Now that's out of the way, here's how our first day in Vegas at the Show went down.

- It looks like LED lights are gaining traction in the energy efficiency market -- and why not? One fixture at the Seagull Lighting booth touted a lifespan of 35,000 hours! We also found out that using LED lighting is more than just replacing bulbs. If you really want to do it right, you'll need to replace the receptacles -- and sometimes even the switches, as well.

- Kolbe Windows & Doors took some time to show us some of their new products for universal design. They demonstrated their latest line of windows with easy-to-use crank handles, as well as automated opening systems and doors with built-in wheelchair ramps that make it easy for folks with disabilities to make adjustments.

- Brian and I ran across an interesting decking product called DryJoist. It's an aluminum framing/rainshelter system that replaces the wooden joists in a deck. It reduces the need for wooden deck framing, thus increasing the headroom space below the deck, and once it's installed, there's no need to add any additional ceiling work under the deck.

- Brian spent some time in the HGTV booth chatting with Steven Ribeiro with Aldeia Development in Independence, Oregon. He's several months away from completing a project in Oregon that he hopes will one day be the highest LEED rated project ever.

In addition to these highlights, we saw other folks -- some old friends as well as some new faces -- and set up some video sessions to help answer some of those questions you sent us before the trip. Tomorrow, we'll see about answering a few of those questions in our blog post.

But please feel free to shoot us any other questions that are on your mind about IBS.