Las Vegas, Part Deux!

I'm a little behind, but I thought I'd finish the story of our Las Vegas Weekend!

On Saturday, we went back to Fashion Show Mall for a while and while our guy friend got haircut, My best friend and I went into Neiman Marcus and gawked and designer dresses, and even tried a couple on! (We only tried on the under $400 ones for free we might do something stupid. Anyone who knows me knows my willpower and designer dresses don't go well together.) After walking through the Prada, Badgley Mishka, Gucci, and Versace areas I asked if they had a Vera Wang section, but alas I was out of luck. So, money was saved!

We then made our way to the Forum Shops at Caesers Palace. I drooled in the windows at La Perla, Versace, Jimmy Choo, and Harry Winston (WOW!) and we watched the free (thank God we didn't pay for this) fountain show where the statues "come to life". It was some of the WORST animatronics and lighting I've ever seen. I mean, I know it was free, but come on! This is Vegas!! I expected spectacle and impressive technical elements. Not so much. Chuck E. Cheese as this show beat!

We then went to the Burger Bar for lunch at Mandalay Bay (YUM!!) and checked out the lion habitat at MGM Grand. I love those lions! I want one, but I know that's just crazy talk...

That night we saw another show- the Crazy Horse Paris at MGM Grand. I knew this was going to be a Vegas Naked girls show which I was fine with, but I was a little disappointed. SOme of it was really great, the girls were pretty and danced well but I thought I would be more impressed by it. I thought it would be more seductive than it was or something. I can't quite figure out what it was missing. I guess some of it was just that the theatrics weren't as impressive as the night before at Ka, who knows...

After the show we made our way doen the strip to see the volcano explode at the Mirage (Very cool, and also free) and then we made it to the 11:30 performance of the Sirens of TI at Treasure Island. Now, I saw this show when I was there for my honeymoon, so I knew exaclty what to expect. I told my friends to be ready for some major Las Vegas cheese, but I think they were surprised at just how cheesy this show was! I mean, some of the lyrics include "You take a whole lot of sugar and little bit of honey and you shake it, shake it up!" It's NSync dancing meets pirates...go figure, but it was still fun.

We definitely made the most of our last night in town staying out at the casinos until 4am! We didn't win big unfortunately but we had a great time. We slept for about 4 hours before getting up and heading to the airport Sunday morning. We flew over and got a great view of the Grand Canyon on the way home so that was pretty cool as well.

We had such a fun trip and the 3 of us are already talking about making another group trip somewhere. Maybe Atlantic City?!? Who knows!!

AFter getting back to Memphis Sunday night I met up with the hubby and we headed straight to the Ostrander Awards where he was nominated for best lighting design for "Oklahoma!" Neither of us really expected him to win but we were pleasantly surprised when he did! It was a great night and a great chance to say goodbye to so many people at once. The theatre community in Memphis is definitely a part of our family and our history so we were very glad we were there.

More on Vegas

Now that things have calmed down and we are settling into our new home (posts forthcoming) I thought I'd update you on Vegas! I went with my two best friends from college and it was so great to be able to spend some time with them before the big move!

We arrived Thursday night and made it to our hotel (the Encore) in one piece. After putting our things down we went in search of food and ate at ZoozaCrackers in the Wynn. Wynn and Encore are "sister" properties and are connected by a shopping area. Having been to Vegas before I got to experience some of the sights and sounds but staying on the strip was a bit crazy! I mostly got caught up in taking pictures of all the designer stores- Hermes, Chanel - it was CRAZY!!!

On Friday we went to the Fashion Show Mall since one of my friends lost some of his luggage in the cargo hold. His suitcase "came open" and shorts, sandals, and shirts were lost. Boo! We hit Macy's and he got some replacement stuff. Next stop was lunch at the Mirage- California Pizza Kitchen- YUM! I had never been there before even though it's a chain and it was really good pizza!

After a bit of gambling we went back to the hotel and got changed for a Cirque show that night- Ka. I already saw Ka when I was there for my honeymoon but it was still so amazing the second time around. I'm pretty sure I could wath this show a million times and not tire of it. Everything about it is beautiful- the story, the set, costumes, lights, and the performances! I felt like a bit of a theatre dork, but oh well! I can't put into words exactly how this show makes me feel about theatre. It makes me want to do it forever and not because of the spectacle but just because of the magic they can create. If you ever have the chance to see it, GO! Run, do not walk!! Truly Beautiful!

After the show we hopped on the Deuce (the double decker bus on the strip) and went to the Bellagio to watch the fountains. There are some great free things on the strip and this is one of them. There are also some pretty lame free things on the strip, but I digress...

I'll put Saturday and Sunday into another post because I am tired and think I'm going to bed a bit early tonight. The hubby started his new job today and he had a long but good first day. I woke up early with him and made him breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice) to get him going. Now we both must sleep!

Vegas Baby!!

Well I survived my second trip to Vegas! I want to write all about it, but will save that for when I am settled and not in the middle of the move. Here are the quick facts:

1. No one got hitched.

2. No one got divorced.

3. No one went to jail.

So depending on how you look at it, it was a very successful trip to Sin City or a total failure!!

Overwhelming

There is so much to do and so little time!! I'm not even sure where to start! I've reserved our Penske truck for the move and I've tagged most of the yard sale stuff. I am hoping that after the sale on Saturday I'll be able to get a better grasp on what needs to be boxed up for the move! I'm also in the process of trying to get my cats more comfortable with the idea of being in the car. Cleo actually went for a ride the other day and did pretty well. She was vocal, but she was ok. Rosco however is scared to even go outside much less get in the car! We have an appointment with the vet next week to get them some calming meds for the trip. I hate to drug them but I would hate even more for them to be completely miserable!

It's weird because we leave on Sept. 1st so it seems like I have some time to get things done but when I looked at my calendar I actually only have about 3 days. I'm going to Vegas with friends next weekend and I am working full time all the way through Thursday, not to mention my part time job at the Fairfield Inn (there go my evenings!)...

So, I am feeling like I don't know how to get it all done. I need a checklist and more hours in the day would be great! The hubby has been working late for the last couple of weeks but he'll have a bit more time now to help which will also be a big help. It's easier to stay motivated when you have someone to keep you going!!

The good news is that we found a really cute townhouse in Pennsylvania!! It's 2 bedrooms and the kitchen looks REALLY nice!! So now it's time to get us there and get settled! Wish us luck!! The adventure continues!

Taking Flight

I don't get to travel much. Until June of this year I have flown a total of 3 times, in my entire life! Between June and the end of this month I will have doubled the number of flights I've taken.

In June I flew to California for my cousin Kimmy's funeral. It was a horrible reason to fly anywhere and the worst reason to finally get back to see my family there. However, it was a beautiful celebration of her life and it actually turned out to be a pretty decent trip in the long run. I got to spend more time with my aunts, uncles and cousins than I have in a very long time. And I even got to go to my first major league baseball game with a friend from Memphis that is now living in Long Beach. The best part of the trip however was getting to spend some real time with my cousins. I'm the youngest of all the cousins and despite the fact that we are all grown adults now, I always felt a little bit like the kid in the room. This trip sort of changed that in a lot of ways though. My two female cousins and I became a bit inseparable while we were there. We had so much fun and laughed and told stories about Kimmy and just really bonded. We decided that the three of us need to find a time and place to go on a trip together. I know it would be a blast and I really hope we find a way to make it happen.

In July, I was flown to Amherst, MA for a job interview. This was interesting because I was traveling alone to a place where I had no friends or family. Usually I hate going out to eat alone and not having someone to share an experience with, but this was totally different. It was a quick trip but very empowering in a way. I won't talk about the interview here because I don't think a blog is the proper place for such things. I will talk about how great it was to be somewhere completely unknown and in a part of the country I've never visited. The town was adorable and everyone was very friendly.I think what I liked the most though was that I was completely alone, but felt totally safe and comfortable walking around on my own, even at night. I ate in adorable restaurants (Had the BEST pizza ever at Antonio's) and looked in adorable shops in Amherst Center. Who knows, maybe this is where my next adventure in life will unfold!!

Next up, I'm going to Las Vegas at the end of the month! This is purely a fun trip with two friends from college. I've been to Vegas once before, on my super awesome honeymoon, and am looking forward to going back. It will be a ton of fun with friends and hopefully we will all leave with some money and unmarried for them, still married for me! Ha! I'll keep you posted on how the trip goes, even if What Happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there!