Sunday, January 3, 2016

Christmas in Rexburg

This year we were due for Christmas in Rexburg with my sister Jen and her family!

It snowed big, beautiful, fluffy snowflakes all day on Christmas Eve.

We spent good quality time together, and the anxiousness for Christmas morning was palpable.


Christmas Day was simply perfect.

We opened presents, played games, colored, ate delicious food, and went to bed early.

I had the best time with my niece Sophie during this trip.
She's really growing up and it was so much fun to do puzzles with her, color with her, play games, and do endless crafts with her!

I cherish trips like this when I get to spend quality time with those nieces and nephews of mine.


The next day we decided to brave the frigid Rexburg temperatures and go sledding!


My girls and I were all matching! :)



Sophie and I had a snowball fight, Sam and I tried desperately to make a snowman with the dry snow, and we did quite a bit of sledding!

I haven't played in the snow like that since our Minnesota and Illinois days, and it was so much fun!


It was a simple, perfect, and spectacular Christmas.

Las Vegas Bowl

My dad and I were casually discussing the BYU bowl game over Thanksgiving and talking about whether or not they would end up in Vegas.
We were 99% positive they would, and decided that if they ended up playing Utah we had to be there.

My oldest sister was already going to be there with her family for a vacation, so before Utah was announced as BYU's opponent we got tickets.
Good thing we did because tickets sold out pretty dang quick once Utah was announced.

We got in the night of the pep rally held down on Fremont Street.
For this being my first time to Vegas, I was less than impressed, and couldn't wrap my head around the appeal of Vegas from what I had seen.

                                 

                                  

The pep rally was fun, but we were hungry and anxious to get to dinner!

We ended up at the Wynn and had the most delicious dinner!

                                 

                                  

We ordered three mini desserts and it was brought out on this cute little tray with orange flavored cotton candy.
The desserts were warm cookies and mint milk, creme brulee, and a decadent orange mousse cake.

The entire dinner was absolutely incredible, but the desserts were definitely the icing on the cake!
I've never tasted cotton candy like that in my life.
Not only was it orange flavored, but you couldn't taste the chunky sugar at all.
We even asked if we could take it to go because we were going to be meeting up with my niece and nephew, but the waiter told us it would disintegrate by then anyway!

                                 
                                  

We walked around the displays and shops (PRADA, anyone?!) at the Wynn and then headed to our hotel for bed.

I woke up the next morning so nervous, and let's just say the day didn't start off too great.

My mom had a migraine and stayed at the hotel, the parking situation at the stadium was an absolute nightmare, we barely made it for kickoff, and then within the first seven minutes of play time Utah was up by five touchdowns.

It was rough.


BUT...
It turned into a game and I could not have been happier with how BYU played from then on out!
Utah fans got quiet real quick and (in my humble opinion) if BYU would have gone for an onside kick in the fourth I think they easily could have tied it.

After the kind of start that they had, I was proud and happy in the end!


The entertainment was great, as to be expected from Vegas.

Before kickoff, Nellis AFB did a flyover and it was deafeningly spectacular! 
That's one way to get a crowd riled up for a game!

They also had some of the cast from Cirque du Soleil perform during halftime.

After the game we met up with my sister and her family and headed out to explore some of the resorts. 


                                 

                                  

That was the Vegas I expected!
All of those hotels are incredible.


We ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and then headed over to the High Roller to see Vegas from the sky!

                                  


Vegas redeemed itself a little bit, although I do have to say that I swear I just saw dollar signs everywhere I went.
That entire city just screams money.

The next morning before leaving to head back home we went to brunch at a french restaurant in the Venetian (I know, it didn't make sense to me either ;) ).

It was so good and made me seriously miss the food in France.

We walked around some shops, including Louboutin...

                                 

...had some gelato (nothing like the real stuff!), and then headed home.


It was a great quick trip with some of my favorite people!

Katy's Wedding

One of my best friends, Katy, got married at the beginning of December!

Katy is the one I went to Europe with, but more than that, we've been friends through a lot over the last four years.

We've lived together, travelled together, obsessed over Ed Sheeran and went to his concert together, and more!

I was so happy to be a part of her wedding as a bridesmaid, and it was such a perfect day for her and Dylan!

(Never mind the freezing temperatures that turned my innocent cold into bronchitis...)






Europe friends, reunited! :)


It was such a great day!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jones!