Even though we were technically gone Monday-Wednesday, Mike and I really only had 1 full day in Vegas.  We did what we could in that short amount of time - and had a great time doing it!

We got to Vegas fairly uneventfully (except having to beg TSA to not throw out my expensive face soap - I forgot about the liquid restrictions in carry-on).  We got in to Vegas around 5.30 and headed straight to the hotel.  A few people had said “eh” about Planet Hollywood, but we liked it.  Our room was huge, the bathroom was gigantic, the staff was uber-helpful, and the hotel was very clean and well-kept.  A few days before us Justin Timberlake was partying at Prive in PH, so apparently it’s up and coming.  We didn’t see anyone famous, but we did see a lot of women with drink trays, lingerie and fishnets.  Nothing special there - it’s Vegas. 

Mike, not being particularly adventurous, went to Koi with me for dinner.  I was so proud of him.  It was definitely Asian, but he loved it!  He had some weird skirt steak thing and I got a Chilean Sea Bass in an amazing chile cilantro broth.  Our waiter was hot, but a little snobby at first when I asked too many questions. He got over it and my friends from my spring trip to Vegas will be happy to know that I used chopsticks AND did not break anything with them.  Take that, Cathy!!! 

We were pretty wiped out, so we headed back to the room and went to bed. 

In the morning, Mike spoke at his conference while I enjoyd a leisurely breakfast with my book in the casino.  After I headed to the Mandara Spa at the hotel.  I had an excellent hot stone massage followed by some wicked exfoliating pedicure that remove the upper layer of my epidermis, which oddly felt wonderful.  I heard from the women working there that they are all running at around 40-50% of their usual salary, so the economy is slowly sucking everyone dry. 

Completely greasy and relaxed, I went back to the room and soaked in the bathtub til Mike got back.  We headed out for lunch and chose a cafe in Paris, where I bored Mike to tears by talking incessantly about my spring trip with my online friends and how funny they were.  I even got a little misty when I saw some girl walking around with a huge Eiffel Tower drink glass like Amanda had when we were there. 

After lunch, I did a tiny bit of shopping (my earbuds fell apart on the way in) and we headed to the pool.  The pool was great - it was on a middle level of the hotel, so we had a great view of a lot of construction and the Bellagio.  We baked outside in the balmy weather and then got ready for dinner.

We had dinner with two of the doctors involved in the conference.  I was annoying and made them explain all their medical jargon to me, and feasted on some delicious salmon and marinated mushrooms.  Unfortunately the shoesI wore weren’t really the best choice for walking, so I was nursing a big old blister during dinner. 

After dinner, we changed into more street-friendly clothes and toured the Bellagio (unfortunately I didn’t have time to recreate my favorite breakfast, including the Peach Bellini, there), watched the fountain show, and did some gambling back at the hotel.  For the first time in my life, I won something.  I was only going to be gamble with $20, because I’m such a big spender, and I ended up getting my earnings up to $86.  I immediately cashed out and felt like I’d hit the jackpot or something.  A whoppin’ $66!  I was excited.  Mike lost his $20 trying to figure out a poker machine, and by then, it was getting late. 

Our flight left at 7.25 this morning, and we were in the air most of the day.  I couldn’t wait to see the girls, and when we met up with them and my mother for dinner, we weren’t disappointed. Both girls were all over us. You’d think we’d been gone for years.  I missed them, but I also wish we had a bit longer away. It was so nice being able to relax with Mike and not worry about anything.  Vegas is still not my favorite place to go, but we both loved the mountains.  If we go again, we’ll spend more time there and less on the strip.

In the meantime, it feels good to be home.