Destination: Las Vegas, Nevada

My first glimpses of "Sin City" were back in 2012, when the Cougar Marching Band was traveling to San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl. My friends and I stared out the window at all of the curious buildings and I expressed to my friend Christina that I didn't really have the desire to go back.         Well...that's obviously not how things panned out. I've been back to Vegas twice since that bus ride. Ironically enough, both times I've been to Vegas, I've stayed in the Circus Circus hotel, which is obviously, circus themed. Much to my gratitude, there is a lack of clowns in the interior decorating...or no one would probably stay there. 

I returned to Vegas in the summer of 2013, just two weeks shy of beginning my full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While I was in Vegas with my parents, we had the incredible opportunity to fly in a bush plane over the Hoover Dam, Lake Tahoe, and the Grand Canyon. What a GORGEOUS trip! I had to keep my eyes fixated out of the window the whole time b/c flying gives me pretty bad motion sickness, but that wasn't difficult since there were so many beautiful things to look at! 

Standing as a beacon of hope is the Las Vegas LDS temple. 

I again returned to Vegas in August 2015 with my dear friend Dallis on our way to Huntington Beach, California. This time, I had a whole different experience. Two young girls who desired not to drink or gamble or spend our time in riotous living, we were determined to see all the best of what Vegas had to offer for us. And we did: through high-end window shopping. We spent most of our night in Vegas walking around the shops of Caesar's Palace, and trying on rings, shoes, and looking at clothes that we only dreamed of buying. I should add the caveat that yes, we each put a dollar in a slot machine...we didn't win anything. 

While Vegas isn't really my thing, I've LOVED the people that I've been able to go there with and the experiences that I've had there. Highlights were definitely flying over the Grand Canyon, putting a dollar in a slot machine, and trying on a ring at Tiffany's. As they say, Viva Las Vegas.