Vegas, Baby!!!

Jason insisted that I do something fun to celebrate my 30th birthday, so we decided to plan a fun trip to a place we have always wanted to visit...LAS VEGAS!!! I am not a huge fan of giving people my money and getting nothing to show for it, so I was not sure if this city would be my thing, but I figured anyplace that is warm and dry in April is a place I would enjoy!!! So, we found another couple to travel with us because Jason and I don't travel together well...we are opposite vacationers because I like to just relax and he likes to go and do and see everything the place has to offer...kind of a reversal of our normal selves at home. We have found it is much more enjoyable to travel with others because usually someone wants to go and do stuff with Jason and someone else is willing to relax with me. A couple of guys that I work with happened to be planning a trip to Vegas for the same days that we were going, and since they have been there many times before, we decided to book at the same hotel...the Monte Carlo.
It was a great hotel, but after seeing all of the cool places in Vegas, I would never stay at the same hotel twice...I want to try them all! The weather was 85 and sunny the day we landed, so that evening, we had a great dinner in a restaurant with collapsable outdoor walls and went for a long walk down the strip...it was very nice and I was very excited for the coming days! The first full day, we woke up to clouds and a cold front...they stuck around for a couple of days, so I didn't get the warm weather and poolside hours I was hoping for. But, we found lots of other stuff to do:

We went to the Bellagio's Fountain Show a few times...I loved that!!!

Here we are in front of the fountain show...those drops on my shirt were not from the fountain...it rained (yes, in the desert) much of the time we were there.

We did lots of shopping, eating, and walking.

And Nicole and I saw Cirque du Soleil's 'O' which was AMAZING!

I am usually not a big gambler, but when I was waiting for Jason to quit a video poker game, I decided to throw $5 into a penny slot machine while I waited. On my first spin, I won over $100!!! I cashed it out and put it in my pocket! I did end up wasting most of it on Starbucks and Sbarro, but I was fine with that because I got something to show for it...pants that no longer fit me. Oh well. Jason, on the other hand, lost lots of money and has nothing to show for it except a pouty face every time I bring it up. I am proud to say that he got 3rd place in a Vegas Poker Tournament, but overall he ended up in the red. I think it is cute that he thought he might actually come back with more money than he had when he left...maybe next time we will have to take a drive past some of the properties of the casino owners to remind him that that is just not 'how they roll' at a casino...at the end of the day, the house ALWAYS wins! =)

We had a great trip and are already planning to go back next year...start saving now if you want to come along!