Phantom at the Venetian in Vegas!

At the beginning of the summer I was visiting with a couple of friends. 

K was excitedly telling us about how she had bought tickets to see 

Phantom at the Venetian in Las Vegas 

for her birthday.

It sounded fabulous and my friend R and I joked about buying tickets and going together.

I mentioned it to Utah Dad that night. He immediately got online to check ticket prices and was instantly convinced that we should go. The next morning I sent an email to R. Her husband quickly jumped on board and before we knew it we had bought tickets to the show and made reservations at the hotel.

I had to convince my parents to stay with the kids. They had seen Phantom of the Opera and been to Vegas so my mom's rule that she will only babysit for us if we go somewhere she had already been was a moot point.

Since having children 11 years ago, Utah Dad and I had only spent one night together without the kiddos.

That time hardly counts. I was 8 months pregnant, terribly sick with bronchitis and I spent the day in the hotel while Utah Dad was at work meetings. I read two books that day. It was actually marvelous, but I digress. Utah Dad and I have also never traveled with friends before. We were a little nervous, but we shouldn't have been. R and J were awesome. Not only did we have hours of fabulous conversation, but we went in their car that uses CNG (compressed natural gas) and we saved a ton of money on fuel! I'm sold on the CNG vehicles, by the way.

We checked into the beautiful and luxurious Venetian hotel; took some time to relax, freshen up and get dressed for the evening and then met our friends for dinner. We walked around the hotel and checked out all the marvelous menus at Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse and Table 10 or Wolfgang Puck's Postrio Bar & Grill. Ultimately our cheapskate sides won out and we ate dinner at Grand Lux Cafe. The food was very good and didn't break the bank, so we were all satisfied.

After dinner we headed over to the play. Phantom at the Venetian is a 90 minute show. It includes all the music but cuts a lot of the dialogue. Personally, I would have been OK with seeing the entire Phantom of the Opera but I really did enjoy this entertaining show full of amazing special effects and a talented cast. It was the perfect length to take the kids. I know Amberly (who regularly watched the movie version of Phantom of the Opera) would have loved this show.

There are only 3 more weeks to enjoy this show!

I could see it again tonight.

I wish I could see it again tonight.

I forgot my camera, so I was very grateful that R & J had their camera and were willing to take and share pictures.

Our only mistake for the trip was to go outside to walk the Vegas strip. It was so hot. It was so crowded. It was disgusting. We should have just stayed in the marvelous hotel. There was plenty to do in there and we wouldn't have ended up sweaty, exhausted and sick.

 A good butt shot is always nice. Isn't the Venetian cool? With so many restaurants and shops and beautiful decor, we kept ourselves busy.

The next morning we had the delicious buffet breakfast at the Grand Lux Cafe where we ate enough delectable, wonderful food to justify the expense.

And . . . this is the amazing part. Not only did my parents watch my kids and keep them alive while Utah Dad and I were enjoying ourselves, they built the shelves/entertainment center that I've been wanting in my family room. They are so dang awesome. (Ignore the primer spill on the carpet. I am a klutz. Fortunately I am getting new carpet in the next few weeks. And the weird old guy in the picture frames. I still need to print some pictures.) My parents really are the best.