Viva Las Vegas!

John and I celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday. In some ways I can't believe that we've been married for a whole year, but on the other hand it also feels like we've been married forever (in a good way). To celebrate, we took a road trip to Vegas. We spent Wednesday night in St. George in a motel room that smelled and looked like it belonged in a retirement home -- I have never in my life seen a motel/hotel shower that did not have a tub but instead had a bench attached to the wall that you had to fold down in order to sit on and bathe yourself (check out the picture above...maybe we should burn those shorts of John's, now that I think about it). SICK. The room also had an equally shudder-inducing recliner and the type of bedspread that is immediately taken off of the bed and thrown onto the floor as quickly as possible in order to avoid any of the nasty germs that have congregated on it. Thankfully we only had to spend one night there.

Thursday we drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton, which totally reminded us of a cruise ship (minus the sea sickness and free food). It definitely is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at in Vegas, with a full casino inside, 16 restaurants and the gaudiest diamond light fixtures on the ceilings that I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I know I talked about being excited about having warmer weather in Vegas, but it was a bit extreme. It was BEASTLY hot while we were there (we're talking 106 degrees, people! Record-high temperatures!), so we spent most of our time indoors relaxing and people-watching. And for some reason watching lots and lots of coverage of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The highlight of the trip? Definitely seeing the Circque de Soleil Beatles Love show at the Mirage on Saturday night. It was amazing! (And a little bit unnerving, what with the performers dangling from the ceiling unharnassed, using only ribbons to keep themselves from plummeting to the floor. Good thing they're professionals.) I think we were both just in awe as it was going on -- and you really can't go wrong when you've got the Beatles as your soundtrack. It was awesome. I highly recommend it if you're ever in town.

The low point of the trip? Finding out the day that we left that my favorite pizza place ever is no longer in Vegas. Sadly, it was one of the things I was most looking forward to. It was bad enough when they took Peter Piper Pizza out of Utah, but at least I could take heart in the fact that I could eat some after only a six-hour drive to Las Vegas. Curse you and your pessimistic views of the economy, Peter Piper Pizza franchise owners.

We celebrated our actual anniversary by spending six hours together in the car driving home, spending some time at a family party, watching an awesome lightning storm, getting rained and hailed on as we drove to our house, and eating a gourmet dinner of toast and scrambled eggs at 10 at night and watching our wedding video. We are nothing if not romantic. :)

So, one year into our marriage I have to say that I am happier now than I have ever been. John is just maybe the best husband ever (I can provide proof if needed) and I am so grateful that I get to spend my life with him. I love you Johnny!

Photos by Lindsey Briggs Photography