Las Vegas Trip to See Derek Hough No Limit

Betsy and I had so much fun on our trip to Las Vegas to see Derek Hough’s dance show!! 

September 16, Friday

I saw the boys off to school, finished packing, and picked up Betsy and went to the airport.  Some lady was sitting in our seat, so we had to wait for her to get her ticket out. We were in seats E and F and she was sitting in E but she was supposed to be in B. I don’t know how an adult can’t find the correct seat on an airplane, but whatever. The flight was short and pretty bumpy. We ordered an Uber once we got off the plane and figured out where we needed to go. We only had eight minutes so we walked quickly. I even got a text saying that the driver would wait for us for two minutes and then start charging us, so we started hustling even more. Then, as soon as we got there, when it was about time for the guy to show up, we got a notification that he canceled the trip so we had to find another Uber. I was so mad. We had to wait about eight minutes for a new one. Oh well. It wasn’t that long it was just annoying. Our Uber driver was very nice. It was Betsy's first Uber ride.

We got to the hotel and got our keys and went to the room and got settled in a bit. We got dressed and freshened up and called another Uber. It took quite a while to get over to the Venetian because there was a lot of traffic. The Venetian is quite the maze and it’s hard to figure out where you need to go. I somehow got it figured out and before we knew it, we happened upon Casanova restaurant where Betsy had made a reservation for 5 PM. I had also made a reservation at Buddy V‘s for 3:45 PM, but obviously we missed that and as soon as we ran into the Casanova we decided to just eat there because neither of us had much of a preference. I had decided to order the lasagna, but they didn’t have it on their menu for some reason even though it was online, so I got the fettuccine Alfredo. It was just kind of average. Betsy got the chicken kebabs and she let me have a piece and they were really good. A group of about six ladies came in and they were all wearing sparkly sequin jumpsuits in different colors. They seemed to be a little bit older, like in their 30s and 40s, so we weren’t sure if it was for a bridesmaid’s party or what. We never did ask them. We saw them a couple more times.

Casanova restaurant 

After dinner, we walked around for a bit. 

First, we went to Carlo’s bakery. The line wasn’t too bad at all, but they messed up our order. Betsy wanted a piece of chocolate cake and we were going to share a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with icing inside. When she went to pay, they had given her a rainbow-colored cake so they switched it out for the chocolate fudge cake. Then as we were walking away and pulled out the cookie, we realized it was just a basic cookie and not the cookie sandwich. Betsy didn’t really want to go back but we paid $6.95 for that thing I really wanted the one with the icing inside so we went back and told them they made a mistake and showed them the receipt and they gave us the right one. It’s weird that we only ordered two things and they messed them both up. Oh well. 

We walked around the Canal shops. Betsy especially enjoyed going to Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors. 

By about 7 PM, we went to find the theater and it was pretty easy to find. 

Derek Hough's mirrorball trophies from Dancing with the Stars

Betsy was pretty shocked when I told her that I got us seats in the second row. The seats were amazing! The first row would’ve been fine, too, because the stage wasn’t that tall, but our seats were perfect. The show was amazing! 

I really didn’t want to take any video, I just wanted to sit and watch, but I knew I’d want to remember it so I took quite a few. I wanted to show Emily and put some on the blog. 

One fun highlight from the show was when he brought this group of ladies up to the stage.  These are the same ladies we saw at dinner.  He had to take the opportunity to bring them all on stage. He does a trick where he calls up volunteers from the audience and jumps over them. He said he has never done this big of a group but he made it and it was epic!

Singin’ in the Rain was especially good.

Everything was amazing: the costumes, the dancers, the music, the choreography. It was outstanding! I was pretty surprised that even though everyone gave a standing ovation, they quickly gave up and just left instead of trying to get an encore, but maybe that’s not a thing they do here. I told Betsy that I had seen on Instagram that Derek Hough comes out and greets the audience but I wasn’t sure where. I asked and they said it was outside the theater so we stood there and waited for a while. A bunch of other people did too. It wasn’t long before Derek came out and was very kind and offered to take pictures with everyone. All we had to do was wait our turn. I was worried he would give up and go back but he made sure everybody got a picture and that was really nice. Betsy told him how much she loved the Singin’ in the Rain routine and he seems sincerely grateful for her saying that. We got a picture with him and then Betsy went and called home to check on everyone. 

In the meantime, Derek's fiance Hayley came out. I tried telling Betsy but she was in the middle of her phone call and I tried calling her over again later but she was still talking and I couldn’t resist getting a picture with Hayley. 

We thought about going to The Delmonico restaurant to try and get dessert, but they only had three choices and they were kind of lame so we just headed over to the High Roller Ferris wheel. 

It wasn’t that hard to get there. I couldn’t resist stopping for some cookie dough at the little trailer right outside the High Roller entrance. It was really rich but so good! We headed into the High Roller line. We didn’t have to wait very long to get on the High Roller. It was kind of cool how people get on and get off as it’s still moving.

Bellagio Fountain show from the High Roller

View of the Las Vegas Strip from the High Roller

It took 28 minutes to go all the way around. Betsy googled it and the High Roller is actually bigger than the London Eye, but I think the little pods of the High Roller are actually smaller than the ones on the London Eye. After the ride, we stopped at the gift shop and I bought a magnet. We walked down the LINQ Promenade and Betsy stopped at another souvenir shop to get some pins and some candies for the kids. We walked across to the Bellagio and walked past all the fancy shops that were closed. We tried to go outside to watch the fountains but we just missed the last one. We ordered an Uber back to the hotel and had to hustle again because we didn’t quite know where to go, but luckily, we figured it out and got to the rideshare area before she left us and got back to the hotel at about 12:45 AM. 

September 17, Saturday

I slept very soundly until my alarm went off at 9 AM. We got ready and packed and checked out and took an Uber to Caesar’s Palace.  We were dropped off at the Forum shops. We walked around for quite a while. 

We didn’t have much luck finding anywhere to eat. Even the food court was a disappointment because the one place I wanted which was the crêpes place was closed. We walked around a little more. Betsy was excited to go into Balenciaga so I watched her suitcase while she went in. We had been pulling around our carry-ons since we had checked out of the hotel. It was kind of annoying but not too bad. I enjoyed one store called Altar’d State and got a few pieces of jewelry there. We would’ve like to see the Atlantis show, but we just missed it and another one wasn’t on until 1 PM and we didn’t want to wait that late because we needed to get to the airport for our flight at 3 PM. We had another Uber cancellation but we made it to the airport fine. I was excited to get a Sprinkles cupcake from their ATM machine. I had read that the banana cupcake was amazing and I thought it was just OK. The flight was OK but it was really bumpy again and I was so nauseated by the time we landed. I dropped Betsy off at her house and then went home.

I am so glad we were able to go on this fantastic trip!

First Day of School at BYU

Our college kids are off to a great start at BYU!  The only bummer was that Audrey got sick on the way home from their trip to Cancun and Nathaniel caught it as well, but they made it through.  

We wish you all the best this semester!

Wisdom Office Remodel

The remodel is finally done at the Wisdom office!  We got all new carpet and the entire office was painted.  I think it turned out great, and I've heard many positive comments from the employees.  Now we just have to get everything back in order.  The warehouse has been great about getting things put back together and in the right place.

I even got a new sideboard to use as a coffee bar.  The old table was in desperate need of replacement.

Back to School for Emily

Emily and Michael left this morning for Provo.  She starts classes at BYU on August 29.  Nathaniel and Audrey were so helpful and moved her stuff from her apartment down two floors to her new apartment.  They wanted her to move her things on August 12 but she wanted to stay another week so Nathaniel and Audrey took care of it for her.  Here's hoping she gets some great roommates!

We love you and miss you already, Emily!

Andrew's Birthday

Andrew had a great birthday party tonight!  He had seven friends over.  They played Mario Cart, ate Canes chicken, had cake, and played more games on Jackbox.  I can't believe he is 17!!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Jonathan's 13th Birthday

Jonathan had a wonderful birthday today!  He wanted a simple party with just a couple of friends.  One of his friends was recovering from surgery and couldn't come, but his other friend Annabelle was able to come and they had fun hanging out and playing Fortnite.  

He requested this cake shaped like a PS5 console and it turned out great!

Jonny and Annabelle

It is his golden birthday, 13 on the 13th!

Happy Birthday, Jonny!

Sunday update:  Jonny and Emily have already put together the 3D globe puzzle we gave him for his birthday

Michigan NASCAR Race

We were so excited to have another NASCAR race that featured our SweetLeaf Water Drops (partnered with Kroger Health) this past weekend at the Michigan International Speedway! Michael wasn't able to go at the last minute, so it was just me and I had a great time.

I was excited to try a German restaurant near my hotel and I made it just before they closed. I thought they might turn me away, but they were very welcoming and there were still many other diners there. I was grateful I got to try the schnitzel, and it was delicious!

On Saturday, we gave out so many samples to the fans and everyone loved the Water Drops.

Even better, my very good friend Toni King, who lives in Indiana, was able to drive up and spend the afternoon with me on Saturday!! We had fun talking and shopping and it was wonderful!

We went to lunch at Poppa's Place in Brooklyn, Michigan

We got ice cream at the Village Creamery, also in Brooklyn, Michigan

We were so busy handing out samples before the race.  We had a bit of a break from the crowd and I was able to get this picture, but the rest of the day we had a steady flow of people and usually had a line.

Our SweetLeaf car, featuring Water Drops

Driver introductions

It started to rain, but I was able to get a quick picture with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. before they asked us to leave the track.

After a rain delay of a little more than an hour, I was able to sit in the pit booth and listen to Ricky and his spotter.

First pit stop

Ten minutes later, there was a wreck in lap 25 right in front of our driver, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and he collided with another car and couldn't continue. It's heartbreaking because the whole team works so hard. They had to push the car out of the pit because the wheel was bent so badly.

The one nice thing about our car not being able to continue is that I was able to head back to the hotel early and beat the traffic. I wanted to try a restaurant called Zingerman's Roadhouse so I went there first. Their macaroni and cheese was supposedly named the "best comfort food in America" by Alton Brown. It was very good, but not the best I've ever had. The steak was amazing, though, and so was the Boston cream pie for dessert.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I'm glad I was able to go.