What Happens In Vegas...

Although I've been to Vegas about 5 or 6 times, I can officially say that I finally went for the actual Vegas experience and NOT for a dance competition. All I can say is that those 4 days were the best 4 days I've had in a long long time.

Friday morning was the bus ride from Santa Ana to Vegas. To be honest, it wasn't bad at all. Ingrid, Jay, and I all got to sit in the back where they had the 3 seater, so we got to spread out a little bit. We mainly talked the whole way there. Oh, and we drew a cat on Jay's foot. The rooming situation at the hotel worked out nicely. One of the girls couldn't make it, so I got to room with everyone else instead of being at a different hotel. And thank god for that. The GoldSpike looked like it was dying. El Cortez, on the other hand, was quite nice. It still wasn't a hotel on the Strip, but for a place to sleep and get ready, it was pretty chill. And the best part is that they're having a special promotion: If you stayed at El Cortez anytime during April, you get 2 free nights in either June, July, or August. So, since we have two of these promotions (the girls' room and the guys' room) we're all going back in August!

Friday night was the perfect start to the weekend. We all went to RAIN at the Plams. If you want a cool Vegas club experience, then go there. They have great music, attractive people, and they shoot fire from the ceiling. :) It was pretty hot. We got lucky, though. I think it was all pure luck mixed with Ingrid's gorgeous face, but we ended up not having to pay AND we got a VIP entrance. Not too shabby if you ask me. This night I learned that 1) Vodka + Rockstars are so not good for you and 2) ALWAYS purchase cushions for the insides of your heels. If you didn't pay for a booth, the only place to sit is on a toilet.

Saturday the gang walked most of the Strip. We started out the morning drinking cheap champagne at a buffet and then getting these ridiculously large daiquiris. This is also the day Ingrid's camera got dropped by a drunk man in front of Harrah's. We ended up getting masks from the Venitian (finally!) and then losing one. We chilled with this guy and his parrots in front of the Bellagio lake for awhile. In person he sorta looked like Orlando Bloom, so I was happy. Saturday night we all went to Studio 54 at MGM Grand. It had a slightly older crowd, but the inside was awesome, it had great music, and the dancers totally made it. The Aerial Dancers actually inspired me to start taking class to learn the Aerial Hoop. :) This night was cool because we were there until they literally kicked us out around 4am.

Sunday we walked some more of the Strip. We all went up into the Effiel Tower (which had an awesome view of the Strip) and we got to see the Water Show at the Bellagio. The group split up for a little bit, and Jay, Ingrid, and I went to Margaritaville. The BEST margaritas, in my opinion. Then the three of us then went to the Mirage and got ready in the bathroom (classy, I know.) for the Cirque Du Soleil - LOVE show. I saw Mystere a few years ago and it totally blew me away. But LOVE was awesome because you could sing along with the songs. The three of us are still singing them constantly. After the show we pulled a tourist move and told our cab to make a u-turn and go to Chipotle. I can honestly say I haven't laughed that hard in at least 6 months. I still can't tell you what was so damn funny, but that was one of the most fun dinners I've had.

After that we met up with the rest of our group at the Bellagio and went to The Bank. This was definitely a more upscale club. We waited in line for about 30 minutes and had our IDs checked about 4 times. Chris Angel was there along with some big names from the NFL (of course I don't remember them). The music seemed to be on repeat and the dance floor was waaay to crowded. This is where Jay and I also discovered the most expensive drinking experience ever. We realized that drinking was expensive, and in a club in Vegas it'd be more expensive than usual. But $17 for a Tokyo Tea?! The bartended told us our tab for $34 for two drinks and I nearly gave the drink back. After the club we all ate at the Bellagio Cafe where we learned a few things... 1) Don't fall in love with Londoners. 2) The water is expensive in Vegas. 3) If you want to fart, do it with class... do it at the Bellagio.

Monday morning rolled around and I can definitely say I was in a dazed mood. The weekend was exactly what I needed... good laughs was amazing company. :) We ate lunch at this Mexican place across the street from out hotel. That's where the "Things We Learned In Vegas..." list was born on a napkin placemat. Then we spent about an hour at Walgreens because the photo girl was having a hard time copying the pictures onto CDs for everyone. Ivonne, Laura, Carlos, and Abel left early for their flight and that left Ingrid, Jay, and me to roam for a little bit. We went back to the Venitian and walked around for a little bit. Ingrid and I suprised Jay with the leather journal he was eyeing for a few days. And we also made a promise that when we go there in August, we're going to do a gondola ride. And by that time, I'll have actually gone on a REAL gondola ride in Italy. We showed up at the airport 2 hours early like they told us, but we honestly didn't need to be there. So we messed around on the conveyer belts and grabbed some linner. We slept the entire way home (which was only about an hour) and didn't want to get off the plane.

That Vegas weekend was definitely what I needed right now. I just needed to be with good company (and I can now call them great friends of mine), go out drinking and dancing and not worrying about what time I came back home. You know it's a good trip when you're seriously sad about leaving and you haven't left yet. And as Jay said, "An adventure is defined as the best and worst time." I can't say I had a "worst" time there, but I definitely call it an adventure. :)

All I have to say is that Vegas better be ready for us in August... because Round 2 is going to be INSANE. :D

xoxoxo