In Search of My Body vol.9 - I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

[goofyfan-12]

The long awaited Vegas trip report is here…
My family and I were heading to Vegas for my friend Tom’s wedding. Tom is my closest friend from college and we have known each other for almost 20 years now. We are quite close even though we don’t see each other more than a few times a year. He is close to my family as well and is kind of like the big brother I never had at this point. To quote his brother – I am his longest female relationship to date. Of course I believe this is because we never actually dated but that is a story for another time. For now, he is about to be married to a wonderful woman named Laura that I just adore. She makes him happy and he does the same for her. They are truly wonderful together and I couldn’t be more thrilled for them both.
Day 1 – Let’s go to Vegas!
After spending most of the night before packing (can we say my suitcase was a hot mess and weighed 48 pounds – hello overpacked…) we were up and out early to get to the airport for our flight. No problems with check in and soon we were Vegas bound via Baltimore. The flight was long, but uneventful. Soon we were on the shuttle heading to our hotel – the Green Valley Resort and Casino. A few pics of the room, the view and the beautiful pool area complete with a vineyard…

We were all starving so we ate at the hotel’s buffet so my dad could enjoy the Alaskan king crab legs. He was one happy camper that night. We wondered off to the pool area to check things out and talked to Tom’s parents, sister and nieces for a bit before heading back indoors to crash. Oh – can I just say how hot it is out there. The temps averaged in the 97 – 107 degree range. Despite the fact that it is dry and not humid it still feels like you are walking into an oven when you walk outside. Metal items like hand rails, door handles and such can actually burn your hand if you are not careful. Oh and there was not a cloud in the sky the entire time we were there so it was beyond bright out. Sunglasses and sunscreen were an absolute must have out there!

 

[goofyfan-12]

Day 2 – No rest for the weary…
Woke up at 6:30 AM their time which was closer to 9:30 AM east coast time so I guess you can say I slept in. Off to meet my parents for breakfast at the hotel’s pancake house. OMG was this place yummy! The portions were beyond huge, but the food was so good. Mom had potato pancakes one morning and I had a german pancake one morning that were both to die for. And I’m wondering where the 1.8 pound gain came from.
After spending the day poolside where we were doted on by Sandy our wonderful cocktail waitress, we would hop in the pool to cool off and then head for the louge chairs to read. Back and forth we went for the better part of the day. After lunch poolside (I felt like Erika at her pool club) we cleaned up and headed for the Strip. First stop was at Bill’s Gambling Hall to see ‘Big Elvis’. I don’t have pictures of this guy but he had to weigh a solid 400 pounds and was dressed like Elvis. The thing is, when he sang, he sounded just like Elvis! It was strange. He sang a few of our favorites (mom is a big Elvis fan and I do enjoy ‘Suspicious Minds’) we were off to our next stop – Caesar’s Palace.

After wandering through the casino (which you have to do to get anywhere in these hotels), we found our way to the Forum Shoppes which is their version of a mall. Of course the stores there include Fendi, Tiffany’s, Dolce and Gabbana and Dior to name a few. We decided to have dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago as we had eaten there before and loved it.

The food was amazing!!!! I split a Caprese salad with my sister that was made with heirloom tomatoes and freshly made mozzerella cheese. It was so yummy! My entrée was pasta bolognaese and it was simply delicious. We all left very happy and continued to praise Wolfgang Puck for the remainder of the trip. Mom and Dad went to gamble a little while Donna and I checked out the shops. We stopped at the Apple store and played with the ipad for a little while. I actually reserved a rental car while I was ‘playing’ that I would pick up the next morning, but shoosh – don’t tell them that… We then checked out some baubles at Tiffany’s and headed for the Michael Kors store to check out a bag I had seen in a magazine. The folks in there couldn’t have been nicer and I felt guilty leaving without buying anything, but this purchase was not in my budget. Little did I know I would soon find myself back in this store…
From Caesar’s we were off to the Bellagio to check out the fountain show. On the way we stopped and tooks some pictures in their shopping gallery of some hot air balloons…

Then we went outside to catch the dancing fountains in the lagoon. We had seen these on a previous trip, but they are always fun to watch.

From here, we hopped a cab to Freemont Street for a little ‘old vegas’ experience.
The big screen that runs overhead is the largest screen in the country and they do shows on it. We saw Queen’s We Will Rock You which was a blast.

At this point, we were all exhausted so we cabbed it back to the hotel and crashed for the night.

 

[goofyfan-12]

Day 3
Up again by 6:30 which was no fun having gotten to bed at 12:30! Breakfast at the Pancake House again (yum) and then I was off to the gym while the family hit the pool area. I had wanted to rent a bike and bike through the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area but decided that it was just to darn hot for me to attempt that. It was expected to hit 107 on Saturday and I didn’t feel like getting heat stroke so I opted for the air conditioned gym at the hotel with the spin bikes. I had packed my gear and my shoes so I was good to go. Got in a good hour of pedalling while watching college football on TV. It felt great to stretch my legs out and burn some calories.
Soon it was time for Donna and I to head for the Strip to pick up the rental car and do a little exploring. Mom and Dad decided to hang at the hotel for the day. We would catch up with them later as we had tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Pallazzo that night. While on the Strip, Donna and I checked out the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. It was a nice exhibit of fish and sharks and we even got to see this guy:

He seems cute, but too bad he can kill you…
Picked up the car and we were off. Donna wanted to go back to Caesar’s as she had seen a purse in the Michael Kors shop that she had to have. Soon we were at the valet and back in the shop. One of the guys working there remembered us from the night before and basically broke out into a happy dance when my sister said she was buying the bag. They couldn’t have been nicer in there. Anything we wanted we could have (water, snacks, etc). They even remembered what bag I was looking at and still wondered why I wasn’t buying it. Donna left very happy and we were off to check out the new City Center.
This is a complex of condos, shops and a hotel / casino that is meant to be a city within the city of Vegas. Architecturally, it is very modern and boasts some world class architects amongst its design team. It was pretty cool, but felt a little out of place on the strip to me. I’ll let you be the judge though. The first few pics are of the strip with the last one of City Center.

From there we headed back to our hotel to change and pick up mom and dad for the show. The Venetian and the Pallazzo are linked and are themed to be Italian. They are gorgeous hotels that cost billions to build. The Grand Canal is so close to the real Grand Canal in Venice that it is freaky. We saw Jersey Boys which is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The show was amazing and I highly recommend that you go see it if you have the chance. It is funny, sad and uplifting all at the same time. After the show we had a somewhat uneventful dinner at Emeril’s attempt at a sports bar while watching the UNLV – Wisconsin football game. Wisconsin fans were everywhere on the strip (an estimated 7000 fans travelled to the game) so we were rooting for the Badgers who won the game by the score, but tied it in the sportsbooks given the 20 point spread that they had over UNLV. After dinner we headed for the MGM Grand to try and find these old progressive slot machines to play. We never did find them, but man the people watching. There used to be a time when you could tell the difference between a lady of the night and a girl out for the night by the way she dressed - not anymore! I think my washcloth had more material than some of the dresses I saw that night. It made me feel incredibly old and prudish to be there. Oh and the heels. These girls were attempting to walk in 6” platforms. I say attempting beause they were either too drunk to walk or just couldn’t walk in their heels. Can we say ridiculous? They guys weren’t much better as they all looked like they just stepped off the set of the Jersey Shore with Snooki. It was a sight and we soon left the pretty people to party the night away while we slept.

 

[goofyfan-12]

Day 4 – Wedding Day!
Up early again, but this time the family went to the buffet for breakfast and I checked in with Tom. He had been wrapped up trying to get everyone settled that I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him other than quick hellos here and there. He needed a hand picking up some replacement tux pieces and some supplies from the store so I hung out with him and ran errands. He was a bundle of nerves, but not about getting married. He was totally cool with that, but couldn’t turn off his trip planner mode in order to enjoy it. When we got back to the hotel, we gathered his things from their ginormous suite and then hung out in my room while we waited for his brother to get back to the hotel. With a glass of scotch in hand, he started to relax while talking to me and my family in the room. Soon, I was carrying tuxes and escorting him to his brother’s room (so that he wouldn’t run into the bride). A big hug for luck and I was off to get ready. Have to admit that I got a bit weepy on the walk back to my room. I was just so happy for him, but a part of me was sad since I knew that this would likey change our relationship a bit. They were happy tears for the most part though.
Soon enough, we were gussied up and off to the car to go to the wedding chapel at the Mandalay Bay hotel. Tom and his family were ahead of us so we travelled in one big pack. The chapel was quite beautiful and everyone looked fantastic. Tom and Laura were simply radiant as they were so happy! The ceremony was beautiful as the minister spoke about the different types of love and how none were good enough except for the one without limits and constraints. I know I wasn’t the only one tearing up while they said their vows. Following pictures, we were headed back to our hotel for pictures by the pool. After the pictures, my sister and I walked with Tom and Laura to the restaurant where we proceeded to get momentarily stuck in an elevator. Um – awkward… Laura, Donna and I were laughing while Tom was kind of freaking, but all ended well and the elevator soon brought us to our floor and let us out. We were then off to a celebratory dinner at the hotel’s steakhouse. Here is a picture of the bride and groom.

The reception was wonderful and suited the couple nicely. The food was yummy and the wine even better. It was simply perfect for them. The picture is not that great because of the low light levels, but here is one of the three of us.

After the reception, it was upstairs to change and then a little after party in Tom and Laura’s suite that could comfortably hold 45 people! I finally got to meet a friend of Tom’s from Boston that he talked about. I was a little thrown over how excited she was to meet me saying that she had heard so much about me. Got me wondering what Tom has been saying about me to people, but it was all good as this woman really wanted to meet me. And soon, the wedding was over.
I went downstairs to the casino with my mom for a little while afterwards. This had become our time the last few nights to just hang out and play penny slot machines for 45 minutes or so before bed. I had come to like one machine that was based on the Airplane movie. The bonus game on it has you picking passenger seats to reveal credits while the machine played snippits from the movie. I never remember how funny that movie is and now need to rent it so I can watch the whole thing again. Well, this machine was kind to me and paid me about $150 in bonus games. Whoo hoo!!! I pocketed that and went to bed.

Day 5 – Time to go home, boo….
It was Monday which meant it was time to go home. Lots to do and the clock was ticking. Bags were packed, breakfast was eaten and goodbye’s said to Tom’s family. We played on the slot machines for a little bit where I proceeded to have my monopoly machine breakdown twice during a bonus game. I think Vegas was telling me that it was time to go home. Mom, Dad and Donna took the shuttle to the airport while I returned the rental car and took a cab to meet them. Shared a cab to the airport with a nice guy from LA who paid so that was a little bonus. Then it was on to the plane for the long, long ride back to Albany. We landed at about 11:30PM east coast time. It made for a long day, but oh what a trip.

Vegas is a fun town, but my theory of exploring it in small doses still holds true. While it would take a good week to see it all, you will likely be on sensory overload if you stay there that long. I enjoyed staying off the strip this time as it was so much quieter where we were. Eh – maybe I am just getting old,

 

[goofyfan-12]

My apologies for the pics not being fully rotated. I thought I had them all set up properly in photobucket. Maybe some of Nancy's amishness is rubbing off on me. I'll try to fix this, but I am not promising that I will be successful...

 

[poppinspal]

Oh a TR with lots of pictures. Just got home from hockey and I wiped out from this long day so I'll have to read tomorrow.

I'm definitely feeling some aches after three separate workouts today. Usually I'm up late after hockey, tonight I'm crashing fast.


Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

TR! TR! Oh how I adore a good TR!

A few pics of the room, the view and the beautiful pool area complete with a vineyard…

oh yeah. You had me at "vineyard"

We saw Jersey Boys which is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The show was amazing and I highly recommend that you go see it if you have the chance.

Jersey Boys is definitely on my "to see" list.

There used to be a time when you could tell the difference between a lady of the night and a girl out for the night by the way she dressed - not anymore!

LOVE that line. So, so very true.


Awesome TR Paula. Thank you for sharing! And welcome home

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

Posting from phone. Paula I loved ur trip report I have never been to Vegas so I felt like
i was right there with u while reading ur report. thank u fot
r

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

OMG, Where is everyone????

WOW,,

Well I did another 5K today 41.42 Min. But I ran just about every step, other than walking for a drink.

I hope everyones have a good day!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Awesome Jo! Look how far you've come

My food today has been horrific. And it's only 2:30 The good news in it all is that I've written it all down so far. It's ugly, but it's there. At this rate, I may be facing a dinner of steamed broccoli

 

[poppinspal]

Someone please remind me never to take babysitting jobs for parents who are ungrateful. I babysat last night for a family I love and it was great. Tonight I'm babysitting for parents who talk to all their kid's teachers like we're 2 and I'm already counting down how many hours till its over. (And I haven't even gotten there yet.)

Paula- Sounds like a great trip. It's funny Las Vegas is one of those places I feel everyone goes but it's one place I've never had a huge desire to see. Though it sounds like you guys did it in a way that I would enjoy. And I'm sure the Jersey Shore look is extremely popular out in Vegas. You aren't prudish by the way... you're just classy.

Nancy- The idea of steamed broccoli is enough to make me want to watch what I eat. Its safe to say I'm not a broccoli fan.

Jo- Hows the weekend going?


I think it's time for everyone else to be back from fabulous vacations and other places. I miss everyone!

 

[goofyfan-12]

Today's ride was awful! I was supposed to ride 76 miles but had to stop at 42 miles. I ran out of gas basically. My stomach was off today and I couldn't stomach food at all. So - no refueling for me and my body just said no more.

Hopefully, this goes away quickly and next week will be better.

Off to get some rest.

Meg - the kids will be fun tonight. Just remember that. Oh and I like the idea of being classy and nit prudish.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Today's ride was awful! I was supposed to ride 76 miles but had to stop at 42 miles. I ran out of gas basically. My stomach was off today and I couldn't stomach food at all. So - no refueling for me and my body just said no more.

Sorry to hear that Paula. I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing that was. But holy crap. To say that you "only did 42 miles" forty-two miles. That's a whole lotta riding. Be proud of that.

I've written down my food for today. Like I said, it's u-g-l-y. But there it is. In ink. Tuesday morning I get my butt whooped by Erin. The first 10 minutes or so is my elliptical warm up/chat/verbal beating time. She's going to look at my journal and choke I'm sure

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

Meg, how did the night go?

Paula, Sorry for the bad tummy, Vacation Detox maybe? Hope your better and
Like Nancy said 42 miles WOW!!!


Kelly, Kat, E, EE, Ronda, Lisa, Nancy
Happy Sunday All!!

 

[AKASnowWhite]

It's Sunday morning and I'm cranky I'm a bit more overloaded with *life* than usual, I slept funny and have a crick in my neck and my mood is just <grrr>.

Going to hit the TM in a few minutes here. Hopefully that will help adjust my attitude!

 

[goofyfan-12]

It's Sunday morning and I'm cranky I'm a bit more overloaded with *life* than usual, I slept funny and have a crick in my neck and my mood is just <grrr>.

Going to hit the TM in a few minutes here. Hopefully that will help adjust my attitude!

Let me know if you need to borrow my angry eyes.
Lazy day on tap for me. Yeah! Off to church and then a whole day with nothing planned. Heaven...

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Let me know if you need to borrow my angry eyes.
Lazy day on tap for me. Yeah! Off to church and then a whole day with nothing planned. Heaven...

what? No BIRTHDAY PARTY?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA!!!!

 

[goofyfan-12]

what? No BIRTHDAY PARTY?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA!!!!

Quiet dinner with mom, dad and Donna tonight, but the real party is Tuesday night. Mom is making her pot roast for dinner and Donna is making the chocolate peanut butter cake. yum!

All in all, it should be a good birthday.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Chocolate Peanutbutter cake

I signed up on sparkpeople this morning. OMG I adore it. Of course, it's the first day and the novelty has yet to wear off, but tracking is so easy peasy!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA

chocolate peanut butter cake, can I come YUMMY!


Nancy, are you feeling better, I kinda woke up that way too. Just Pissy with everything then I went out and did 2.5 miles and I am better

Yes I said I did a 5K yesterday and 2.5 today, (more walking today) my knees hurt a bit!!
No cleaning, laundry, clipping coupons and a ton of amazon shopping for Alexa's up coming bday!

Erika where are you? Hope all is well

Kat, EE are you guys still in WDW, I am so jealous