Hello everyone! Welcome back to the blog. Thank you so much for checking out my second Las Vegas series and following along. It’s been almost nine months since I went on this trip…yikes. I’ve got to prioritize this blog more. Just think of everything I could do with more time! And now I have time and this is my first time working on this post in weeks. Well, let’s get to it. This will pick up right after part one, so I’m recapping checking into our hotel the first night, where we went after that, and most of the second day.

Day 1 Continued: Checking In at the Mirage, Exploring the Strip & More

Going to the Mirage

Aimee gave us a ride back to our hotel, the Mirage, before leaving to pick up her kids from school. I got excited seeing more familiar landmarks, like The Forum Shops!

I was so excited to finally see our hotel! The Mirage was one of those hotels I’d looked at and saved, hoping to check it out on another trip. I’m blessed I got to take one so soon and that we got to stay in this hotel before it doesn’t exist as we know it. I mentioned earlier the Hard Rock is going to redo it, so that’s a bummer because it had an awesome tropical theme to it. Hopefully, the Hard Rock will do something even more spectacular with it. They used to have dolphin shows here, but I’m glad they don’t anymore because I read some things I wish I hadn’t about that.

I loved all the waterfalls around and in this hotel. You know me by now with my love for water if you’ve been reading these posts. I couldn’t wait to see inside. Although, a little look at “reality” between the Paris hotel and here: my mom called me because there was a school shooting in Perry, Iowa, that day, which is kind of around the Des Moines area, and that’s around where I’m from. That struck a nerve with me, as hearing any sort of horrible news like that does, but it was compounded by the fact that now this was happening in my state, in my area. I prayed a ton for the families affected and that whole community while we were continuing on with our day. I prayed for God to put an end to this demonic crap and help heal even our society as a whole so this quits being a recurring nightmare. I had to call my mom again as Kir was getting us checked in at the lobby because I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and feeling brokenhearted by it. She helped encourage and comfort me, thankfully, but I think it’s important to be aware of the reality and heartache around us even as we enjoy good things. I never want to be numb or detached from other people’s suffering.

At the Mirage Hotel

Well, when Aimee dropped us off, I was not disappointed! Oh, but I did have a somewhat rude encounter with a hotel employee assisting people arriving from limos or taxis and crap outside. Kir wanted me to grab one of those fancy cart things for our bags to make it easier carrying them up, and they had several of them just outside the doors. I went to grab one, assuming as a customer, that was permitted, but no, it wasn’t. I think the guy said, “You can’t move the carts, ma’am.” I was like okay, but you’re moving the carts for other people checking in—not us, evidently! We were irritated about that. We weren’t offered any service and we were checking into the hotel… It’s like what, are we not rich enough? Did we not pay an arm and a leg to have access to them since any extra breath of air you tend to take, anymore, also costs more money? It makes you wonder. And there might be a genuinely good reason for it—I don’t know, but I feel like when you’re checking into a hotel, they could be a little more welcoming or tell us where we could help ourselves.

They had aquariums inside by the desks!! Kir knows how much I love aquariums because her store where she works has a huge aquarium when you walk in that I loved.

Check-in went smooth, I think. I was on the phone for most of it, but I do remember Kir said she was able to upgrade the room to two queen beds because when she booked it, I remember we were all going to have to share either a king or queen bed (Kir said she’d be the jelly!). This hotel was a lot less intuitive than the Flamingo, I felt like. If you follow the signs, you’ll do okay, but when you walk in, there’s the casino and lobby to the right, but the elevators are all the way through the casino at the end (some might call that strategic, as I’m sure it was), and there were different sets of elevators depending on floor number. I don’t remember which floor we were on, but I want to say we were near the middle, like 20-something.

When we got in the elevator, I think we had a little scare with it not moving but the doors shutting and getting stuck, and Kir started freaking out because that’s one of her biggest fears. I’m such a good cousin, I just laughed. She made us get a different one instead.

I was impressed with the decor and look of the hallways. Definitely more of a tropical, coastal look. These rooms with the double doors were suites.

Okay, I was right, we were on the 20th floor, it looks like. We were on the side facing more towards the heart of the Strip, with the Bellagio and such our view from the window. Well, the Bellagio couldn’t be seen from the window, but it was that side of the Strip. We could see the back of Caesar’s Palace, including the Colosseum. I’m thankful we had that view instead of the other way since there are less hotels on that side. We were also towards the back of the hotel, so we had a great view of the mountains, too. You’ll see in the pictures to come.

The elevator lobbies were very glamorous. Look at that marble! I felt like this was a nicer hotel than the Flamingo but not by much. The Flamingo, as Mom would say, is just older. When I wasn’t viewing that hotel from my mental breakdown, it was nice, too. If you’re lost, you can read that story here.

Even though the room numbers are on the signs, poor Kir always led us down the wrong direction!

I loved our room! It had a classy, modern look to it, and I was very happy to get my own bed, since I figured Kir and Corrine would want to sleep together! Kir will not appreciate me sharing this photo of her, but I have ones of me, too. I made her a reel at the end of the trip with all the “candids” of her that I know she appreciated!

The bathroom was also nice. I love tan, neutral, glam designs like this. I really didn’t have any complaints about this room. I was so excited to be here.

I started making myself at home before we decided what to explore next. Aimee said she would try to stop by later depending how her night went.

Yep, I go a little crazy in hotels. Breaking in my bed!

We had a table/desk area near the window.

I either just brushed my hair for the first time that day or wanted to brush it again, but either way it didn’t matter because I still wore a hat to cover it up. I desperately needed a shower, I remember, because despite being so tired, I didn’t go to bed till after I took one.

I loved these room keys we got! I think we all got one and I kept mine. I’m especially glad I got one now since the hotel won’t look like this anymore!

After setting my stuff down and enjoying the initial thrill of the room, I had to check out the room! This was the view looking straight out, so as you can somewhat see, we were towards the back of the hotel facing away from the Strip but slightly towards the west where the heart of the Strip is. That big building on the left is part of Caesar’s Palace. The other one way out in the distance is the Rio hotel. This view was gorgeous! I did love more of the view of the Strip we had in the Flamingo, but this view of the mountains and horizon was stunning, too.

We didn’t stay in the hotel too long before deciding to wander out and begin exploring, including our own hotel. I think we found out shortly before leaving for the trip that the pool actually wasn’t open—on the phone when initially booking it, Kir was told they always keep at least one pool open during the off-season. I may have mentioned this in my previous Las Vegas posts, but I didn’t know the pools aren’t open all year long because they actually get cold weather. Our weekend was supposed to be in the mid-50s. I don’t think that would’ve been pleasant to swim in at all, but if they heated the pool, that’s another story. Unfortunately, they made a change just this year that they weren’t keeping it open like normal. Aimee mentioned us swimming in her pool at her house, but we didn’t have time for that. Kir was so disappointed, though, because that’s what she’d looked forward to the most! I talked about going to our spa instead—all the hotels seem to have great spas, but they’re so expensive just to visit.

I forget who gave me their black sweatshirt to wear the rest of the night, but I am grateful because I couldn’t stand my brown sherpa jacket in the middle of the Strip; it looks more fitting for a barn, and that clashed with my *fake* Chanel hat! I bet Kir was thrilled to try the elevators again here.

When we came down, we explored the shops in our hotel briefly, and I think I asked someone at the spa about their hours. We never did have time for that, either, unfortunately. We took a quick peek inside one of their gift stores, and I fell in love with this black sparkly sweatshirt that said “MIRAGE” in the back. I was going to go back and get it later, but I forgot about it! Don’t worry, though, this story has a happy ending in Nashville.

We walked by this gelato place that we knew we’d have to try. We did remember to do that later!

This was one of the main hallways by the elevator lobby where a lot of the hotel shops and spa were. It did have a little more of an upscale feel than the Flamingo.

Here’s the casino we had to walk through to exit.

It still fascinates me how many ways there are to gamble, from the slots to the games like poker and such. Some people must have lots of money to spend and/or waste, I imagine! If you came to Vegas to gamble, that could get so expensive. I don’t know how people do it.

Here’s the entrance! This was one of my favorite parts of the hotel. Gleaming tan hardwood floors including a bridge over this little river encompassed by vegetation all the way around and a WATERFALL! I took lots of pictures here.

See, don’t you think this black jacket makes my outfit look much better? more urban rather than Chanel on top, barn jacket in the middle, and sparkly shoes on the bottom?! I wanted to take off my jacket because I wore one of my favorite white linen tops, but of course, I was just too cold. Thank you to whoever’s this was!!

Oh yes, then over this little tropical entrance, there was a big atrium-like dome revealing the rest of the hotel where all the rooms are. It looked so cool at night!

It was such a spectacular view!

Look at this waterfall!

I LOVE how the “Mirage” is posted above the water!

Yep, love it.

I love this picture!! I’m so glad Kir isn’t afraid to go up to random strangers and ask for our picture.

The Mirage is also Beatles-themed. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Beatles, but it was still cool to take our picture here.

Seeing the Strip at dusk is one of my favorites! The lights of it all look so pretty enhanced by the evening shadows. We decided to begin exploring The Forum Shops since we passed that on our way to the hotel, and I told Kir it’s the most epic mall you might ever see. So much for the Mall of America they’ve always been to! Plus, I was excited to see all the designer stores again! A girl can dream…

Walking the Strip at Dusk

We headed out on foot to begin exploring. The Mirage is definitely out farther than it looks; we did more walking than we anticipated! It was fun, though. I absolutely loved the palm trees in front of the golden buildings overshadowed by a periwinkle sky. It was so pretty.

We followed the sidewalk along the entrance here and began walking to our right towards the middle of the Strip. I love the High Roller lit up! That’s what Mom and I went on, and to this day, it remains one of my favorite experiences.

I think the Venetian is such a cool-looking hotel. That one would be fun to stay in, too. Well, who am I kidding? I’d stay in any of them. Vegas is a fun city. Yes, it can be overstimulating at first, and the stereotype of what you do there definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s big and grand enough that there truly is something for everyone regardless of your interests.

I had to stop for pictures of this palm tree!!! Palm trees and string lights are two of my favorite things!! I’d love a backyard filled with both. That might be problematic if I live in Iowa, but I know people in Okoboji who have brought them in over there. This reminds me of the palm tree shot I first took in my Florida post!

Kir took my pic for me.

It didn’t take long for us to put Corrine back to work taking our pictures! There are photo ops everywhere in Vegas.

This view is to die for. All this and we still hadn’t even left the hotel entrance! Those little shops/restaurants/casinos in front of the big Venetian is where Mom and I ate Subway one evening at the back of a random casino trying to escape from a potential lunatic. I will say that despite walking with two adults instead of one this time, I remember feeling a bit on edge as we walked. I just feel like you see way too many single guys just lingering around, and I hate to assume the worst about people, but they say Vegas is one of the top cities for human trafficking. It’s sick. Any location where there’s a ton of tourism brings that in. I just didn’t want to have a repeat of being followed like that, especially since darkness fell quickly. I am thankful to say nothing like that happened this time, though.

Mom and I never saw this side of the Strip from the other side of the road, so this was awesome! You can see the remaining hotels on the Strip, including the Stratosphere!

We decided to head down to the pedestrian bridge over the road between our hotel and Treasure Island, the next hotel down on our left. We got to see the front of the Mirage, including their huge “pond” if we want to call it that (the pool was in the back…drained…we had the perfect view of it from our room) with dolphin statues inside it.

I remarked many times that I wished this was the pool! If you google pictures of the pool, it doesn’t look much different from this. I am so sad we didn’t get to see it for ourselves.

I love the pictures Kir took for me!

Corrine got wonderful pictures of us, too! We’ve trained our moms well. It’s funny how Kir and I look like we have the exact same hair color in this photo.

This is a beautiful view, but wait till you see the view from the pedestrian bridge looking the other way! The Strip definitely is iconic.

The golden lights look incredible at dusk.

Here’s a brief view looking the other way, but it gets even better. I started gushing about all the cars I saw going by, including my favorite. I have a funny video of me screaming about it and how it “glistens in the light.”

I love this photo of the waterfall. Kir and I took some short little videos or “reels” together walking this way, too. Perhaps I’ll have to make a video compilation of this trip, too! That’s a great way to share more behind the scenes and the funniest moments I caught on camera.

We walked down to this pedestrian bridge.

On top of the pedestrian bridge, we had a great view beside the Venetian hotel, which is such an incredible-looking place. I’m so glad we got to see more of this side of the Strip, too.

Here’s that glorious city view looking toward the heart of the Strip!

This is my favorite photo of Kir and me from the trip! Of course, we were blessed we got to take so many good photos, but I just loved this view. It screams Vegas.

Ugh, love this. It looks like we’re in a different country!

How’s this for a view? I know not everyone loves the city view, and honestly, the more I travel them, the more I’m less impressed, especially given all they represent, but this is mesmerizing if you can overlook all that.

Walking Through the Venetian

Kir wanted to check out The Forum Shops, especially because I couldn’t stop raving about them. As I mentioned before, they still had their Christmas decorations up! Even though they looked the same as I remembered, I got to see them with Christmas decor, so that was cool. On our way over, though, we cut through the Venetian hotel, which also has the Grand Canal Shoppes. They’re very similar to The Forum Shops, and they even look alike, but The Forum Shops are still a little more grand, in my opinion. I still loved the fake sky! It seemed even cooler as it was dimmed during the night.

We took a quick peek inside and then exited out the main entrance. The enormity and grandeur of it still takes my breath away, even in pictures. I can’t believe I was there!

The Venetian still had Christmas decorations, too!

Shopping at The Forum Shops

It was completely dark when we walked back onto the Strip. It was cool seeing the ginormous hotels up close at night, and I couldn’t wait to visit these shops again. We went in the actual entrance this time, so we came in the way Mom and I ended. I got to see these bright purple projector lights shadowing the opulent architecture, too! As you can see, the Strip was still hopping.

When we walked in, I could have DIED. This reminded me of entering a palace or some grand government building or, honestly, like something out of a dream. My mom and I did overlook this area, since we came in the opposite way through the hotel and casino entrance, but we did not actually go down these escalators and look up at the shops from the ground. I couldn’t believe my eyes, three stories of shops and WINDING escalators! Seriously, if you love to shop, this place is a must-visit. And look at the Christmas decorations still up!

Look at how the escalators were decorated…

The ride up was even more surreal. I’ll have to make a vlog of this trip so you can see the video I took of it.

Souvenir Shop

Right away, we found one of the little souvenir and bargain stores they have dispersed throughout the Strip. This was actually great because not all the souvenir shops are cheap, but this one had bargain deals on everything. I was trying to be somewhat careful with money, but I bought that pink hat and white and pink t-shirt in the center there. I’d debated getting it with Mom but figured I had enough, but I only paid $10 for BOTH, so I was like how can I not!

You might remember Mom and I ended here, where we took our pictures! This time, I took a picture of Corrine and Kir, and then we made our way through the rest of the shops.

BEHOLD! This glorious Christmas tree in the center of the shops!!! It was worth coming here again just to see this. I actually did not buy much of anything besides my Las Vegas set and another item we’ll get to. We did peek in at Victoria’s Secret. I was overwhelmed because they were still having their semi-annual sale, and I said I’d never seen so much of their sale in one place. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to make them follow me for hours while I looked through all of it—usually the sale is picked over, anyway—and I didn’t really need anything from there, I determined. So we kept going. I’d already seen most of the stores, so I let them go where they wanted. To my surprise, they didn’t go in too many stores. Usually, these two shop way more than my mom and me, but I know Kir has also gotten more frugal and conscious of her spending, as we unfortunately must.

Pandora

We walked all the way back to the opposite entrance where the fake sky looks so cool and they have a little fountain in between the hallways. Kir wanted us to get something matching together, and I liked the idea, but I’ve also gotten pickier about my style and what I know I’ll wear, so we haven’t always seen eye to eye on apparel or accessories over the years. However, when she brought up Pandora jewelry, I was intrigued. I thought they were super expensive, my only real knowledge of them being one of many jewelry and ring stores I passed by in Jordan Creek, but Kir said as far as nice jewelry goes, they’re more affordable. I was like well, why not then! Plus, I immediately appreciated their pink branding, and when I saw these rings in the display, I was sold. We decided to get matching rings, which I thought would be awesome. I don’t have many rings, and out of the different types of jewelry, rings are my favorite to wear because they make a statement and they’re super easy to take on and off. I still want the ring in the center here, but these aren’t the ones we went with.

I saw some adorable little heart stud earrings in the display, too. I knew this was going to be another one of my favorites stores, like I needed one… We got situated at the counter, and one of the sales associates pulled out a collection of rings we could look at and choose from. It was overwhelming! I took a picture so I could find some of these styles later; so many of them stood out to me!

We decided on the whimsical outlined heart ring towards the center right. Kir inquired about the pricing, which varied depending on the ring color. I, of course, knew I needed it in rose gold. She decided to get hers in silver, the least expensive color, for $55, and mine was $75. It’s definitely not something to sneeze at, but it wasn’t thousands of dollars like wedding rings, and I knew I’d cherish this ring forever; we’d never bought something matching like this before. We were able to determine our ring sizes there, too.

The store was cute though small. I’ll definitely shop here again whenever I get money again.

We got the CUTEST little boxes for our rings!

I am so grateful we got these! It’s one of my favorite rings.

Here’s the other entrance area we explored a bit, also looking gorgeous from the holidays.

I thought this H&M we walked by looked awesome! I’m not a huge fan of them, though.

I don’t remember which store this was, but I LOVED these adorable rhinestore bags! It was some designer store, I think, but not one I’m familiar with. I saw a bunch of adorable mini bags like this—it was probably the same store—with Mom.

We exited through the casino and hotel, which all looked beautiful and extraordinary like I remembered.

We did check out a Sephora there so Kir could get her birthday gift, and that was a nice one! It was busy, too. Then, Kir got to see this adorable Vanderpump area where I drove my mom nuts for pictures! It makes the prettiest backdrop ever. I want my wedding to look a lot like this. Speaking of which, Kir has great taste in jewelry, which is something I haven’t cared about as much. She also told me about Brilliant Earth for wedding rings, and they’re my favorite place to look. I want to get mine through them. If my husband EVER reads this, tell him he can find everything he needs to know about me on here!!!!!

Caesar’s Palace Courtyard

We walked out into the grand courtyard around Caesar’s Palace across from the beautiful Flamingo!

The Bellagio & Fountain

Before the courtyard, there were huge walkways to head straight over to the Bellagio, where their luxury hotel stores begin upon entering. This view looked so grand at night! It reminds me of being in Europe, if I were to ever go over there.

We came out right in front of the Bellagio water fountain, and a huge crowd gathered around the railing to watch! No more F1 construction crap! I wish Mom could’ve seen the fountain this close. We stuck around to watch it. I loved how…”cosmopolitan” really is the word to describe it…the Cosmopolitan hotel looked! It’d be fun to stay way up there, too.

The dazzling light of the Eiffel Tower across the street reflected on us. I love this backdrop!!!

See, I think the black jacket looks much better against the cityscape than the brown fleece would’ve.

Oh, Corrine with the photobombs!

Right where we were, we had a great backdrop of the Eiffel Tower! Kir wore an adorable sequin shirt for the night. I would’ve loved to dress cuter, but I was too cold.

The fountain started spinning around!

The water was dancing to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” which would have made it a great place and time to be proposed to. We had the best view ever! We were able to stand right in front of it!

Kir took this photo, and it’s glorious!

I love the views and architecture of these buildings together. This gives me a small, small taste of what the heavenly city God prepares for us might be like. I FaceTimed Mom and showed her so she could finally see it up close, and she took lots of photos while she watched!

Chick-fil-A At Last!

Since it was getting late and I was hungry again, we decided to get something simple on the Strip for dinner, and I found out where the Chick-fil-A was—right across the street by Planet Hollywood, so they gave in! I said I’d finally give it a rest then. This glamorous chandelier was inside Planet Hollywood, I think.

We couldn’t find Chick-fil-A at first because they were outside with this big roof over them! Once we did, I couldn’t wait. They only had the 12 count nugget meal for some reason, but I wasn’t going to complain—I usually get the eight count. Our only concern was that it might take a while to get back to the hotel, but I didn’t think it could be that far a walk since you could see the Mirage down the street. It did take almost a half hour… We were exhausted from walking after that!

I was very happy and couldn’t wait to EAT!

These projections by The Forum Shops were so cool!

Our beautiful hotel at last!

Back at the Hotel, Eating Chick-fil-A, and Seeing Aimee

I was SO happy to finally get settled in the room. I practically hadn’t sat down since we checked in! And it looked so pretty at night. I loved the neutral colors and touches of glam.

We turned on our fireplace channel while we ate, Kir and me on our beds and Corrine at the little desk off to the side.

It was on the colder side, but I still remember every bite tasting divine. And I ate all of it. Aimee also called and stopped by! She felt bad she hadn’t caught up with us sooner, but one of her boys got sick. She was so great about telling us she would be involved in our trip as much or as little as we wanted, and we were more than happy to have her around! It was so kind of her to join us and even want to be part of it.

Here’s our view at night!! It was stunning. And you can clearly see where the pool is!

If you tilted your head, you also got a Hallmark view of the Strip!

The Mirage Volcano

Kir got this epic picture of the Mirage volcano show beginning! Now that the Mirage is being transformed, I’m sure you can’t see this anymore. We didn’t even know if we’d get to see it, but they had a sign with the times it came on at night. Aimee wanted to see it, too! I wanted to see it with my mom but I think we would’ve had to venture out in the evening to see it at a certain time. It was awesome, though! I was still freezing, so I couldn’t wait to be immersed in the warmth. Look at all the people lined up to watch it from the Strip sidewalk! It was loud, too, as it shot up “lava” (I don’t know if it was real or not—don’t make fun of me for even wondering hahaha) far into the air and shuddered and shook. The fire displays were incredible! Yep, there’s nothing small in Vegas.

Walking Aimee to Her Car

When Aimee came over, she parked in one of the hotel garages by the Venetian and Palazzo, I believe. We didn’t want her walking by herself at night back to the car, even though she wasn’t worried at all. Still, even though those hotels are in sight, it’s still a bit of a stretch! I was anxious to take my shower because I absolutely couldn’t wait another day and go to bed, and I was worried if I didn’t get some sleep, I’d get sick like the last trip, but I definitely wanted Aimee to be safe and was excited to continue walking and exploring with everyone. She dropped us off at the hotel in her car before leaving, and we made some light plans for the next day, Kir’s birthday, and the night of the Luke Bryan concert Aimee bought us tickets to! We entered through the Palazzo hotel and got a nice view of the casino. It’s so fun walking through those hotels. I remember when Kir came down to Altoona for her graduation in Iowa City, and we had so much fun walking in that hotel, too.

More Christmas decorations!

These little doors remind me of the Horseshoe. I still wonder what it would be like if rooms were in them! As we walked, Kir and I reflected on the day and talked about our little list of things we wanted to do to keep us on track. We already accomplished a decent amount on our first day, from Red Rock to The Forum Shops to In-N-Out and more! I think we also stopped in another neat souvenir shop with a lot of glamorous items here because we bought Kirsten a pink birthday sash so the whole Strip would know it’s her birthday! She was reluctant at first, but we thought it’d be fun! I bought a BEAUTIFUL pink studded and white glittery Vegas hat, like I needed another! Kir was gracious to buy it for me, since I hadn’t brought my purse—I didn’t think I’d buy anything, go figure—and add it to my total at the end of the trip.

Back at the Mirage and Going to Bed

Aimee drove us back to our hotel and dropped us off. It was neat driving down the Strip at night. We discussed some of the other natural attractions around Vegas, like the Hoover Dam or Valley of Fire. Aimee was so, so generous in offering to take us out to any of them, but they’d be quite a drive there and back, even being nearby, and we only had the one full day before the concert that night. I wish we had gone to some, but it would’ve taken the whole day more than likely because I think Red Rock was closest, and that was still an hour away. When I got back, I wanted to get in the shower right away.

It was midnight (central time) when we got back! I threw Kir’s stuff off my bed and literally at her, which she has on video. I took my shower, which went well—the shower was very nice, and then we all went to bed. It was one in the morning when I got done… We planned on sleeping in a bit and taking our time getting ready.

Day 2: Kir’s Birthday, More Shopping, Exploring the Strip, and Luke Bryan Concert at Resorts World

Waking Up

Yay for another day in Vegas! I’m trying to determine the time we woke up. My photos say around 10, but according to the timezone listed, I think it was actually noon our time, but that doesn’t seem right, either?? Maybe it automatically converted the time to what it would’ve been here, so it was eight there. I don’t know; it doesn’t matter that much. I was thankful to get a good night’s sleep, not wake up with a throat full of knives, and have it still be early in the day. I made Kir take my picture, cozy in bed. I was the last one to unravel myself, of course.

We had our Krispy Kreme donuts we got the day before!

I love this bathroom look with the neutrals and lighting. I planned another fall-ish outfit for the day since it was going to be the warmer day, in the high 50s and sunny. I don’t know if you’ll ever see the pink long-sleeve shirt I wore since I’m still wearing my tan jacket. I had a top I planned to change into for the concert, and Kir did, too.

They had this cute little mirror attached to the wall!

We asked the hotel for a fridge for one of Corrine’s medications, and we were hoping it’d be much bigger than this… I think the room came with a big one, along with those snacks and such, but if you even touched them, I think they’d be added to the bill. Kir might’ve even had to call because I can’t remember if one of us did, or we opened the fridge, but I think that was an additional charge. Well, we had to chuckle when they supplied us with this little fridge. They were onto our game. Aimee bought us those big smart waters. I guess they weren’t going to fit!

I had to check out our view!

I was excited to break in my new ring! It was a perfect day to wear it to celebrate Kir’s birthday!

Kir and I were matching with our jackets!

Here we are in the elevator, Kir with energy drink in hand and her birthday sash in place!!!

Walking the Strip

We were so happy to see the sun! Kir started whipping her clothes off (her layers, haha) to bask in the light, acting like it was summer. I wasn’t quite ready to shed mine but it did feel much nicer out. I love the feel of sunshine on your skin. And it just made everything look so nice. And, yes, compared to Minnesota/Iowa, it was paradise.

I can’t remember if we had a concrete idea of where we were going or if we were just wandering and exploring, and I can’t remember when we contacted Aimee to meet up—I think it might’ve been later in the day because she was taking care of her kids, and we were fine on our own and certainly didn’t want her to feel obligated to follow us around. I think we were just exploring at this point because I don’t remember Fashion Show Mall being on our list of things to do, but that’s where we decided to go! Actually, I think we went over there because they had another Hello Kitty Café inside, which I didn’t know. My mom and I went to the Hello Kitty Café outside New York Hotel, clear on the opposite side of the Strip.

Treasure Island had this cool structure right by the sidewalk!

There was a little lagoon in here, too!

I love this pic Corrine took of us! Kir immediately received birthday wishes from sweet passersby. It was fun!

I love this view here, from the deep blue sky to the palm trees hugging the pedestrian bridge and golden Wynn hotels. Fashion Show Mall has this huge disc-like shape above it! My mom and I never came down here.

I don’t know if you can quite make out the names of big brand names on the building, but they have Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue—all these big department stores we don’t have here! I was already overwhelmed.

They have a nice little courtyard here and platform going up into the mall! We had a perfect view of the Sphere!

Fashion Show Mall

We walked in by several of the department stores but only peeked inside. That was okay since they’re so huge and overstimulating to even shop in, and they’re expensive. So I let them decide what we wanted to check out. I did want to check out Victoria’s Secret since I hadn’t been in this one (I’m obsessed, I know) and Kir had another jewelry store I can’t remember the name of now she wanted to check out and get something at. Other than that, we were browsing, too. It was so huge, like everything else! I was overawed again.

We walked by this sparkling display of clothes I had to look at. I told you all I’ve been wanting a pair of rhinestone jeans, but unfortunately, these were flare/wide leg, and I only like skinny jeans. The jacket was cute, too, but they were hundreds of dollars each, so I thought I’ll keep looking…

My favorite show, King of Queens, reminded me of Saks Fifth Avenue because Carrie always shops there. This place is mainly designer items, though. I can’t remember if Kir or Corrine went to the bathroom or into a nearby store, but I was lingering here while waiting on them to continue. I didn’t go very far inside, but I loved the pink dress on display.

They’re all pretty, but the one on the left is my favorite. I’m not usually a fan of maxi dresses, but I would’ve made an exception for that one.

We did split up after this because I think they wanted to check out some stores for Lilly, Kir’s brother’s young girl. Anyway, all I know is I found Victoria’s Secret on my own and was able to take my time perusing all their Valentine’s stuff, my absolute favorite time for fashion because of all the pink! Knowing what I do now, I don’t think I’d go off on my own in big cities, but God protected me, thankfully. I was itching to spend money by this point because I’d been doing really well, and that’s just not my nature, unfortunately, and they did have all this cute pink and red stuff out, so I thought well, you can always use more underwear, and they always have a five or more deal for $30, so I indulged myself that way, and that was fun.

I LOVE the pink glow behind the sign!

This was me waiting to check out.

We met up after that and went down to Hello Kitty Café in the center here.

It looked super cute! Mom and I went to the truck version sitting outside the New York hotel, which was far less busy.

We decided to get our picture here but wait to go to the truck version since it was so busy.

We went inside this permanent jewelry store because of the cutest pink decor, including this Christmas tree!

I need this!!!

Sights on the Strip

Kir bought another ring at the jewelry store we went to (it was called James Avery, I found out), and then we continued walking. This was atop the pedestrian bridge. I love the mountain horizon in the background!

I called my mom over her lunch to check in with her and share what we were up to. We were thinking about getting lunch at Eggslut in the Cosmopolitan, where we headed next, but then for dinner, we wanted to do a sit-down restaurant for Kir’s birthday. As we walked by Treasure Island again, we thought Señor Frog’s or Gilly’s looked good. On our list of things to eat, I put several of our hotel restaurants because of their extravagant bar food, but we looked at their menu and saw how expensive they were. We went inside at Gilly’s to look at a menu. They were more reasonably priced—a couple dollars more than a restaurant where we’re from but not too bad. We made a reservation around five, before the concert. It was a country-themed restaurant, which we thought was fitting.

There are always interesting sights along the Strip! Right alongside The Forum Shops, I have a video of a man with a big yellow snake around his neck, and he was letting people hold it for free! I took a video for my mom, whose dream pet is a snake. I wish I would’ve touched it or gotten a picture with it for her! But it’s kind of crazy; you don’t even really know if the snake is tame or anything… Many more people told Kir happy birthday.

I love this view!

We cut through the Bellagio on our way to the Cosmopolitan. They have these beautiful little windows when you enter on the end by Caesar’s Palace. I wish you could go out on these balconies!

Kir does a great job taking pictures without any unwanted details in them because we did not actually go out there, even though this picture makes it look like we are.

Bellagio Chanel

While we were going through the Bellagio, I noticed Chanel was open. If you haven’t heard me mention this already, the Bellagio has numerous designer stores. They definitely brand themselves as a very ritzy hotel—my mom hated it, except for the conservatory. They have Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc., and they also have a Chanel, but my mom and I never went in it because I read online before we came that they were an appointment only store. However, it looked open, with no one guarding the doors, so we went in.

Chanel is, from what I’ve gathered, one of the most high-end of the high-end designer stores. It certainly is in price, anyway. The only one I know of that’s even more ridiculously high-priced is Hermès, and I’ve never gotten into them. Their stuff reminds me of leather barn goods—it’s not my style, and I’d shoot myself if I ever dropped $40k on a bag. I do, however, “like” Chanel in the sense that some of their stuff resonates with my style, but I’d still probably have to shoot myself if I ever bought any of it. They have a feminine style, which I like. Still, the bag I want costs $10-15k. Although, I read not too long ago that I guess they’re cheaper if you buy them in store, like $5k??? I’ll probably never find out—I’m not paying that much even if I have money to burn. But I wanted to at least go and see the stuff in person!

There. She. Is. I do love this baby pink bag. I know it’s very generic for thousands of dollars, but I do like it. There are probably a million dupes you can find, and actually, I noticed while writing these posts how I wanted that rhinestone Prada bag I saw with my mom, and my gold Michael Kors crossbody I wore on that trip was the same style and silhouette. This time, my pink Kate Spade purse is almost the same shade! So there are plenty of nice bags out there that don’t entirely break the bank. I do wish I would’ve talked to an associate and asked to hold this bag like I did the other one. No one chased us down here, but I’m sure I could’ve inquired about it if I wanted to, and I wish I had to see if it is cheaper in store. And I would’ve like a picture of me holding $15k!!

Well, Kir took my picture by it. They had lots of other seasonal ombré colors and such that were pretty, too.

The Cosmopolitan Chandelier and Eggslut

After that, we went inside the Cosmopolitan. I was very excited for Kir to see their enormous cascading chandelier! It’s a great photo op, and we had fun taking pictures there.

I wanted to try Eggslut with my mom, but we had breakfast elsewhere instead. It gets great reviews, though! I was excited to try it.

Okay, meet one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip. If this doesn’t summarize how things always go between Kir, Corrine, and me while taking pictures, I don’t know what does! They start squabbling about how Kir wants it, and I just enjoy the show.

They had this adorable lounge area on the second floor where Eggslut is! I love the rabbit theme.

I got what I typically always get: an egg, cheese, and sausage English muffin, and then we purchased drinks at a neighboring convenience store that were still expensive. This was one of THE best breakfast muffins I’ve ever had! It was definitely worth it! I’d order this again in a heartbeat and wish my mom got to try it.

We ate right here in this fun area.

Look what we have here. A HOLSTEIN cow that is PINK! When we walked by this, I knew I needed to grab a picture with it before we left.

We went farther up into the hotel to find another recommended restaurant someone told Kir about—Secret Pizza. She said it’s supposed to be hidden, hence the name, and like a speakeasy. This elevator gave great views of the chandelier!

We wandered around for a while until we found it. The floor it’s on was very open and far less crowded. I had a great view through the open windows. We eventually had to ask someone where it was… It really is easy to miss!

Secret Pizza

This is the tunnel leading into Secret Pizza! Corrine loved this, as she’s a big fan of pop culture. It has a bunch of old records plastered throughout the walls and ceiling.

This is what it looks like from the outside.

This is the elevator view going back down.

We stopped by this big heel on our way out!

Wandering Aimlessly and Getting Lost

Well, after that, I don’t think we had a clear idea of what we wanted to do next. We were making good progress on the things we wanted to see. Unfortunately, while we were in the Cosmopolitan, they started more stupid construction and had the sidewalk in front of the Bellagio blocked off, so we went back through the Bellagio but somehow got lost. This was in the reflection on our way over there.

Then we had another ~INTERESTING~ encounter. You can probably take a guess looking at the photo below. We had some MALE ~friends~. There was the guy pictured, who winked at me, and then there was a black man with him in a similar outfit with a very toned physique who told me don’t I know “chocolate is good for me.” Oh boy!!! Bless Kir for grabbing this photo of me because I didn’t want to pay $30 like my mom for a photo!

I love this shot of the Bellagio!

This is where the aimless wandering began. We made it all the way through the casino, but the regular entrance didn’t help because we couldn’t access the sidewalk. We started walking back, and as soon as I looked up and saw this, I knew we were going backwards. We were entering another hotel, the one behind the Cosmopolitan, either the Waldorf Astoria or Aria, I think? We came out by a rideshare entrance on the opposite side. We asked someone for help, and they informed us we were definitely in the wrong place, but even when we backtracked, we still couldn’t figure it out. I do remember seeing some awesome, luxurious Bellagio merch in one of their shops, and somehow, we figured it out. It took 40 minutes, though.

We ended up going back out by the Cosmopolitan to cross the street, so I guess we never did figure it out, but we got home! And I got another gorgeous sunset pic of the Bellagio!

I love this part of the Strip!

Sunset on the Strip and Getting Ready for Dinner

We came back into our room to be greeted by another sweeping sunset over the mountains as the Strip began to twinkle! Kir texted Aimee our plans for dinner, where she was going to join us, and then we’d walk over to the concert from there. The concert was on the Strip in Resorts World, a newer hotel.

She is pretty.

Alright, this is where we’re ending for now! In the LAST post, I’ll pick up with changing for the concert and getting ready, eating at Gilly’s, all about Resorts World, you’ll finally hear what I blew my brain cells out on by buying, the concert, and everything we did the last day, from exploring the opposite end of the Strip and more.

Thank you so much for following along! As usual, I’ll include my debrief in the last post, too, and everything else I said I was going to share like pictures of what I bought and future Vegas sights I want to see. If you made it this far, thank you SO much for your time. These posts are incredibly long and not as relevant to my faith, though I thank God for these trips. I’ll admit I am being selfish using my blog to record these trips for the most part because I could never handwrite everything, and I can insert the pictures in the order I want with them! God is always teaching me things on trips, though, so I want to share them here, too, because of that. I’m excited to get the last post out! God bless you all!