Viva Las Vegas! See Highlights from Ryan’s Trip to Sin City [PHOTOS]

After years (and years) of talking about taking a trip out west to crown jewel of the Mojave Desert, my wife and I finally pulled the trigger and flew out to glorious Las Vegas, Nevada last week.

This was a trip we've had on our "bucket list" since we were dating many moons ago. At first we thought it would be a great way to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary, but by the time that came around we had a two-year-old and nine-month-old, so that was out.

We then thought our 10 year anniversary would be a good milestone to celebrate in Vegas, but as is often the case with couples who have children, the money wasn't there, so it moved to the back burner yet again. We did however make it to Tropicana Casino on the Evansville riverfront (it was still Casino Aztar at the time) for our 10 year, which was a smidge closer to the goal, in the same way as taking one step gets you a little closer to finishing a mile, but it wasn't quite the same.

We'll celebrate our 12 year anniversary in July, and while it's not the major milestone a 10, 15, 20, and so on is perceived to be, we had a reason to celebrate as my wife completed her Masters Degree this past May after busting her rear end for a number of years while trying to balance her job and our family. It was good enough for us, so off we went.

Seeing photos of Vegas, like those I took below, or watching a television program about Vegas doesn't quite do it the justice as seeing it in person. The enormity and dare I say, "gaudiness" of The Strip is something you can't truly appreciate until you see it with your own eyes. Let me put it this way, you could fit the equivalent of four Ford Centers on the lot of Caesar's Palace alone. And that's just one of the many hotel/casinos on The Strip.

Las Vegas is essentially a theme park where the "theme" is the Seven Deadly Sins. They're all there, Greed and Lust the obvious two, but there's certainly a place for Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Pride, and Anger as well. With that said, I definitely think it's somewhere to see at least once if you have the opportunity. Here's a few of the things I saw when I wasn't plopped down in front of a slot machine or blackjack table.