My vacation to the southwest part of the States was amazing. Las Vegas is just totally different and I think that everyone should see it, even if they don't gamble. You don't have to be a gambler to walk around and look at all the different casinos and sights. Each casino has its own theme so they're all different and there's tons to see in each one. While in Vegas we went to see Cirque du Soleil, Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum, The National Geographic's 50 best photos, went up the Eiffel Tower, had lunch in Venice, went to Carnivale, and tons of other things. The weather was extremely hot, but no hotter than what I'm used to in the UAE. That doesn't mean I was comfortable walking around, it just means it was easier for me than for Amy, Mom, and Dad. I do have to say that Mom did an excellent job of enduring the heat (it is hardest for her) she explored the sights of Las Vegas even when it was sweltering with temps in the 100s. The best part of my time in Vegas was the night that Amy and I walked around; it's just completely different at night with everything all lit up. It truly is the "city that never sleeps." I also really enjoyed the National Geographic exhibit; lots of amazing pictures and stories to go with them.Although we were stationed on "The Strip" at the Excalibur, we took many side trips to surrounding areas. We went to the Hoover Dam, Death Valley, and Red Rock Canyon; all of which were spectacular.
The Hoover Dam is an amazing piece of construction. I can't believe it was all constructed in the 30s and it is still fully operational today! We took a tour of the inside of the dam and got to see the generators and hear about the history and how it all works. It's just an amazing feat and so much power! The views of the Colorado River and Lake Mead (the largest man made lake in the country) were fabulous. The newly constructed bridge that connects NV to AZ is also another awesome accomplishment. It spans the Colorado River and is only connected to the rocks on the NV and AZ side, nothing in the middle. A sight to see!
Death Valley is incredibly barren and beautiful! Although it's a desert, it's not the desert that I'm used to. There is no sand, and definitely no camels! Just rocks, cacti, and a few bushes. And despite the fact that it is so empty I was in awe with its beauty; tons of rock formations made a lovely backdrop for the desolate landscape. Due to the heat (120 degrees) and being cramped in our tiny rental car, we did not make it through the entire park, but we did get to 100 feet below sea level and Furnace Creek which is the sight of the hottest recorded temperature (134 degrees) in the country. It was cool to see the signs that posted the elevation throughout the park. I'm not sure what the exact elevation was when we started but it was neat to watch the numbers go down to sea level and below.
Red Rock Canyon was another area with beautiful rock formations. The colors were absolutely stunning, there were reds, browns, and yellows all on the rocks. It was a wonderful drive, and walk, through the park looking at all the various rock formations. 
After our stay in Las Vegas we piled into our miniature (OK not really, but we all are really tall so it felt like it was miniature!) rental car and made the 4 hour trip to the Grand Canyon. I am so glad that we did! What a stunning and breath taking sight! All I can say is that the pictures don't really do it justice, you just have to go and see it for yourself. It's magnificent! A huge hole in the ground that is full of color, shapes, bends, and curves. What a spectacular part of God's creation! With the risk of being totally redundant (which I already have been) I'll say it just once more; it's amazing! That first look at the Canyon just took my breath away and I will definitely go back. I would love to ride a donkey down to the bottom of the Canyon and camp followed by rafting on the Colorado River. Although the weather did not fully cooperate (monsoon rains at night, which prevented us from seeing a majestic sunset) we had a great time and did get to see a partial sunset. The sunset that we did see was fantastic; it just lights the rocks on fire! Totally worth standing in the freezing cold wind to see!
Leaving the Grand Canyon behind us we ventured on to Sedona to see some more of rock formations. Sedona is known as red rock country and it is beautiful. There are tons of aptly named rock formations that we were able to drive to and more that we saw from a distance. It was fun trying to match the picture in the book to the one that we were looking at. It became a game trying to guess the name of the rock formation that we were seeing, while Amy searched for it in her book. Amy and I spent the afternoon walking around the town buying souvenirs and taking in the sights while Mom and Dad rested at the hotel. The monsoon rains came that night while we were waiting for them to show up for dinner, but it was still a great day!After spending the night in Sedona we made the drive back to Vegas so we could be close to the airport for our early Saturday morning departure. This time we stayed in downtown Vegas and discovered that a totally different class of people visits that part of Vegas. We stayed at the Golden Nugget and had dinner at The D, where we all enjoyed coney dogs and fries! After dinner Amy and I walked around outside for a bit while we waited for the light show, but the monsoon rains followed us to NV and we presumed the show would be rained out so we walked back to the hotel and packed up before calling it a night.
With our southwest adventures done, we arrived back in MI to plan Amy's 40th birthday party. Unfortunately the monsoon rains followed us to MI and it was rainy and cold the day of her party. We had a good time and she was thoroughly surprised to see her friends there, even though we couldn't enjoy Ann's new patio set.
July ended and August began with Amy and I taking Alexa and Mason to Michigan's Adventure and a few different Lake Michigan beaches. Michigan's Adventure was a lot of fun, despite the rain in the morning. We bought ponchos and then it stopped so we were able to enjoy the rest of the day rain-free! Alexa and Mason loved the rides, but I think they had more fun at the water park. They both went down many different water slides and played in the wave pools. Amy and I froze while walking in the water with them, but we had a good time. I will definitely take the kids back! The highlight of the trip was the days at the beach. Although the weather wasn't the best beach weather, it didn't rain so we went and splashed in freezing cold Lake Michigan. I loved it! Alexa and Mason loved jumping over the waves and splashing in the lake. They spent a good deal of time playing in the sand as well as climbing sand dunes. In addition to spending time at the beach we went on a dune buggy ride. Mason had a blast and I didn't get sick at all; so very different from the dune bashing in Dubai! We opted out of taking a walk on the pier in Ludington due to the fact that the kids were really tired, so we just got ice-cream and watched the sunset. Three days at the beach and the kids were great the whole time! Mason wanted to go back to the beach today and if I had my way I would have taken him!!I am totally enjoying my summer and am so thankful I get to spend it with my amazing family! As much as I miss my friends in Al Ain and Dubai I am really not ready to go back at all:( I have 2 1/2 more weeks left and I am going to soak up every minute of it. I am headed to North Carolina tomorrow to spend some time with friends there and then back to my family for one more week then it's back to Al Ain for my last year. I'm working on updating my resume so I can start applying for jobs for the 2014-2015 school year so if you hear of any openings please pass them along to me. I'm ready to settle down somewhere closer to family.
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