First Visitors

 We had our first visitors to the desert last week. Dad and Brenda flew in for a week full of excitement. We worked so hard to get the house ready. It seems with a new house there is always something else that needs to be done! As you can see in the photos I tried to cut Nick's hair... I royally messed it up so the poor hair stylist had to basically buzz it! He says it actually feels great! Oh the things you do to get ready for visitors!

We were so excited to pick up the parents from the airport, show them around town and give them a tour of the house. The first night we got the new grill out and Nick whipped up some BBQ chicken. We all just chilled out and enjoyed dinner. Then we took them to CJ's by the house for frozen custard.

Thursday we jetted around town just shopping and showing the parents the area. I took them to Red Rock Harley Davidson since Brenda collects t-shirts from each Harley store... and we went to old downtown Las Vegas to pick up our show tickets and just walk around. I wanted to take Dad to Kount's Kustoms, but the line was so long and we didn't want to walk miles from the car. I like showing them the touristy things... staying away from the Strip to avoid the stereotype of Las Vegas. We don't live that life at all. I do enjoy a slot machine though!

That night we all went to the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. It was very funny! Dad figured out the killer quicker than all of us. We had a blast! Afterwards we gambled for about 30 minutes, lost $10, ya know the drill... then walked up and down the old Las Vegas part of town. I like it better than the new part even! It's vintage and so neat. I don't like all of the people trying to sell me things though. It's crazy to think where we live is so quiet and serene. Miles away is this land of lights just waiting to entertain people.

Dad and Brenda with the actors

 We hit the Lake Mead Cruise on Friday. Oh man, it was beautiful. The water is a deep blue. They took us up to the Hoover Dam and gave us a history lesson along the way. It gave Nick and I the bug for a new boat. I grew up with a boat, and we've had one off and on through the years, but I think Nick wants to get one out here one day. It's just too gorgeous!

That night we took advantage of the pool. To me being in a pool doesn't make sense if it isn't hot! It did feel good in the water though... I must admit! We had a blast just floating around and talking. We later drove Dad and Brenda down the Strip at night to see the lights. It's just a whole different world! It's beautiful and full of life. The night air felt great, too! I sure didn't want the night to end.

Brenda made us a Christmas quilt!

Brenda playing in the waterfall

We had such a nice time with the parents. I was very sad to see them leave. We host Nick's parents this week so more excitement is to come! It's so wonderful to just be surrounded by love. We don't know many people yet so we feel very warm when wrapped in our loved ones' arms. I cannot say we have anything figured out here in another state. I keep thinking it's like in Cocktail when Tom Cruise finally gets everything perfect as a bartender flipping the glasses around... yep, it isn't like that. Step by step we go. It's like we are on an adventure, but we aren't sure how long the adventure will last or what is next around the corner. It's definitely difficult, but we are figuring it out along the way. Visits by our family and friends just put a smile on our face! We can say with confidence this new place is beautiful, we have one another and God has us here for some reason!