October, 2019
Things at Home: 3 humans, 4 cats. But now our semi-extended family has one more human! At the end of October, Little Brother got married - in Las Vegas! No, it wasn’t a shotgun wedding, my new brother-in-law is originally from there. So, we flew to Vegas for the wedding, and I took lots of pictures:
What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas
Las Vegas! We flew on Thursday and got in late. This is my room at the condo we rented - my own bedroom and bathroom, with a living area/kitchen between where my parents’ room (and their snoring). It was a few blocks off the Strip and it was great for our trip. Having separate rooms meant I (or Dad) could stay up after Mom went to bed, and we enjoyed having an actual table to eat at.
It was hard to get a good shot of the mountain ranges, but they were really beautiful. On Friday, we stopped here specifically to take pictures. I’ve never been to a desert before, so it was interesting to see how much sand/empty ground/little scrubby plants there are. Even in the public parks! Here in PA, parks are all grass and trees…
On Friday, we also took a drive up and down the Strip, just taking it all in. This is the MGM lion and the main sign for the Flamingo. The Strip isn’t very long, but there’s just so much stuff packed into it. But it’s also not what it used be. My dad went to Vegas for a business trip when I was a baby, and he was really disappointed at the way the Strip is now. Apparently, it used to be little oasises of hotels with big displays (like the Bellagio fountains or the sinking ship at Treasure Island). But most of those displays are gone and the hotels are just kind of… big buildings.
When we were planning this trip, there was an idea for my parents to renew their vows in an Elvis wedding in a Vegas chapel-of-love. But I looked into it and they were all way too expensive (even without the marriage license my parents wouldn’t need, being already married and all). So, they are still only married twice :)
Being a nerd, I was also amused to see this statue outside Caesar’s palace - it’s a copy of the statue of Augustus at Prima Porta, which we studied in high school Latin class
The reason we were at Caesar’s Palace was for dinner - with some of Mom’s high school friends! Yes, the same friends from Upstate NY who we usually have lunch with after the family reunion - they were in Vegas to see Barry Manilow (including the one friend who moved to California that Mom hasn’t seen in a while).
Then on Saturday day, we had lunch (another meal of Italian food, in fact) with my new brother-in-law’s family. There were a whole crowd of us - two sets of parents, the happy couple, three sisters, plus one of his sister’s husband and three kids. They’re all great people and it seems like we’re going to get along wonderfully. (I didn’t get a picture of everyone, but I thought this one of my mom turned out particularly good.)
On Saturday night, the groom and groom had a non-bachelor party for all of their friends (plus the two unmarried sisters) who had come in from out of town. This is the view from the 45th floor penthouse a couple of their friends rented and where the party was held. There was also a quiz - all in good fun - and that’s the happy couple giving us the answers. We were very clearly told “no strippers” so it was a boring, nice, not-too-much drinking or not-enough-clothes kind of party.
The wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony. Short, by design, and the grooms wrote their own vows. My brother’s were as emotional as I’ve ever heard him (my family is pretty much Vulcans) and his husband could hardly get through his without crying (he told us later he actually didn’t say everything he’d written). Since they’re both big LEGO fans, the party ‘favors’ were cute little LEGO hearts we had to build - the centerpiece bowls had LEGO hearts floating in them, with little LEGO pieces scattered as the ‘crystals’.
Also, my parents danced. That doesn’t sound like much, but my dad hates dancing (ironic, since they met when he asked her to dance) and the only time he does any more is at weddings. And he danced twice at this one! Don’t they look cute?
EDIT because I forgot to mention that all during the planning for the wedding, my brother had assured me that there wouldn't be any wedding party, so I wouldn't be Best Man and wouldn't have to plan any bachelor parties or speeches. But then after dinner at the reception, by darling little brother came to tell me that his new father-in-law was planning a speech - and that I was going first! Fortunately, I'm a fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, so I could manage a quick Antilles Four-Step Instant Speech (remind them who you are, remind them why you're all there, say something personal, then get the hell out of there before you make a fool of yourself) and Dad told me I didn't sound terrified at all. Brothers...
The wedding took all of Sunday. On Monday, we had the day free, so my parents and I drove out to the Hoover Dam. The main road doesn’t go across anymore, but Dad was pleased to learn that once you go through the security stop, you do get to drive across. Mom enjoyed the history part. We didn’t go on the whole tour, but there is a museum to go through and quite a lot to see just walking around.
And one more picture of the dam, and the bridge that goes across it.
On the way back, we stopped at the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. There was a huge line of people who wanted to take their picture up close, but this seemed close enough for us.
We also stopped into the Neon Museum. They collect all the old neon signs from old Vegas places that are either not there anymore, or just get new signs. It wasn’t as cool as we thought it would be, though - all the signs are just sort of jumbled in the yard, without any signs or information. Luckily, we met one of the employees who had all sorts of cool stories, not just about the signs but about Vegas in general.
Monday night, we drove along the Strip again and caught one of the displays that’s still there, the Bellagio fountain. It’s set to music, but we couldn’t really stop in that traffic and get out to watch (on a side note, Vegas traffic is crazy. Apparently, it’s totally fine to just make U-turns all the time. This doesn’t happen in PA.)
On the way home! I did my best to take pictures during this trip, so there are a few more like these - Dad in our rental car as we left the condo, then both parents sitting in the airport terminal waiting for our flight. We flew back Tuesday - into the pouring rain of Philadelphia. Still, it was good to be home. The kitties all missed us, and it was good to sleep in my own bed (which I did, all day Wednesday since I’d taken that day off).
Things at Work: still good. It’s still kind of quiet, but that’s okay.
Things Read:
The Life and Times of Call the Midwife (Heidi Thomas, 2012)
Wires and Nerve 01 Wires and Nerve (Marissa Meyer & Douglas Holgate & Stephen Gilpin, 2017)
Berserker 01 Berserker (Emmy Laybourne, 2017)
Doctor Turner’s Casebook (Stephan McGann, 2016)
Princess Academy 03 The Forgotten Sisters (Shannon Hale, 2015)
Tortall 03 Protector of the Small 03 Squire (Tamora Pierce, 2001 - my copy, 2007)
Currently Reading:
Star Trek: Voyager: Acts of Contrition (Kirsten Beyer, 2014)
Things Watched:
Space Cowboys (2000)
Stargate SG-1: Season 3 (1999 - 2000)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Walking Through History: Season 2 (2014)
Forensic Files: Netflix Collection 4 (1996 - 2011)
RBG (2018)
Currently Watching:
Community: Season 4 (2013)
Shows:
The Large Flowerheads at The Sellersville Theater
Audio Things:
Lore (episodes 21 - 30)
M(eridith + 1) Theory (podfic - John/Rodney)
Currently Listening To:
Mission Log (episodes 21 - 30)
Current Mood:
dirty
What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas
Las Vegas! We flew on Thursday and got in late. This is my room at the condo we rented - my own bedroom and bathroom, with a living area/kitchen between where my parents’ room (and their snoring). It was a few blocks off the Strip and it was great for our trip. Having separate rooms meant I (or Dad) could stay up after Mom went to bed, and we enjoyed having an actual table to eat at.
It was hard to get a good shot of the mountain ranges, but they were really beautiful. On Friday, we stopped here specifically to take pictures. I’ve never been to a desert before, so it was interesting to see how much sand/empty ground/little scrubby plants there are. Even in the public parks! Here in PA, parks are all grass and trees…
On Friday, we also took a drive up and down the Strip, just taking it all in. This is the MGM lion and the main sign for the Flamingo. The Strip isn’t very long, but there’s just so much stuff packed into it. But it’s also not what it used be. My dad went to Vegas for a business trip when I was a baby, and he was really disappointed at the way the Strip is now. Apparently, it used to be little oasises of hotels with big displays (like the Bellagio fountains or the sinking ship at Treasure Island). But most of those displays are gone and the hotels are just kind of… big buildings.
When we were planning this trip, there was an idea for my parents to renew their vows in an Elvis wedding in a Vegas chapel-of-love. But I looked into it and they were all way too expensive (even without the marriage license my parents wouldn’t need, being already married and all). So, they are still only married twice :)
Being a nerd, I was also amused to see this statue outside Caesar’s palace - it’s a copy of the statue of Augustus at Prima Porta, which we studied in high school Latin class
The reason we were at Caesar’s Palace was for dinner - with some of Mom’s high school friends! Yes, the same friends from Upstate NY who we usually have lunch with after the family reunion - they were in Vegas to see Barry Manilow (including the one friend who moved to California that Mom hasn’t seen in a while).
Then on Saturday day, we had lunch (another meal of Italian food, in fact) with my new brother-in-law’s family. There were a whole crowd of us - two sets of parents, the happy couple, three sisters, plus one of his sister’s husband and three kids. They’re all great people and it seems like we’re going to get along wonderfully. (I didn’t get a picture of everyone, but I thought this one of my mom turned out particularly good.)
On Saturday night, the groom and groom had a non-bachelor party for all of their friends (plus the two unmarried sisters) who had come in from out of town. This is the view from the 45th floor penthouse a couple of their friends rented and where the party was held. There was also a quiz - all in good fun - and that’s the happy couple giving us the answers. We were very clearly told “no strippers” so it was a boring, nice, not-too-much drinking or not-enough-clothes kind of party.
The wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony. Short, by design, and the grooms wrote their own vows. My brother’s were as emotional as I’ve ever heard him (my family is pretty much Vulcans) and his husband could hardly get through his without crying (he told us later he actually didn’t say everything he’d written). Since they’re both big LEGO fans, the party ‘favors’ were cute little LEGO hearts we had to build - the centerpiece bowls had LEGO hearts floating in them, with little LEGO pieces scattered as the ‘crystals’.
Also, my parents danced. That doesn’t sound like much, but my dad hates dancing (ironic, since they met when he asked her to dance) and the only time he does any more is at weddings. And he danced twice at this one! Don’t they look cute?
EDIT because I forgot to mention that all during the planning for the wedding, my brother had assured me that there wouldn't be any wedding party, so I wouldn't be Best Man and wouldn't have to plan any bachelor parties or speeches. But then after dinner at the reception, by darling little brother came to tell me that his new father-in-law was planning a speech - and that I was going first! Fortunately, I'm a fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, so I could manage a quick Antilles Four-Step Instant Speech (remind them who you are, remind them why you're all there, say something personal, then get the hell out of there before you make a fool of yourself) and Dad told me I didn't sound terrified at all. Brothers...
The wedding took all of Sunday. On Monday, we had the day free, so my parents and I drove out to the Hoover Dam. The main road doesn’t go across anymore, but Dad was pleased to learn that once you go through the security stop, you do get to drive across. Mom enjoyed the history part. We didn’t go on the whole tour, but there is a museum to go through and quite a lot to see just walking around.
And one more picture of the dam, and the bridge that goes across it.
On the way back, we stopped at the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. There was a huge line of people who wanted to take their picture up close, but this seemed close enough for us.
We also stopped into the Neon Museum. They collect all the old neon signs from old Vegas places that are either not there anymore, or just get new signs. It wasn’t as cool as we thought it would be, though - all the signs are just sort of jumbled in the yard, without any signs or information. Luckily, we met one of the employees who had all sorts of cool stories, not just about the signs but about Vegas in general.
Monday night, we drove along the Strip again and caught one of the displays that’s still there, the Bellagio fountain. It’s set to music, but we couldn’t really stop in that traffic and get out to watch (on a side note, Vegas traffic is crazy. Apparently, it’s totally fine to just make U-turns all the time. This doesn’t happen in PA.)
On the way home! I did my best to take pictures during this trip, so there are a few more like these - Dad in our rental car as we left the condo, then both parents sitting in the airport terminal waiting for our flight. We flew back Tuesday - into the pouring rain of Philadelphia. Still, it was good to be home. The kitties all missed us, and it was good to sleep in my own bed (which I did, all day Wednesday since I’d taken that day off).
Things at Work: still good. It’s still kind of quiet, but that’s okay.
Things Read:
The Life and Times of Call the Midwife (Heidi Thomas, 2012)
Wires and Nerve 01 Wires and Nerve (Marissa Meyer & Douglas Holgate & Stephen Gilpin, 2017)
Berserker 01 Berserker (Emmy Laybourne, 2017)
Doctor Turner’s Casebook (Stephan McGann, 2016)
Princess Academy 03 The Forgotten Sisters (Shannon Hale, 2015)
Tortall 03 Protector of the Small 03 Squire (Tamora Pierce, 2001 - my copy, 2007)
Currently Reading:
Star Trek: Voyager: Acts of Contrition (Kirsten Beyer, 2014)
Things Watched:
Space Cowboys (2000)
Stargate SG-1: Season 3 (1999 - 2000)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Walking Through History: Season 2 (2014)
Forensic Files: Netflix Collection 4 (1996 - 2011)
RBG (2018)
Currently Watching:
Community: Season 4 (2013)
Shows:
The Large Flowerheads at The Sellersville Theater
Audio Things:
Lore (episodes 21 - 30)
M(eridith + 1) Theory (podfic - John/Rodney)
Currently Listening To:
Mission Log (episodes 21 - 30)
Current Mood:
dirty