The Chapel Of the Bells
We were married here 5 years ago!
Yes that is really Tim McGraw
Yes that is really Elvis
Dave and I decided to escape for a couple of weeks and head on a road trip for Christmas. It was a much needed vacation and we had so much fun! We spent a few days in Mesquite, headed to party in Vegas, enjoyed a serene Christmas Day at the Mohave Lake and then off to sunny San Diego and the beautiful beach! We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed our time away. Our vacation started by what we thought was leaving behind cold, wet, nasty weather....we weren't so lucky! We drove through driving snow into pouring rain. We made it to mesquite and got a smokin' deal at the Virgin River for hotel rooms. They had a special going that was room and breakfast for $24 so we definitely took advantage of that and stayed there for 2 nights. Unfortunately nothing but rain for the next 2 days but it was so nice to just relax in our room and not have a thing to do. I went and played the penny slots for awhile and took out $20 to gamble with. My luck was not all that great until the 2nd to last pull when I would have been out of money when I got lucky and won back my $20. At that point I knew that was it and I walked away even. On Wednesday we made our way down to Vegas yet again in the pouring rain. I had reserved us a room at the Stratosphere that I got on Travelocity for $26 and so since we got such a good deal we decided to stay 2 nights there and give us some time to enjoy Las Vegas. I mean you can't go to Vegas without exploring the strip! Our room ended up being on the very top floor at the Stratosphere and so we had an amazing view of the city and the strip. Our room was absolutely beautiful and we were very comfortable there. Thursday we got up early and headed out for a day on the strip. The Stratosphere is at the far north end of the strip and so we walked all the way down to the far south end, crossed the street and walked all the way back up. We figured we easily walked about 10 miles that day. Every time that I visit Vegas something has changed and this trip was no different. There is the most beautiful and jaw dropping buildings, skyscrapers and landscaping. We found a few treasures on our journey to take back with us as well. Friday morning which was Christmas Eve we headed out to the Mohave Lake which is just outside of Vegas. We found the most serene place to park and camp. The lake was crystal clear with sandy beaches and plenty to explore. Keep in mind that we are out in the middle of no mans land and there is not another soul for miles. That afternoon we explored the beach and found sea shells, crab claws and wild burrows (miniature horses). Christmas Day there was like none I have ever experienced in my life and really put the important things into perspective. There was no christmas tree, no lights, no presents, no bells or whistles, just me, my husband and the earth. It was definitely a silent night. I think that everyone should experience a christmas like this once in there life. You have a chance to forget about your worldly possessions or what kind of gadget you will receive or how much money you spent. You focus on what you are truely grateful for in your life. The funnest part of the day was our skinny dipping adventure! Dave was caught off guard I think when his joke suggestion of swimming in the lake was answered by me saying I'll do it if you do it and if we do it, it must be done buck naked!! He agreed and so we took advantage of no other person being around and walked down to the lake stark naked. We already knew that the lake was cold, its December but we had no idea what we were really getting ourselves into. Dave took the plunge first which took his breath away. I was standing in the water about to my knees and my chin is chattering a hundred miles an hour. I told him that I did not think I could do it because it was so cold. We figured the lake water temp was about 38 degrees. It was so cold that having your skin in the water for only a few seconds was enough to make you throbe. Dave got out and told me that I had to do it since he did so I sucked in a big breath of air and went for it. OMG!!!! It was beyond freezing and I was naked in it. After you were in your body just went numb and so it was easy for us to have a bath too. When we were finished and we walked back up to the truck the outside weather seemed like a hot summer day! We had so much fun and will never forget our skinny dipping adventure in Lake Mohave. The following Monday we packed up and headed for our final destination of sunny San Diego. This was what I had been anticipating the whole trip. Running out onto the beach was finally in my sites. We had a room reserved at this amazing hotel called Lafeyette. It was this old mansion that had been turning into a hotel. I went in to check in and the gentleman behind the desk said that he was in a good mood that night and was going to upgrade our room for us. I told him that was so nice of him and thanked him for that with out a clue in my mind what the upgrade entaled and to our surprise it was something real sweet. We found our room and walked up to the door that had a sign on it that read The Presidential Jacuzzi Suite! We were so excited to open the door. We went in and we were living the high life!!! Our room was amazing! We had an entire living room with a tv, two full bathrooms, a walk in closet the size of my entire bathroom at home. Past the living room you walked through a set of french doors into the master bedroom with a bed the size of a small country and a jacuzzi tub big enough for a family of four. You had to climb up 3 stairs to actually get into the tub. It was so awesome and we were so excited to be there. The next day was a beautiful sunny day and we headed to the beach. It was called Dog Beach and it was a section that was only for dogs so our little Annie would have so much fun. I finally got my moment of running out onto the beach with tears running down my cheeks. I had made it and my physical, emotional, mental cleansing was about to begin. I love the ocean, it is the place that I feel free and completely at peace. There is no other place like the ocean. We spent the whole day there playing at the dog beach and seeing all those dogs running free as well and having the best time. It was awesome!! We walked down the beach to the pier collecting sea shells and breathing in the salty air. We got down to the pier and there was these little tide pools that I was scanning intently for treasures. I did not have any shoes on just my bare feet and I stepped on to a rock and my feet began to slide just a bit as I tried to adjust myself my feet just flew out from under me and down I went. I ended up with a sore butt and a big old bruise on my ankle but I WAS AT THE BEACH!!!! We went shopping in the shopping district right on the beach and found some treasures to bring home. So our day at the beach was everything I hoped minus the sore butt and bruised ankle. Wednesday was going to be our Sea World day but mother nature had different plans for us and kept us inside and out of the pouring rain :-( Thurday was another beautiful day at the beach and shopping. I found lots of treasures from the sea and even brought be home some sand. We began our trek home and headed back to Barstow where we staying the night and then back to Vegas and we made it home just in time for the new year!
