Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Leaving Las Vegas

Before we knew it mid October arrived and our move date was right around the corner.  Our last day of school at Staton Elementary was one of the harder things we had to face.  Saying goodbye to so many wonderful people wasn't easy.



Mom came to each of our classrooms to take some pictures and give us support.




My teacher, Ms.Ondush, and my class threw me an AMAZING goodbye party and all of my friends joined our class for a fun afternoon together.  I was overwhelmed with all of the cards, gifts, and sweet sentiments.






Macie had a difficult time saying goodbye to her buddies.  She has such a big heart and couldn't help but grieve the end of an era.






By the end of the day all of us were emotionally exhausted.  So many wonderful people made our last 3 years at school feel friendly, inviting, and safe. We really are forever grateful for their kindness.

That evening my friend Tia had a Halloween party that ended up doubling as a surprise going away party for me!  It was so awesome that my friends and their families made me feel so special.




On Saturday Macie and I played in our last soccer games with Vegas United.




With a week left before our move we made sure to squeeze in all of our favorite Vegas attractions with all of our favorite people.

That evening Macie got to spend the night at Tala's house playing dress up and games, while Mom took Gigi and I down to the strip for some roller coaster fun!  We started the night off at Circus Circus only to discover that FRIGHTDOME was going on and was not recommend for under 13.  Feeling a little deflated we took off for New York New York to ride their roller coaster.  Parking was ridiculous, so Mom parked at the Excalibur.  Gigi and I had a blast entertaining the crowds.



Even though our night didn't pan out the way we'd hoped, spending time with friends on the strip is never boring!

In the morning Uncle Will took us to Circus Circus to ride the roller coasters we'd missed out on the night before while Mom picked up Macie and Tala and took everyone to breakfast.







It was an awesome Sunday!

The rest of our week was filled with NON STOP action as we visited our favorite places in town.

The Container Park:






Red Rock Canyon:












The Hoover Dam:








The annual carnival at the local pumpkin patch:








The Children's Museum:







By the end of the week we'd been everywhere!  Mom wanted us to have one more experience, so Mom picked up Cari, Gigi, and Gigi's Mom, and we all went down to the Rio to Zip Line between hotel towers.  Of course both Mom's had fun heckling us when we walked by the wall size Chippendale's sign.  Macie and Gigi were the only ones that gave the shirtless men two thumbs up...



The view from the top of the bar was amazing!


We each rode the zip line back and forwards twice and had an absolutely amazing time!  




Vegas gets a bad rap, but it really is an amazing city with TONS of family friendly activities.  

Our last stop on our city tour was the Silverton casino where we watched the mermaids swim and spent some time checking out the animals at Bass Pro Shop.






The morning of the move our family sat together around our table and read cards, opened gifts, and shared stories. We laughed, we smiled, and we reminisced about how amazing our 4 years living in Las Vegas had been.


Packing, loading,and cleaning took way more time and effort than we had projected.  Thanks to our AMAZING community of friends coming together to help we were able to make it out the door late that evening.  From loading furniture to cooking food, entertaining kids and cleaning our house, they showed us that it really does take a village.  

And we are going to miss this village more than any words can ever describe.


Our faces were covered in tears as we made our way down Mount Royal to the freeway.  Saying goodbye is never easy, but this was an extremely hard one for all of us.  New adventures lay ahead for our family in San Diego as we create a new home and many new memories.