Mr. and Mrs. lightning Go To ‘Vegas (part two) By Mrs. lightning

When I left off yesterday, we had just gotten the good news that our flooded basement would indeed get cleaned, and we were able to leave for Kingman, AZ in a positive frame of mind.

The whole point of the trip was to attend the retirement party of lightning’s brother, Tom, who has been sheriff of Mohave County, AZ for almost 20 years.  His wife, Jo, had asked the siblings and their families to attend as a surprise.  Lightning and I were the only ones who could make it.  And I have to confess, I wasn’t too keen.  As I stated yesterday, I’m not a fan of ‘Vegas.  And I’m not a fan of huge parties where I don’t know anyone and have to make small talk.  But I knew it was important to lightning, so I agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

 

Cardboard figure of the sheriff

 

After a scenic drive, during which lightning had several suggestions for how I could keep him awake, we arrived at our hotel, compliments of the aforementioned Jo. We readied ourselves for the party and got directions to the Elk’s Club.  When we arrived, we were hurried into a hallway off the main room to wait for the opening ceremonies.  What we didn’t realize was that everyone was getting food and drink and mingling before that happened.  While we waited in the hall.  For about 90 minutes. Jo came to give us something to drink.  Our nephew Mike came over several times to apologize for the wait.  Friends of the family came to see if we wanted food and brought it to us., only to have someone say things were about to start.  So they took the food to the head table where we would be sitting.  Then it didn’t start.  So they brought the food back, just as we were being introduced and had to go out.  We did eventually get our food.  We surprised Tom.  And because of all the videos, presentations, etc., we didn’t even have to mingle!  Just an aside here—when you make a video montage for someone, whatever the reason, I am here to tell you that 29 minutes is about 19 minutes too long.  Just sayin’.  Anyway, we ended up having a very enjoyable evening and looked forward to breakfast the next day with family.

A singing tribute 

Grandkids get in on the act

 

Sunday morning we all met at Golden Corral: lightning and I, Tom and Jo, Mike and his wife, daughter, and wife’s parents, our niece, Cyndi, her two kids, her boyfriend and his three girls and his mom.  We had a private room so we could hang out for as long as we wished, which we happily did.  We don’t see these family members much (maybe 8 or 10 times in 25 years), so it was great to sit and shoot the breeze and catch up on everyone’s life. Tom and Jo are planning to move to the Scottsdale/Phoenix area soon to be closer to Mike and Cyndi and their families.  They are of course, trying to encourage lightning and me to move out there if we ever get to retire.  This was a bonus for me as my best friend and her family are moving out there next week.  The lure of family may just be enough to get lightning at least thinking that way….  And if not move there, at least not complain about visiting!

After saying our goodbyes, we headed back to ‘Vegas.  True to his word, lightning was making sure that the trip was not just about gambling.  So on the way back we stopped to take in the Hoover Dam.  A tip if you go visit:  do not lean against the metal guard rails when it is 113 degrees out.  It really kinda smarts.  We didn’t take the tour, but we looked around, then stopped at the scenic lookout over Lake Mead. Then back in the car to a little casino lightning had wanted to try in the past.  No poker room, but they did have a Willy Wonka slot machine—our favorite.  Sadly, it didn’t like us back.

Hoover Dam

Lake Mead

 

We finally got back to ‘Vegas and headed for In & Out Burger for a Double Double Animal Style.  I had never been to In & Out and lightning really likes it, so it was a win for us both.  We drove around and checked out where the day spa was located that I would be going to the next day, then headed for Harrah’s to check in.  By this time, we were pooped and ready for a nap. (Hey! Vacations are about resting and relaxing!)

 

Not bad for a generic Harrah's room that was mostly comped

 

After a nap, it was time to start the “tour”.  Remember, I hadn’t been to ‘Vegas in about 13 years, so things had changed significantly.  So we headed south down the strip to see a new casino or two and for lightning to check out his favorite poker rooms.  We ran across another Wonka machine and had no more luck with it than the previous one.  After a couple of hours, we decided it was time to eat.  We wound up at The Cheesecake Factory.  Both our meals were great.  Then we got a piece of cheesecake to take back to the room.  It was after midnight when we returned. After sharing that little bite of heaven (the cheesecake, not  lightning!), I got ready for some serious sagas—Candy Crush and Bubble Witch, along with uninterrupted HGTV viewing while lightning headed off to the poker rooms.  I finally fell asleep until lightning got back about 4 am or so.  I’m sure he’ll be posting about his luck (all bad it seemed). 

 

 

So we had a day filled with family, good food, interesting sights, and a little bit of gambling.  I was impressed at lightning’s restraint.  But would it hold?  Stay tuned for part three (the final post) to find out.