You can almost see him tightening his face muscles to keep from smiling!

And I always end up with one of him cracking up and my mouth open while yelling "SMILE DANG IT!
Also- check out the fountain coming straight from his hat! haha!

Finally a decent picture.
Although I liked the first one of myself better. haha!

The next day we took it easy during the day. Walked around, checked out things downtown, got a massage, and I took myself a 3 hour nap! Heck yeah!
That night we had tickets to a show- Absinthe. It was a comedy/performance/stunt type show. The acts were really good, and the venue was small and intimate, which was neat since everything in Vegas is on such a big scale. But they say it's for "adults with a sense of humor" for a reason! It's definitely not for those who get easily offended!
This may have been my favorite attempt at a selfie of the whole trip!

I can't even remember what we got so tickled about! This was before the show even got started! He makes me want to pull my hair out some days (and I'm sure the feeling is mutual), but he makes life so much more fun. I'm glad I get to be on this journey with him by my side. Loving me, making me laugh, and driving me crazy. He's the whole package, and most days I wouldn't trade him for the world.
This was the only group picture we managed to take the whole trip!

And this was the first time I realized that everyone was dressed alike- except me! I didn't get the memo! I also am ashamed that none of us noticed until we took this picture! ha!
The next morning we got up, packed up, and hit the road to the airport! Josh felt a little under the weather, but we blamed it on being in smoke filled casinos for 3 days.
We did manage to swing by and get a hug from Billy Hughes on our way to the airport! Since he lives close to Vegas, and was in town to bring his daughter to a doctor appointment, it was perfect timing! Since Billy is one of Josh's most absolute favoritest people on earth, I know Josh really enjoyed getting to see him.
We finally boarded our plane, and Josh was going down hill...fast. I was still blaming it on lack of sleep, eating bad-for-you food, and smoky casinos.
We finally made it home to get our girls after 7. We were both SO glad to see them! Mommy and Daddy needed a break, but boy we sure do miss them when we are away.
Then the next morning....this became the story at our house...

Yep. Josh came home from Vegas with the flu. And since he believes in sharing....I ended up with my own prescription for Tamiflu the next day. UGH! Brenna was feeling rough on Wednesday night as well, so she earned herself a trip to urgent care with meds for a double ear infection a box of Tamiflu as well, but only as a preventative. She never missed any school. But I ended up missing Thursday and Friday. And Josh missed a couple days as well. Geez. Not the best end to our get away. But thankfully we were both well in Vegas and enjoyed our time together!