wickness can be happiness

so you know what's awesome? having rich family members. because then you can mooch off them and not feel guilty like you would friends. not that my family members are [ok... 3/8 are] but my brother formally was. for mother's day he got my mom two tickets to wicked so we went with his girlfriend and her mother.

the smith center is a new venue in vegas and is quite the dealio. now you salt lakeans, you think plays and fancy art exhibits are a dime a dozen. not so here- we may have holly madison and the chippendales, so really, some classy stuff but we've been waiting for a long time for some culture. i've been anticipating this for over two years so i was beyond ecstatic that my mom selected her favorite daughter, me, to join her.

okay okay, i may not be the favorite daughter but i'm defiantly in the four. two live in utah, two have already seen it and only one was in vegas. so booya. long live the mooching. 

 we started off our night by going to some fancy [and by fancy i mean reservations needed but not required] place. really, it wasn't fancy but it was different. a nice italian place downtown by the courts. delicious alfredo sauce- disgusting house dressing. and even better chocolate dessert. the best part was spending time with my mom - she's been out of town a lot helping my grandad [he's had cancer for years and recently been really sick] so it was nice to catch up. again, i'm her favorite. we honestly spend a lot of time together. it's nice being friends with your mom.

 the smith center is downtown and had a unique view of downtown las vegas aka the place tourists never go to anymore. luckily parking was quite easy considering how big it was.

 the architecture really reminded me of the temple - with all the marble. such a gorgeous and expensive building. took many years to make. fun fact: my brother the iron worker who supplied such tickets helped build it so when it was completed, he and his girlfriend got to attend a free show there. pretty spectacular.

 this gorgeous art exhibit was right outside the center - it is supposed to resemble a song in art. i can't remember the song - or the artist. but a pretty backdrop. isn't my mom gorgeous?

 outside was a beautiful green "garden" aka a piece of lawn [which is rare for vegas] with some cool art sculptures, including a huge heart for some charity that i really should remember bc its a big one... it also had statutes of famous rich people that made it possible. thank you old rich people.

 this is my brother's gf angie and her mom. she was suffering from a cold that night but still looked stunning. my brother has had quite his bit of hoes so it's nice he's found one that's of finer quality then the traditional tramp stamp kind he used to like.

 the inside architecture took it's inspiration from the hoover dam - from the shapes and designs and even the statue of the angel. it reminded me of a 50's angel. pretty amazing. i just wanted to wander and look for hours.

 the top floor balcony aka where the smokers got their kicks out had a great view of downtown las vegas at night. made me wish my sailor was there so i could get my romantic snuggle on.

 this was an amazingly scary stairwell that looked down to the bottle floor. kinda reminded me of the rlds temple back east that i went to after college graduation. i was terrified i'd drop my iphone down this.

 we were on the 3rd floor up in the back row. as far as placement, not so awesome. but the smith center is super advanced and has special features that allow for great viewing and listening where ever you are seated. i could put in some awesome facts here but i'm too lazy. but it was great.

 oh and here was the toilet, to which i consider the real mark of a great building. it wasn't anything to squawk at. i've seen better.

in all it was such an amazing experience. my poor mom had JUST come back from a long trip to utah and was so tired- and honestly can't see or hear like she used to, so she missed most of the show. broke my heart- on the way home i had to give her a play by play of what happened. i just love my mom so it was a great time to spend together. the songs were amazing and every performer acted their hearts out.

oh and what did my boys do while i was away?? justin took landon to his first football game- a bulldogs one at our alma mater. he was so enthralled he couldn't peel his eyes away.