Vegas!!!

I love it. I went there last weekend with my friend Joe to go to a basketball game, and I just wanted to go to get out of Utah and have a good break. Boy was it F-U-N! We drove down I think 6 hours and got into Vegas Thursday night and met up with my friend Ben. After getting situated we took on the craps tables and Joe ran over to the Poker tables. None of us really had any luck that night. I started with $200 and just quit when I lost all but $41. The next day we played some more craps and I turned $41 into $605!!!!! Rock on!! I love winning! This sort of thing never happens to me, so I was trying to decide if I should spend all of that money on a shopping spree, or spend a little of it and save the rest? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas right? I just spent it all in a matter of 2 hours the next day! It was awesome. It was awesome feeling rich for a second and buying the hottest Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses! I kind of got stuck in the habit of shopping because ever since that spree, I have been shopping almost every single day. I can't stop myself!

So on Friday night we were going to go to the USA vs. Canada game we got pretty bad tickets to, but I think the strip really sucks you in. I always get sucked into the strip and never want to leave. It's like a whole different world. We ended up getting Jim Gaffigan tickets, and they were like 6th row! Oh, and Ben's SWEET hookups not only got us great seats, but also a limo from The Palazzo to Mandalay! If anyone has seen one of my favorite shows, the limo pose is all about one of the girls on the show. I felt so cool.




Saturday morning I ate at this little health/organic food club then went to lay out all afternoon. Well we ate there Friday morning, Saturday morning, Saturday night and Sunday morning - it was THAT good. The original Canyon Ranch is at the Venetian and it is my favorite place for breakfast. The Palazzo is part of the Venetian and they put this new Canyon Ranch in the Palazzo and it now serves dinner. We tried it out for dinner on Saturday night and it was AMAZING. I was so surprised at how great it was. They brought out a grilled caesar salad where they actually cut a romaine lettuce head in half and grilled the lettuce just a bit. It was amazing, but not as good as the steak I ordered. I can still taste it, it was THAT good. They put cranberries on top which had been roasting with some other sauce. Joe's dinner actually might have topped mine. He got salmon and they put apples which had been roasting with cranberries on top.

Also on Saturday, we decided to get away from the strip for a bit and go hike Mount Charleston. Before we left, we stopped by the Baccarat tournament room and had something to eat. A few tables over sat Johnny Chan. According to Joe, he is the '87 and '88 I think World Series Poker champion. Pretty cool. We asked if we could have a picture with him and he didn't even look up from his newspaper. But right when Ben went to take the picture, he looked up and smiled. So he wasn't a complete jerk, but considering that we interrupted his nice tea and newspaper time, maybe he had reason to be rude?





Pretty crafty, yeah? So my favorite part of the trip was probably the shopping spree I had, but also the gym at the Palazzo. It was the nicest gym I have ever been to. Considering that it was $25 per day, it better be good. I rode every morning on a bike machine that had a screen in front of you where you could race other bikers. It really helps me push myself because I really wanted to pass everyone. I just wish it gave you a place when you finish the course. I totally wanted 1st or even 2nd place. I ran on a treadmill that had touch screen controls with a TV and a fan. And the weight machines were the best I have ever used. I found my favorite ab machine. You pull down on the handles like a normal ab machine, but at the same time, the seat comes up so you are working the legs in a full crunch. It was so awesome. I wish I could live in that gym!
Sunday sadly came and after all the fun had by all, we had to finish our vacation and drive back home. Our In & Out stop in St George made it a little less painful.