Vegas Get-Away & Spring Baseball

Las Vegas Get-Away

For my birthday, Dave gave me a 4 day get-away to Las Vegas! We flew out after I taught school on April 22nd and arrived in Vegas around 4 pm. My sister-in-law, Charlotte, met us at the airport with Sydney and Sadie. We hooked up with Brandon on the strip and ate a quick bite before heading to our hotel.

Dave booked a suite in the Venetian. It was stunning! A really pimp-daddy suite! Here are some pictures of our room and the view:
This picture doesn't even see to capture how pretty the room was. Look at Dave's face here- he is in shock! :) I think the 3 flat screen TVs did him in!

Bathroom (obviously)

I loved this little vanity area. I would turn on the TV in the bathroom and watch Regis and Kelly while I would get ready.

The L-couch was so cozy! Loved this room!

VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW!
When we checked in, Dave asked if the room had a view. The man who was helping us told us he would do a free upgrade. It was awesome!

The pools were full of people by 10:30 am!

We didn't take a ton of pictures since I didn't want to pack around the camera all day. On our 2nd day in Vegas, we met my brother Brandon and his family (Charlotte and the twins) for a scrumptious buffet at the Paris. Afterwards, we went to our room to relax for a while. The girls were so darling! I took a bunch of pictures of them and messed around with my camera settings. Here is what came out of it:

Charlotte and sweet little Sadie!

Sidney
(I need to insert here that she is the spitting image of Brandon as a child, curly hair and all! Too cute!

She was so proud of her pretty flower so Aunt "Dody" took some pictures of it!

Sadie was so cute with her flower too! She is the explorer and figured out how to use my iTouch quite quickly!

The next 2 pictures are dedicated to my parents. They are to remind mom and dad that Brandon is still COMPLETELY INTENSE about basketball, especially during the playoffs. Here is Brandon, pacing, mumbling and getting ready to yell at the TV!

At some point during the evening, Dave said, "Jody, grab the camera and get a picture of the girls on my lap since this never happens!" He loved the attention from the girls.

Cutie Pie Sydney!

Yes, a very tired Jody with sweet little Sadie!

Here is the lobby of the Venetian! It was so gorgeous! We loved it!

Dave out on the town! He was thrilled to have his picture taken.

SPRING BASEBALL

When Dave signed up the boys for spring baseball, he responded "yes" to the question, "Would you be willing to coach?" And he was assigned! The boys' first game was yesterday. It was an interesting experience on every account.

Since Dave is the coach, Austin gets to play on the team! He was so excited!

Jaxson was pretty excited for the game.

Over The Hill.........40!!!

JODY TURNS 40!

Can you believe it? It has arrived. AHHHH! I'll be leaving my 30's this week (tomorrow) and entering into a new decade of adventure and growth.

About a year ago, I started to panic about turning 40. On TV, you always hear, "After 40, you should worry about....." Forty also sounds a whole lot older than even 39. After my panic and meltdown, I just got excited. And here it is.

Dave went all out to create an unforgettable experience for me, the birthday celebration of a lifetime. First, he arranged a huge BBQ for our family and friends. Those who know me well know that I love BBQs about as much as anything! By the end, we counted about 75 people who attended the celebration throughout the evening. The number, however, wasn't so important as the faces. So many loved ones in my life came. It was simply marvelous.

Dave, Jody and Alyssa

Here are some of our first guests and neighbors,
Steve, Bruce, Dana and Nate

Dave arranged for three grills for the chicken and hotdogs. A big thanks to cousin Brian for cooking grilling for over an hour!

Here are some of the Nielsen cousins!

Dave made certain there were black and white balloons everywhere. He arranged for this cake! Delicious!

Uncle Doug!

Fav-o-right Uncle EVER!
(The Sanpete county pronunciation of "favorite" is very important here)

Dana, Nate and Merideth Hult

Steve and Ella Johnston

Ahhhh, FOOD!

My cool brother, Jeff and his beautiful wife, Nicole

Lindsay Family!

Eating and enjoying the beautiful spring weather!

Jody and Jen Johnston!

Friends

Loved the cake!

Yolanda and Dana DuJardin

After I blew out the candles, Dave asked everybody to gather around for his gift. I was shocked since I thought the party was more than enough for a present. Anyway, Dave gave me an envelope with "Southwest Airlines" on it. I opened it and saw, "Milwaukee Wisconsin" and underneath I saw "Las Vegas" so I got confused as to what my present would be! Dave then said we were going to Vegas for several days and would see some shows together. I was in shock! It was the best idea for me.

A big thanks for Dave!

My neighbor and favorite photographer, Jen Johnston, was using my camera to take pictures of everybody. Suddenly, she came outside to find me and said, "Jody, why are there 6 or so beautiful redheads in the kitchen?" I laughed and told her they were all related to my mother-in-law. She said, "I HAVE to take their picture together. Here are several of the Vanderwel girls and my mother-in-law, Barbara.

No, not the Beckams, it's the Nieportes!

There are about 50 more pictures that I could insert here but I'm out of time! Thanks to all for your sweet birthday wishes and for taking time out of your busy schedules to be with me. A special thanks goes out to Dave's mom, Barbara, for all of her help too. To anyone who Dave forgot to invite, know you are loved by the Lindsays!

Alas, I bid my 30s good-bye! Good-bye 30s! Goodbye! Thanks for being so good to me. You have filled my life with memories of 4 pregnancies, 4 births, a master's degree, as well as building and selling homes. In a nutshell, my family came to be in its entirety during my years with you.

Forward

I look forward at this point, embracing what is mine to hold for the short time it is given to me.

Forward

40s! At the end of my 40s, my oldest will have graduated from high school and I'll have two teenage sons, one of which will be able to drive. Alyssa will be 11 years old. Dave thinks he'll be bald. :)

Forward

I'm so thankful for my family, husband and loved ones. I look forward to the memories we will create together! In my 40s! :)

No more goodbyes.
Look'in forward!