Again, things you never see in South Louisiana! We parked on the other side of the dam and realized we had to cross into Arizona to park.
By doing this we broke one of the rental car company covenants "Thou Shall Not Drive the Car Outside of the State of Nevada". I wonder if 100 feet into Arizona, literally, constitutes taking the car outside the state of Nevada? Well, I won't tell if you won't tell. 
We finished our tour, hopped back in the car and had a wild idea....."Let's go to the Grand Canyon! It's only a couple of hours from here and we've got nothing but time to kill!" We decided this as we were heading in the opposite direction of where we finally got our GPS to tell us where to go. Going in the same direction to Hoover Dam, and eventually, the Grand Canyon, was over five miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic. There wasn't even a place for us to turn around. We took that as a sign that God did not want us to see the Grand Canyon, at least not yet. Who knows, we might be the two idiots that would actually fall into it.So how else could we be spontaneous? Well, we decided to look for a place for lunch. We have been on a massive real-pit BBQ kick lately, so we agreed to look for a local joint. We GPS'd it and found several BBQ restaurants in Henderson, about 15 miles outside of Las Vegas. We looked for one--couldn't find it. Looked for another--couldn't find that one. I guess God was looking out for us because we ended up at Lucille's Smokehouse. Nothing like good BBQ when you're really hungry. It had a nice swanky decor. My favorite sign was a picture of an old man playing a guitar and it read "My Blues Got Better Since I Gave Up Hope!" Classic! Our waitress was excellent--she made us feel right at home. She kept bringing us refills of this peach tea--it was awesome. Then when we were done, we sat in a little sitting room in the restaurant to relax and let our food settle. We could have taken a nap; we had nothing else to do. What an unusual feeling! But, you know those days when you don't have your kids and any other immediate responsibilities and you think, "Gosh, what can we do? We've got to do something! We can't let an opportunity like this pass us by."
Bowling it is! Spontaneous bowling! With the help of our GPS, we located a bowling alley in Henderson. Attached to a casino, of course. We bowled a couple of games. We laughed. We cut up. We felt like teenagers. Our scores weren't great, but who cares? We celebrated our freedom!
What next? Starbucks! And boy do they have some Starbucks in southern Nevada! On the GPS there was one every 50 feet! We spent some time at Target, at bookstores, at bakeries. Just talking. Appreciating our day of independence. But, as always, our thoughts drift back home to how much we miss the kids. We love them and we can't wait to see them.
So with those yearns to return to our family we made our way back here to McCarran International Airport, to await our red-eye flight back home. And as I type now, watching my lovely wife lie asleep on the thinly-carpeted, but acceptably clean floor of the waiting area near gate D36, using her purse as a pillow and my long-sleeve red shirt as a blanket, I think about how blessed Cindy and I are. I love my wife and I love my life. I don't like Vegas that much, though. It was fun, but it's just not us. Home is where we need to be. See you soon, kids.
Oh, and thank you Grandma Dee, GiGi and Nanny Wanda for watching our kids!
After breakfast he graciously agreed to sign autographs. It was nice to shake hands with a TV star--he was a really personable guy. 
We'd been planning this for a while so it was hard to contain our excitement while we were in the gift shop outside the theater. It was best that we get out before we explode with excitement.
The paintings on the ceiling--words could barely describe. 
It was quite a sight. 
Wow, what a show! It was everything we could have asked for and more! The sound was incredible and the soundtrack was beautifully arranged. And the acrobats--it was such a great combination of strength, power, and gracefulness. Wow! 
The Kiwanis International Legislative Session was held in the afternoon. This is where they elect the future leaders of the organization and vote on amendments to the by-laws.
It was a little tedious--people love to debate. But it finally ended just after 5:30pm, an hour past schedule.
The opening session speaker was Colin Powell. The former Secretary of State delivered a great speech. We also heard from the actress Tea Leoni, the national spokesperson for UNICEF, as Kiwanis International has teamed up with UNICEF for its worldwide service project--putting an end to maternal & neo-natal tetanus in third world countries. It was a very exciting opening session. 
We opened the window blinds and had the most spectacular view. We are directly across from 
and 
Beyond the 
The pool area is vast and looks like a lot of fun--can't wait to try it. There were a couple of weddings going on, too. They have several "chapel" areas and apparently they have weddings there just about every day. 
We went out to dinner this evening with Chris, a fellow 
We have been fascinated with them since making this discovery. Of course, they have been affectionately nicknamed "The Fab Four". Since learning more about them, the late-night chirping hasn't been as bad. In fact, it's sweet music to our ears. Welcome, neighbors!
