We returned from Las Vegas on Friday night and all I can say is: what. a. week. It was such a crazy amazing week that we have literally spent yesterday and today at home in pjs, recuperating and reliving the full experience. Since this is the last day of vacation, I am snuggled up next to the fire and have dinner cooking in the crock pot (a new lasagna recipe) so that I can do as minimal work as possible before the normal routine of life begins again tomorrow. How on earth will I go back to that after the past seven days? LOL!
My husband teaches part-time in the Construction Management Program at MSU and for this was our fourth trip with those students he coaches to compete in the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show Residential Construction Management Competition. This time we had nine students with us and they were an absolute riot! They presented their proposal at the Las Vegas Hilton on Monday afternoon and learned they had earned First Place out of 31 total four-year schools on Wednesday night at the Awards Ceremony, making them this year’s National Champions! The students definitely deserved this honor after six long and hard months of researching, team-building, developing, and preparing for this experience. There really are no words to describe how happy all of us were about this accomplishment: it was truly the BEST part of our entire trip. Everything from the event itself and the celebration that followed was remarkable!
In addition to the excitement of the competition, we also of course enjoyed the sights of Las Vegas. Sine we had been to Vegas three years ago for the same event, and had pretty much taken in the hot spots then, this time we had a more relaxed pace. We visited a few of our favorite resorts (The Wynn, Venetian, Caesar’s, and Bellagio) and explored a couple we had not yet seen (The Cosmopolitan, Aria, and Planet Hollywood). We also had a rental car this time and were able to escape the stimulation of city life and get out to Red Rock Canyon and the Hoover Dam. One thing the hubby and I love to do is road-trip: taking in new surroundings, stopping at quaint places to eat and shop along the way, and being out in the beauty of nature is right up our alley. The weather was perfect – in the 60’s with sunshine and blue skies – and that made for great driving, hiking, and photography!
Overall, it was a fantastic experience. The hubby and I had a great time, the students were an amazing group, and we saw and did a lot throughout the days. Assuming funding comes through for the competition with the NAHB, we will be back out there again next February, and I have a feeling we’ll be taking more than students with us next time – I believe some family and friends are interested in joining and sharing in the madness with us, which would be wonderful – the more the merrier!
Until then… we’ll be basking in the glory of a National Championship and retelling stories of this awesome hilarious trip to anyone who will listen…Go Green and Viva Las Vegas!