Laura treated us to a Wyndam suite for a week in Vegas to celebrate her 50th birthday! It was the perfect opportunity to introduce the east coasters and check in with some long lost relatives I haven't seen in probably a decade. We all had a wonderful time and squeezed in lots of fun and relaxation. Erica kicked off the gambling with a quick win on video poker. She came back with a $40.25 voucher proclaiming she didn't even know what she was playing. The woman next to her pressed the buttons for her. Timid Toby took all of about 45 seconds to test the limits of the Over 21 Rule. She quietly sat down at some slots while we all got our Playa's cards. Next thing we know, she's playing video blackjack at $1 a pop. It was scary. She had her $20 up to over $80 and just as fast back down again. I seem to be under the dark cloud my Mom declared, so I cut my gambling off after quickly losing $20/night for three nights. I don't think I won one penny in those first three nights. It was a little disheartening, but I found lots of entertainment watching others and interacting with Griffin. But, the casinos were just a small part of the fun. We did lots of walking and eating, catching up, and hanging by the pool or in the suites. The bravest rode the rides atop the Stratosphere tower and we all enjoyed a birthday meal in the rotating restaurant. I gave Laura my present--A photo book with photos dating back to her childhood. Everyone signed it and got a good laugh from the photos. I'll try to post it later for everyone to enjoy. In the evenings, the party animals explored the night life. We even ran in to an old neighborhood friend, Stephanie Trepiccio. She looked happy and beautiful.
I was worried I would be the odd man out and a general burden as the lady with the baby in Vegas. But, Griffin definitely added so much to the trip for everyone. Actually, his stroller became a great home base for all our outings and became the general tote compartment. With cup holders, a place to hang purses and lots of room to stash jackets, we were rolling like high rollers. Griffin received lots of hug time and lots of new faces to study and talk with lots of volunteers to hold him at all times. I think he made big leaps in development. And between the tight budget and all the walking, I managed to lose 5 pounds! I was very excited to see some weight coming off. I was encouraged to don some makeup and pay a little more attention to my hair watching the girls get ready for a night out. I miss the days of having the time to curl my eyelashes and such!
Anyway, everyone was so generous and relaxed. After most had left, Laura and I shared an evening out alone with Griffin. She treated me to a sushi buffet. We got there later in the dinner schedule, but they informed us they would be closing early so we should make our sushi selections right away before the buffet closed. It was a beautiful spread with dozens of sushi choices. We timidly filled a plate with a variety and sat to eat. But, as they started to clean up, we observed them literally scrapping platters of sushi into the trash. We were so disturbed, we felt compelled to "rescue" as much sushi as we could. We filled plate after plate of the delicious morsels. After we gluttonously looked over our table of ridiculous amounts of sushi, we laughed and discussed ways to smuggle it out. I ate as much as I could (like a volume that would make Jas proud) , but still had so much. So, we hatched a plan to wait until everyone was in full swing taking down the buffet and slide it into the bottom of the stroller. We escaped with two plates of sushi. I ate some for breakfast and Laura made me a to-go box out of a chocolate box. When I pulled it out on the plane, the man next to me said, "You brought sushi on a plane...in a chocolate box?!" I'm not sure if he was disgusted or entertained, but it was the best plane meal I had ever had. And, Laura got some great souvenir plates, too! Anyway, Happy Birthday Laura! Love you.
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