Written by Rhonda Bramell

My husband and I have just returned home from a trip to Las Vegas, which surely is the people-watching capital of the world. Even if you never lay down one single poker chip, you can be thoroughly entertained by the sights, sounds, and lights of the city. If you are from a small town, it’s doubly entertaining! We saw Chewbacca, Iron Man, that creepy kid Chucky, Hello Kitty, Barney and some break dancers out shaking their tip jars, all in one night.

This trip was purely celebratory in nature; we were there to usher in our tenth wedding anniversary. While it wasn’t our first trip to Las Vegas, we were able to do and see a few things that we hadn’t done on prior trips. As a bonus, this was our first kid-free vacation ever! Now, you know I love my children dearly, but this mama sure needed a break from the work/cook/clean/booty wiping monotony of my days. And you know what? For four whole days, we played! We didn’t have a schedule; we ate when and what we wanted, we stayed up all night and slept in most days. I even scored a half-day of alone time by the pool! Heavenly.

For me, a few of the highlights of our trip were seeing the Hoover Dam, finally catching a Cirque du Soleil show (we chose Mystere) and having a fantastic Italian dinner on The Strip. My husband might say he most enjoyed driving us in our rented sedan, down a winding, dirt “trail” made for 4 x 4’s, to a beautiful and secluded part of Lake Mead. As long as you aren’t afraid of dying in the desert, I would also recommend this surprising excursion.

Taking care of a marriage and a family is hard work, I won’t lie. And because of that, I’ve realized how important taking a break is, too. Two weeks ago, we were both burned out, cranky and tired. We have come back to the real world rested, refreshed and ready to tackle our routine again. On our return, we were greeted by the loudest squeals and happiest three faces waiting for us at the airport. It was a sweet reminder of the hours, days and years to come.

I live in Northwest Arkansas with my husband and three kiddos. I work full-time in retail marketing. In my spare time, I write at Bramell, Party of Five, where I’ve been blogging for seven years. Life with twins + 1 is a crazy, busy life but definitely provides me with lots of creative inspiration.