Last Friday was Jeff’s 30th birthday, and I knew I had to plan something pretty cool for it. Turning 30 deserves a little fanfare! So…a surprise Vegas vacation was right in order.

I’m horrible with secrets – especially withholding them from someone I see every day – so the few weeks leading up to the day were tough. Finally, on our drive home from work on Friday, I gave Jeff a birthday card that held his flight boarding pass. While he recovered from the shock, we drove straight to the airport (I had sneakily packed our suitcases earlier that morning) and we were off to Sin City!

Vegas baby!

Surprise #2: His brother Rob and his wife Amy flew in from Chicago to join us in Vegas. Unfortunately, that surprise went a little awry when the Wynn front desk clerk said, “So you’re checking in for two rooms?” and didn’t get my edgy “No, ONE room” before saying, “It shows a Robert Krass in your other room – he already checked in.” Argh. Still, Jeff was so happy to have Rob and Amy there, and we spent our first night up until the wee hours of the morning gambling at the fabulous Wynn casino.

The rest of the weekend was a whirlwind, as all Vegas trips are. This time of year, it’s a little chilly, so we didn’t roam around outside all that much. Some of the highlights:

• The gun range! Rob had a uniquely-Rob idea for us to hit American Shooters to blast some guns. Most of us never picked up a gun before, but we spent a couple hours sharing an M4 – surprisingly a lot of fun. Quote of the night: “It’s like holding a baby” – Rob describing the gun’s barely-there recoil to get Amy to try it.
• The Michael Jackson Immortal Cirque du Soleil show at Mandalay Bay. We bought last-minute tickets, and as we searched for our seats an usher asked if we wanted to move to better seats on the floor. Score! Unfortunately I got yelled at for taking photos so you can’t see for yourself, but we were so close to the action we could see the performers’ faces, clear as day. (Recent update: I just read Brad, Angelina and their crew were at the same show! Small world.)
• Food. Yum. On Saturday, we at lunch at Strip Burger, and for lunch, Strip Steak. (Totally unrelated restaurants.) Both were DELICIOUS. So was the Wynn buffet, which we all had comped from our players’ club points.
• We also visited the newly-remodeled Nike Las Vegas in the Caesers Palace shops, watched the Lions in the Wynn Sports Book, and drank a lot of cheap beer. Oh, and Jeff saw Eva Longoria in the Las Vegas airport. 🙂

It sure was a memorable weekend – thanks to Rob and Amy for joining in the fun, Lindsay and Daniel for watching Mr. Coop, and happy birthday to the best husband EVER. He deserved every minute of it.

Grabbing a drink at the Wynn’s M Bar at about 2 a.m. in the morning

Our home for two days

Our actual home for two days

Nighttime view from our room

A late lunchtime beer at Strip Burger (just across from our hotel)

Rob picking out our weapon at American Shooters

Rob and Amy watching Jeff in the shooting range

I didn’t do half bad!

The proud birthday boy at American Shooters

Posing near the Wynn’s crazy flower forest before dinner

Real flowers!

Getting ready for a stellar dinner at Strip Steak

The beginning of the Michael Jackson Immortal show – right before I got yelled at

Enjoying our comped buffets Sunday at the Wynn

The Wynn’s Sports Book – where we caught the first half of the Lions’ game

Goodbye, Vegas! We had a lovely time.