A Travel Log: Vegas

The National Carwash Convention was in LasVegas this year. Jason and I decided to turn it into a little vacation. We arrived at our hotel/casino Sunday evening (after going to church with our family in the morning).

We stayed at Harrahs, right in the middle of everything and near the casino that the convention was held. 

This is Buck and Winnie.

They were our landmark to get back to the elevators, that lead us to our room. 

Funny.

Monday- Jason went to classes in the morning. 

We met for lunch, then he went to the convention show floor, while I enjoyed HGTV in our room (we cancelled our Direct TV over a year ago and I've missed HGTV). I ventured out for a little shopping as well.  After the convention floor closed, Jason came back to the room to change and rest. 

That evening, we were invited to a FREE dinner sponsored by the owners of Eerie Brush. We had prime rib, roasted potatoes and rolls. Jason had a good time catching up with his "carwash buddies".

Tuesday- Jason went to class in the morning. Magic Johnson was the keynote speaker. Jason said he was STAR STRUCK (front row seat). He said he was a really nice guy..very personable. At the end, he was even willing to take pictures and sign autographs. Jason was bummed his phone had died..no pictures.

We met for lunch at Subway. After lunch, we went onto the convention floor together. Jason introduced me to more "carwash buddies" and checked out the latest and greatest carwashing equipment.

For dinner, we were invited to another FREE meal sponsored by Tommy Equipment. This time at the "Rockstar Restaurant". The food there was DE.LI.CIOUS! Jason says he still daydreams about the homemade flatbread fajitas. :) They were that good.

We met a father-son couple who were new to the carwash business. They were hilarious..and a little drunk. It was fun for Jason to share his carwash knowledge with them. They exchanged business card info.

That night, we did some touristy stuff. 

We caught the Mirage "volcano"  and watched the show at Treasure Island. 

By the way, if your in Vegas, skip the pirate show at Treasure Island. It was dumb. Hard to understand what they were saying and lots of scantly-clad pirate ladies having uhhh... dance off? ..with the other pirate ship of men. Weird and not worth the time it took to watch it.

We wandered around some of the other casinos and shopped a bit too.

The displays at H&M were eye-catching!

Wednesday- No classes for Jason, so we slept in.

We had lunch at McDonalds and then headed out to sight-see.

We wandered the streets of Paris...sort of. :)

After all the walking, my feet were tired and threatening blisters (even though I had put moleskin on the rubbing places). After seeing the "rainstorm" at Planet Hollywood (Miracle Mile Shops) and browsing some art galleries, we decided to just sit and wait for our show to start. We had probably a 2 hour wait, but my feet and body needed that break.

Jason had found a great deal online (before we left) for dinner and a show. First we saw the "Nathan Burton Comedy Magic Show". Nathan Burton got his start on "America's Got Talent". It was very entertaining and had some variety with 2 other performers in it as well. Jason and I were stunned by the magic...we totally had no idea how he did it. :)

After the show, we went to a buffet. It had a big variety with lots of YUMMY food.

Being rested and refueled, we bought a 24-hour bus pass and rode down to Fremont Street (older downtown Vegas). We met some very interested people where ever we went and the bus did not disappoint. We talked to a self-proclaimed prophet and chatted with a funny couple from back East. They told us about how they had gone to the famous pawn shop from "Pawn Stars" that morning and gave us direction on how to get there if we wanted to visit. (Wish we would have known/thought about it earlier, cuz we probably would have made that a part of our plan.)

The "Fremont Street Experience" was quite the experience. Soon after getting off the bus, we saw the crazy..that topped all crazy. 

--Jason and I played a game each day we were in Vegas, "Who is the craziest person we'll see today?" -- 

A gigantic buxom lady (like bigger than 2 beach balls large) won the prize for over-all CRAZY, that night. Her large chest was impressive, but the glittery pasties are what put her over the top!!! 

We had seen the runner-up the day before...Dominatrix Grandma (60+). She was wearing a leather bustier with dollar bills spilling out of the cleavage area..oh, and a whip! She was just walking down the sidewalk like it was just another normal day in Vegas. Yikes!

At Fremont Street, we saw an Elvis look-alike sing, a wacky DJ lady (with not much on) get the crowd dancing and jamming, a grungy band that screamed their lyrics and a street performer who did up-close magic. 

How DID he get that observer-signed 5 dollar bill inside the lime??? 

Dunno..it's magic!

The coolest thing about Fremont was the canopy that spanned several blocks.

On the big screen canopy they had a light show with music videos. 

Teresa, Can you tell who's singing here?

We ended our Fremont Street Experience with some souvenir shopping and then hopped back on the bus back toward the strip. On the way back, we passed by the "Pawn Star" pawn shop. Silly how excited we were about that. :)

The night was still young, so we decided to walk around more casinos. Jason played one of his favorite arcade games (Ms. PacMan) at New York, New York.

We also wandered around MGM Grand and then headed back to the hotel.

Thursday- We leisurely packed up and checked out of the hotel. On the way to the airport, we shared a shuttle with another interesting Southern couple. The woman noticed Jason's BSU attire and struck up a conversation. She told us a crazy story about on their way to Vegas, she had a heart-attack and they had to ground the airplane in Texas. She recuperated for 2 days, then got back on the airplane and continued onto Vegas. While in Vegas, they had several other weird things happen to them.. a fight/arrest in front of them as well as lost luggage, mixed up hotel rooms and more. Whew.

We arrived back in Boise with no incident..thank goodness.

And as I said to my weight-loss challenge group.. It's a lie! What happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay in Vegas. I gained 4 pounds!!!

I'd say we got the FULL Vegas experience... minus the gambling and alcohol.

PS- Thank you to Grandpa Waite for hanging out with our kids, while we were gone.

The Sign

Here's the famous sign I accidentally erased the other day.

Portland Birthday Trip

Each year, Jason does something special, for my birthday. This year, he told me to not to plan anything on or around that weekend. He wanted to surprise me at first, but eventually gave in and told me the plans; Portland, dinner, Roloff Farms, temple and visiting Arianne. He said it was to make sure I reserved those days, but I really think it was because he was way too excited to NOT tell me.

Jason and I flew into Portland, on the evening of October 15th. After getting settled in our hotel, we went to dinner at Clyde's.

Clyde's was an older, but fancy kind of place. There were chandeliers, velvet seating booths, low lighting and a romantic fire in the fireplace.











Clyde's is known for their prime rib, so that's what we ordered. The garlic potatoes were good too, but their french fries were the best! Perfectly cooked..crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.









After cooking the prime rib the way you like it, they bring it to your table and serve you right there.











Is this Clyde himself? Maybe it's THE knight in shining armor all the fairly tales speak of. Either way, he was the strong, silent type...he didn't say a word to me.
















After dinner, we went to Safeway to stock up our little hotel room fridge with food for the next few days.











We bought some cake and ice cream to celebrate birthday time. Jason didn't sing "Happy Birthday" to me. Guess he didn't want to do a solo performance.

Yum!













The next morning, we took off toward Helvetia, Oregon to see the Roloff's Farm. ---We are fans of the TLC show, "Little People Big World" which star the Roloff family. --It was a short, pretty drive, just outside of Portland.

Driving there we started to get excited. We couldn't believe that we would actually be there... on the farm... where Matt, Amy, Jeremy, Zach, Molly and Jacob lived! Oooo, what if we actually got to see them and maybe even meet them. No, I didn't want to get my hopes up. I would just be happy to be there and see the farm. (I accidentally deleted the famous "Roloff Farms" sign you see as you drive in. Dang it!)

We paid $2 to park and then started to explore. One of our first stops, the gift shop. We saw all sorts of Roloff paraphernalia, big pictures of the family and even their old retired couch that isn't used any more, since their house remodel.



We inquired about the tours...the "Scenic Tour" and the "Western Town Tour". We found out that it was $6 for one or $10 for both.












We'll do both, thank-you!












As we were waiting in line for the tour, we saw HIM... Zach Roloff!!! Oh my gosh, we couldn't believe it. I started snapping pictures, not knowing if he was sticking around or if I'd get a chance to see him again.

Then we found out that they were cancelling the "scenic tour", the one we were standing in line for. It was raining and they were concerned about the tractors and trailers being safe on the wet ground. So we decided to check out the farm.



We saw the old trebeche, that they used to launch pumpkins from... until the accident. Did you see that episode? Their family friend Mike and youngest son Jacob got hurt by it and so they retired it.
A while after their recovery, Mike and Jacob started building a new and improved trebeche (sp?). They use steel beams and welded it together. Before it was finished, Mike passed away from a sudden heart-attack (unrelated), so the new trebeche's completion was put on hold. I believe it's completed now, but is not being used.









Jason and I both took turns sitting in this HUGE chair.


















It gave us the feeling of being "little people".




















I believe most of the signs all over the farm, were painted by their artist friend Sven. I've seen many episodes where Matt and Sven butt heads about projects and different ideas. In the end, they usually have a good final product.













We heard rumblings in the crowd, as we got back in line for the other tour... it was because they had spotted Matt! Oh my goodness, this was so much fun.
Several people, including a group of tweens, had boxes of Crispix in hand. When I asked why, I was told it was because it was Matt's favorite cereal. Duh! They had him sign their boxes along with Zach signing Mountain Dew bottles, his favorite soda. (I knew that one.)





The Roloff Farm is open to the public, during the month of October, but the TLC production crew is there on and off all year round. The crew roamed the grounds, the whole day we were there.










It was finally our turn to get on the tour wagon. As we were sitting there, it was announced that the scenic tour was re-opening. They allowed us to hop wagons and go on the scenic tour first. Zach was our driver!










Before we took off, we saw HIM... Jeremy, approaching with the other tour. We couldn't believe it, we'd seen 3 out of the 6 members of the Roloff family! He was just as calm and cool in person, as he was on t.v.










As our tour was taking off, we saw HER, Amy! She was walking down from the house carrying her coffee and a basket of goodies... going to "work". As we passed her she said, "Good morning everyone!" Jason and I were giddy.










On the tour, we saw the gazebo the family built for Amy, on Mother's Day. It looks out over the many acres of their property and it's where you can see the best sunsets.
Also right there is the fire pit , where the kids hang out with their friends.









We went by many different structures and sites. We saw Jeremy's famous swamp fort, the dune buggy he built, a sand volleyball court, Zach's soccer field, Molly's castle, a basketball court, their swimming pool, a bridge to no where, the Men's Crisis Center, the paintball forest, Dudley the Rooster's coop, a tree house and the infamous pirate ship. --Matt had ordered it on line without telling Amy. It arrived while Matt was gone on business. Amy was surprised when the delivery person asked her where she wanted the pirate ship. I think Matt had to do some explaining when he got home.



Jason got a picture with Zach. He noted that Zach's hair was messy, just like it is on t.v. :) He's just a normal guy. I don't know, if he knows, that he's a celebrity.
















We didn't go up to Matt, but waved at him as we went by on our next tour.




"Hi Matt!"







It was neat to see their newly remodelled home in person. It was remodelled to accommodated both average sized and little people. Matt, Amy and Zach are dwarfs and Jeremy, Molly and Jacob are all average sized.
When Matt purchased the property from the previous owner, he promised not to completely tear down the little shack of a house that was there. They have remodelled a few times, but some of the original structure is still standing.
Another interesting thing is that both Matt and Amy's parents are average sized and they have all average sized siblings, but one. Amazing!






This family is a normal, down-to-earth family. As we rode by their house, I noticed the streaky, smudged, and fingerprinted back door... just like at my house! But if I had a t.v. film crew and 100's of people coming to my house each day, I MAY clean it. --That's one reason I enjoy watching their show. They are who they are, take 'em or leave 'em.











We stopped at the Western Town and were able to get out and walk around it. It was originally built for the kids to play in. Now that they've grown, it's just set up to look at...lots of fun details to see.
We also got to meet Matt's parents, Hunny and Poppa. They are as sweet in person, as they appear to be on the show. They are the Western Town Sheriffs.








Jason put our names by Boise, Idaho. Can you find them?

























The reason why the Roloff Farm is open to the public, is because it's a pumpkin patch. You can pick your own pumpkins, go on pony rides, play on the hay bale pyramid, find your way through the hay bale maze, pet the animals in the petting zoo (there is even a baby lion there...not to pet), get your face painted and enjoy the freshly made kettle corn.







Another really fun thing to look at is the "Pumpkin House". It was created and painted by their friend Sven. The outside looks like a little barn, but the inside looks like the inside of a pumpkin... orange and carved out. Each room has a different scene.

The couch potato pumpkin.

The pumpkin family dinner.

The baby pumpkin nursery.

This is the last room. It's lit by black lights for a cool effect. It's a replica of Matt looking out over his pumpkin patch. So cute. I remember the episode where Sven showed it to Matt for the first time. It was a touching.

Jason is king of the world!

We didn't know if the airlines would let us take pumpkins home with us, so we decided to just pick a pumpking and bring home the memory.

Mine's a cute littl' pun'kin.

Jason picked a big 'un!

We noticed a line forming... a line to talk to Amy. I wanted to talk to her, so we got in line. After we had been waiting a while, we saw her start to leave. She said, "I'll be right back. Ten minutes tops." About 15-20 minutes later she DID come back. She said, "I'm a mom too ya know." (I assumed she had to go to the house and take a phone call from one of her kids.)

Finally, it was my turn to talk to her. We talked about being moms. I told her she inspired me. I liked the way she created a comfortable home..the hang out home for her kids and all their friends. I told her that I would like to be more like that. She said, "It's easy, all you have to do is give them soda and chips. They don't really care about all the other fancy stuff. Oh, and don't worry if they crush chips on the floor." I said, "Ya, that's probably my problem. I worry too much about that kind of stuff." She said, "I probably don't worry enough" and then laughed. It was SO much fun to talk to her. She was so real, so normal, so down-to-earth. I appreciated the time she took with each person as she talked to them. She didn't give you the impression that she was in a hurry or worried about how much time she took with you. I probably spoke to her for around 7-10 minutes... while everyone else still waited in line. :) Sidenote- The production crew was RIGHT THERE... filming! I tried to pretend not to notice... but of course I noticed! I don't think I'll be on t.v. Guess you'll have to watch TLC, on Monday nights, to find out. :)

There were a lot of really neat carved pumpkins all over the farm. So cool to look at.

Here's a picture of the whole family-- Jacob, Jeremy and Molly (in back) and Matt, Amy and Zach (in front). Beside them being a family with both dwarf and average sized people, the 2 oldest boys are twins (Jeremy and Zach)! Can you believe that? Amy not only birthed average sized kiddos, but twins! Amazing.






Jason and I throughly enjoyed our time on the farm. It was surreal. At one point I realized I had been taking so many pictures, that I wasn't enjoying the experience fully. So I put down the camera (mostly) and really tried to take it all in. This may not be for everyone, but it was just the right thing for Jason and I. We may try and take our family some time. Hopefully we would be able to meet Molly and Jacob next time...and remember to bring our Crispix and Mountain Dew to get autographs!

Although going to the Roloff farm was the highlight of our trip, we DID do other stuff. Luckily for us, my birthday is National Free Theatre day, all over the country. Jason was able to get us some tickets. We actually ended up seeing 3... for FREE. How cool is that?
It was interesting to see who was at these plays. We saw the "artsy fartsy" side of Portland definitely.

We also took the opportunity to go to the Portland Temple. We ended up in a Spanish speaking session by chance. We were given headsets that translated the session for us. This added some extra anxiety for me at first, but eventually I relaxed and was able to enjoy being there.

Beautiful temple

On Sunday, we attended church with my cousin Arianne, her husband Keith and her little girl Kallie. Their ward was welcoming and kind. After church we ate a yummy lunch at their home. We had brought an Elmo plate set for Kallie. She asked to open and use it immediately. After lunch, she snacked on the sugared cereal and showed me how she used her Elmo stamp. So cute. Thanks Smith family for a yummy lunch and wonderful visit!










Monday, we checked out of our hotel and decided to go Goodwill thrift-store hopping. We had broken a zipper on one of our suitcases and needed to replace it, before boarding the airplane. Jason had brilliantly thought to bring our GPS, so we could easily punch in the address and follow her commands. --By the way, she needs a name. Any suggestions??? Come on Mamma C. I know you have one.--We didn't find a suitcase or any other wonderful treasures. That was ok because we probably wouldn't have had room for them anyway. We ended up rushing to Fred Meyer, at the very last moment, and buying a brand new suitcase for big bucks. Bummer.

If you made it to the end of this post, you can consider yourself a patient person, a "Little People Big World" fan or a very good friend. Believe it or not, I have many more pictures and probably more to tell. :)

Thanks again Jason, for a wonderful birthday! Next year......... OPRAH!???