Vegas: A Birthday Celebration!

       Driving from Flagstaff to Las Vegas is more desert-driving. After a couple hours of nothing to see, Ben saw a billboard. As he switched lanes and excitedly got off an exit, I wasn't sure what to expect. Five minutes later, we pulled up to an alpaca farm in the middle of nowhere. (FYI - I jokingly asked Ben if we could go to an alpaca farm in Albuquerque by saying, "Please? Come on, Dad! The kids want to go see alpacas!" He laughed, and then I put the brochure down and we went and did other awesome things... like go on the Sandia Peak Tramway.)
       You're probably asking something like, "Why did you go to an alpaca farm?!" or, "What IS an alpaca farm?!" to which I have to say: Why not? When you're in the middle of the desert, this was like a little slice of heaven!
       These animals are hilarious... and soft, but mostly hilarious. The man who owns the farm went on about a 20 minute description of the rarity and pureness of alpaca wool, while I just silently giggled to myself. As soon as he turned around, we took pictures like this (yes, I even memed myself)...

       Finally, we stopped making silly detours and arrived at my sister's house in Vegas. We had a card, balloons, gifts, and picked up cake to celebrate her birthday. My sister, being the phenomenal cook that she is, insisted on making us dinner. We celebrated the evening and had a great time watching the season finale of our guilty-pleasure TV show, sitting around the fire pit in her backyard, and laughing hysterically. Times with Michelle and Jon are always SO MUCH FUN. The good news? They'll only be a short direct flight away soon!

       On to our next stop: Bakersfield, CA!