Vegas Vacation

Thad, Wes, Jenny, Ryan, Kara, and I had a fabulous vacation in Vegas. For you readers who don't know the connections all of us have, I will fill you in. Wes and Jenny are neighbors. This is our third trip together to Vegas. Kara and I worked together for a few years at Kohls during my college days. For those of you who have worked retail (or anywhere) together, you know the fun friendships that you make. Kara also happens to be married to a fellow Thomas Edison/MHS classmate of mine. Even more coincidental is that Ryan, Wes, and I are all Edison kids and MHS 1994 grads.
We were picked up from the airport in a limo courtesy of Ryan and Kara. Then we were dropped off at our hotel, the Monte Carlo, and the fun began. First on my list: find Luis the blackjack dealer who I met last year. Jenny was told he was on vacation until Thursday night. Until then, we got to enjoy the likes of Leonardo, Sal, Ines, and Dora on my last day. There were other good ones, and a few jerks as well. The three of us stuck to Blackjack. The boys? They discovered (thanks to Thad) craps. We could hardly peel them away from the craps tables, but when we did, it was fun to have the six of us at one table.
I have learned through my trip with Erin and my mom that slots suck. You are sure to lose. At least with Blackjack, there is good conversation, many, many laughs, lots of begging, whining, and screaming. The whole casino was staring at us on Thursday night as we made quite a scene.
Anyway the rest of the trip was spent laying by the pool, drinking good drinks, eating good food, a little shopping, taking in Phantom of the Opera, and making more memories.
Some people don't like Vegas. I love it. Where else can you gamble, lay out in a guaranteed hot sunny atmosphere, fly direct from Fargo, eat great food, see lots of interesting people, AND do this at a reasonable price?
To that end, I hope that the six of us go again next year. I really enjoyed my time away from Moorhead. I find that as I get older, I appreciate these getaways more and more. Thad has said that we are definitely doing it again. So I better start saving our money...
Special thanks to my awesome sister in law Stacy for taking the two big kids for a few days. She ran them ragged at VallyFair, the Como Zoo, Chutes and Ladders, and the Splash Pad. Morgan, my dear babysitter made our escape even more memorable. There is nothing like receivng nightly texts saying my babies were sound asleep. In the mornings, I would read texts of how Brady slept all night, Olivia had been fun, and so I have already hinted that I hope she will do this again.
Now I need to shake this "I am back in town with no vacation to look forward to" funk I am in. Then again it is great to be home and back with my kids!
**It should be noted that after Phantom on Thursday night, I was giddy with excitement to see Luis (aka Superman amongst the other dealers). My heart was racing. Unfortunately, seeing him this trip was not meant to be. He was on vacation for another night. Lucky for me Sal was a stud and made our last night lots of fun!