Las Vegas

Okay, so there is so much to talk about. Paul and I just returned from a fabulous and much needed little vay-cay to Las Vegas. Oooooh, it was all sorts of loveliness. It was a nice break from Belle and a chance for Paul and I to focus on each other.

I know Vegas might not be the first place people would choose to visit, but it was a great time. Paul and I did a little gambling (and I won $320 on penny slots in my first day!), saw some amazing shows, and ate a lot of good food. Vegas doesn't have tobe full of sin and havoc unless you want it to be.

So, where to start? First, the shows. We went to see Blue Man group first. This was Paul's first choice and I am glad we were able to go. They were hilarious and the show was very interactive. The only downside was that we missed part of the show because we went to the late showing (which would have been 1am Michigan time). We decided to take a quick 5 minute nap after dinner before heading to the theater, and ended up waking up during the time the show was happening! We booked it to the theater and made it for all of the good parts (according to Paul). Thank goodness we didn't miss all of it! Darn time change!

The other show we saw was Ka by Cirque du Soleil. Out of control amazingness! There were seriously times that I was in awe that what I was watching was actually happening. The stage tilts and flips and turns and half the time it looked like it was floating in mid air. In all honesty, I can't begin to explain what this show was like. All I can say is that you have to see it to believe it.

Other than shows, Paul and I ate A TON and I ended up with stomachaches most nights from stuffing my face. Grossness, but sooooo good. Food in Vegas is very expensive, but we decided the splurge was worth it.

So, now that I have spent 4 days in Vegas, I have decided to give you my top 10 pieces of advice. I really don't have much to go on, but I asked for advice before we left and found it to be helpful, so I am passing on my words of wisdom for travelling to Vegas. Here it is:

1. NEVER pay full price for a show. Now, you have you be willing to give up some of your vacation time to listen to a shpeel on time shares, but you save loads of money on show tickets.

2. Be sure to check out the free shows offered on the strip. This would include the fountains at the Bellagio, shows at Treasure Island, and the Conservatory at the Bellagio. I am sure there are millions more, but these are the ones we saw.

3. Wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in. The first night I decided to sacrifice comfort for style and greatly regretted it. By the end of the night I was walking barefoot in Vegas and holding a pair of clunky wedges. The rest of the time I opted for my flip flops and although it wasn't sexy, it was comfortable and Paul thought I was cute anyway.

4. Related to number 3....be ready to walk. There is no such thing as getting anywhere fast! We bought monorail tickets. This saved Paul from a very crabby and tired wife.

4. Splurge on at least one nice meal. Most of the food in Vegas is expensive, but take one meal to really let loose and not look at the prices. I tend to be major cheap, so this was good for me to realize that it is okay to just spend money on frivolous things sometimes.

5. Go to the Jean Philippe chocolate place in Bellagio and buy one of the beautiful pastries. Below are pics of what we got. So yummy.

6. Play penny slots, but be careful because some of them make you bet more than a penny! As long as you are gambling you get free drinks, so we did the penny slots to get a free drink here and there without feeling like we were totally giving away our money.

7. If you are from the Midwest, expect to be exhausted by 8pm. Oh my goodness. Paul and I could hardly stay awake during some of our dinners. We smartened up and took a nap on Friday, so this helped us last a bit long in the evenings for dinners and shows.

8. Be prepared to see a lot of girls in short skirts. Skirts so short that you can see their bum-cheeks. To top it off, these said girls wear 50 inch heels. Not kidding, at lunch on Saturday I was staring at a girl in line at a deli and I saw her butt. Seriously, the bum-cheeks were hanging out (obviously not wearing full coverage undies) and I couldn't figure out why she wasn't vigorously pulling on the bottom of her skirt to cover herself. Goodness, I am old...or just appalled at how some girls will dress for attention. I know I used to show some cleavage and belly in my day, but this was beyond okay.

9. Men on the street are not handing you something you want to see. Pass by without looking, or do what I do and tell them that the man they are handing pictures of naked women to is your husband and he doesn't need a girl at his room in 20 minutes because he is married and prefers to stay away from STDs.

10. Lastly, it is worth checking out each hotel. They are sites to seem in themselves. Walking around kept us occupied for hours.

So, overall, the trip was amazing. Paul and I had so much fun together and it was a much needed break from the everyday life. Now, I was ready to get back to my girl, but it was nice to take time to focus on just the two of us. Enjoy the pics!

MMMM, BEST chocolate ever

The Venetian

Cheese and Wine at a French Restaurant

Paul still trying to figure out why he paid $7 a beer at the pool.

Gondola Rides

Don't mind the billboard in the background...

Half of our room. It was HUGE!