Vegas, Baby!

There's a lot to tell about our summer. It was a hot one, but we were able to enjoy it with some fun trips and time with family and friends. We had a whirlwind June with a couple back to back trips. Our family all loaded up the company car and headed to South Padre Island for our third annual CASE conference that Ryan attends for work. The Howard family joined us this year for the first time, and we had a ton of fun. Scout got her first feel and taste of the beach as well as her first dip in a real swimming pool, and Garrett held his first starfish and hermit crab. Garrett also got to hold a parrot on his shoulder and on top of a pirate hat on his head. He was a little unsure of it, but it's an experience that every good little pirate needs. We finished the trip with a visit to the sea turtle rescue, like we do every year. This time, we actually got to feed one of the turtles a piece of lettuce.
We got home in time to wash our clothes and pack everything up again to head to Vegas to meet Ryan's family. We rented a big house with a pool, and the cousins had a fabulous time. We celebrated Ryan's parents' 40th wedding anniversary, and Ryan surprised them with a Beard family Jeopardy game. Ryan went with his dad and brother to the Hoover Dam, he gambled on the strip with his mom, brother and sister, and we spent some fun family time at the children's museum, the trapeze act at Circus Circus, and of course lounging by the pool. It was a great vacation. We ended the trip with Garrett visiting the pilots in the cockpit at the end of our flight home.