I just got back from my spring break trip a few days ago. I've almost caught up on sleep. I haven't even started on the laundry. (So much for spring cleaning.) It was a great trip, though, and I'm glad I got out of Denver before we got more snow.

The trip started with a 17-hour drive to Phoenix, where my sister-in-law's parents live. (I went with her and a few of her friends, my brother joined us later.) I tend to enjoy fast food, but after 17 hours I couldn't take another burger if my life depended on it. (Unfortunately, there's an In-n-Out in Phoenix, and I don't get to eat there too often. So I had to make the sacrifice of eating another burger the next day.)

I was also a little uncomfortable after the ride. At the last minute, I decided to leave my pillow behind. I thought it might get dirty and I wouldn't want to sleep on it anyway. Then I woke up at one point somewhere near Flagstaff. I had such a kink in my neck I looked like someone who should be working with Frankenstein. Thankfully, I got a real bed when we got to Phoenix and eventually straightened out.

The next day we went to the Arizona Mills. It's a lot like Colorado Mills, except by the food court, instead of having those big trees they have...butterflies? I think. They were kind of weird blobs of multi-colored fabric. I'm going with butterflies. The trees are a lot more fitting with the "mills" theme, though. We spent the day after that next to the pool. The water was a little icy, but wasn't so bad once we all got in and froze together. It was also nice to get a little sun, spend some time reading. We turned on the grill for lunch. I ate another hamburger.

The next morning, we got up and drove to Las Vegas. That trip was much shorter, although we did listen to country music for most of the way. Everything just seems longer when people's hearts are breaking and their dogs are dying. At least I brought an iPod. We checked in at the hotel, and then picked up my brother at the airport. After that we went to dinner at In-n-Out...

The two days in Vegas itself are kind of a blur. We spent all of our time walking up and down and up and down the strip, trying to hit the free shows at the right time, looking for the bars with half-price drinks and a cheap buffet. My legs and feet ached for days after we left. (It probably didn't help that I spent one day in heels, though.) At one point, I sat down in front of a slot machine just for the sake of sitting. When some casino employees came by, I stuffed a dollar in, and lost it. That was actually the only money I had time to gamble!

I had a great time, though. I got to know my sister-in-law a little better, which was good. I got a little tan. I did some reading. And I think I'm good for eating hamburgers for the next month or two.