Vegas Style
Another Sisterhood Celebration!
I received an email from mom in February this year to let me know Aunt Eunice is turning 70 and the Sisterhood Celebration would be held in Las Vegas this year. At first I was excited ... Las Vegas! Woo hoo! Here I come!! Then I remembered ... with my mom? And my aunts? Ohmigoodness, I didn't know what to expect. By June I had signed up and booked my flight with Arlene, my sister-in-law who is my age (4 months older actually) and had found out that I would be playing tour guide as neither Ar, my mom, nor my aunts had ever been to Vegas before.
Are We There Yet?
Skipping the summer months to November ... Ar called me at work on the Monday of our flight, "We are officially on holidays and I am calling to let you know Happy Hour is starting at 3 pm with or without you! So after a quick stop to visit my dad (with a strawberry sundae :) I went to Keith and Arlene's to start the Celebration! Keith our bartender made the most fabulous Long Island Ice teas (you have to ask him for the recipe if you want his secret)! We drove in rush hour traffic to the airport (bumper to bumper) and when we arrived found out that the plane was delayed .. as usual. Ar and I took a walk around the airport and landed at the Wings bar and had a few very expensive cocktails. I will leave out the part about the creepy guy who was hitting on Ar .. ewww. (Click on pictures to enlarge)
Once on the plane and after a struggle as to who was going to get the window seat we were settled for a very bumpy ride. We played 500 Gin Rummy (Ar's first time) and she was ahead of me the whole game up to the last hand where I had come back and was 12 points ahead of her. The game was not done though and would be continued on the way home.
Yep, We're There! Monday!
Well it was a horrible start to the holiday once we were at the baggage pick up and I realized I had left my sweater on the plane. Ar held my bags and I went back to the plane through security, taking my shoes off, getting scanned, the whole ordeal. No such luck, the doors had closed, I was too late.
Once we retrieved our bags we wandered out looking for a taxi and was directed to a taxi stand. So we made our way up to #1 (no one else was around) and the found out we were in the wrong spot. Oh brother. We finally got a cab and the driver, whose first language was not English didn't know where our condo was. He started to drive and got on his cell phone to a buddy of his and talking to him in a foreign language started to explain that he had 2 chicas in the back seat of his taxi, I was officially frightened. I cursed myself for not getting proper directions before I left Calgary but with a couple of wrong turns he found the condo (mucho dinero later).
Ar and I scrambled to get in the condo and were quite relieved and pleased to see such a nice lobby and resort. Jason at the front counter checked us in with no problem and we made our way to the beautiful condo which was poolside.
No sign of mom and Aunt Fran we checked out the place and found Mike's Hard Cranberry coolers in the fridge. This gesture had Fran (my fairy godmother!) written all over it as that is what Greg and I drank when we visited her and Gerry in Cranbrook in the summer. We poured ourselves a couple and before unpacking, changed into our swimsuits and called the front desk to pick up a couple of pool towels. The informed us the pool was open until midnight! Ran into mom and Fran in the lobby, they were visiting Aunt Eunice, Emily and Marlene in their condo and were surprised to see us in so early and to see that we didn't have a problem getting into the condo. We had a great swim (the pool set at 73 deg. F) and jacuzzi (103 deg. F) and the beginning of the holiday was looking up!
Tuesday is shopping day!
After a great sleep, Ar jump started my morning with a coffee and Baileys on the patio. I wasn't surprised to see mom and Fran out there already enjoying the sunshine and breakfast. Every Tuesday the condo shuttlebus makes a trip out to the fashion outlet mall for a drop off, ready set shop, and pick up. Mom, Fran, Eunice, Marlene, Emily, Arlene and I all took advantage of this condo perk. Once there we all split up and meet for a quick lunch in the food court by the carosel. Ar and I power shopped for an hour and a half buying purses, belts, dresses, shoes and even a few things for our husbands :) One of the sales ladies in our favorite shop had a sign which read "Your husband called, he said buy anything you want". Met everyone back at the food court and saw everyone's purchases, grabbed a quick bite to eat and mom and I had a carrousel ride before we set out for another hour or so of shopping.
The shuttle picked us up and took us back to the condos. Arlene and I did a fashion show for mom and Fran in our new Christmas dresses which they snapped pictures then switched dresses and more pictures were taken. Ok, this was enough and we made ourselves a snack and went to the pool for an hour or so. No afternoon naps for this holiday! We had booked the shuttle to take us to the strip. Wandered around Bellagio most of the night.
They still had their beautiful fall displays around the hotel. Ar fit in perfectly wearing her fall colors. On the second floor they had their chocolate and candy store, famous for its World's Largest Chocolate Fountain.
All 7 of us hiked to Caesars Palace where we had our Sisterhood Celebration dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was very busy there so it was a good thing Em made reservations and got us in right away. Mom did a little speech and presented Eunice with a Belagio chocolate. We were all pleased with our meals and I ordered a piece of strawberry cheesecake for the birthday girl with seven forks.
After the dinner we split up once more and Ar and I wandered around Caesars Palace. We went to FAO Schwartz (my favorite) and played for awhile, waiting for the Atlantis show to start. The hundreds of stuffed animals and toys were able to keep our attention for awhile as well as the large stepping piano!
Watched the Atlantis show and in the aquarium a man was feeding the large fish, it was quite a site to see. For those of you who have never been to Ceasers Palace, there are many statues located all through the hotel. Although I didn't get a picture, I did sneak away from my mother to see the statue of David :)
On our way back I taught Ar how to play Keno. Ordered a vodka cranberry and settled ourselves down for awhile. I lost ... she won, figures. It had been a long day so we waited for the shuttle to pick us up from the Bellagio and once back at the condos poured a Mike's, got changed and went right to the pool. The jacuzzi is just what my feet needed from being on them all day!
Wednesday, On Your Own Day
Although today was meant to be a "do what you want day", once again I was woken up early by a too cheerful in the morning Arlene. She did have the coffee and Baileys with her though and we were having breakfast with "The Sisters". Packed up the breakfast food and went to Eunice, Marlene & Em's condo and ate, chatted and looked at Emily's pictures from her trip to Greece and Rome. I presented all of the sisters with matching pajamas and we all changed and got in a line and took pictures. It was fun but out of respect for my family, (although tempted :), I won't post it on this blog.
Ar and I took the shuttle to Smiths (like Safeway but with alcohol) and did a quick shop for food and drink to last us the rest of the trip. Once at the condo, had a snack lunch (ie junk food) at the pool and lounged about. Mom and Fran went to the strip to see Rita Rudner and later Ar and I went to Target to shop. We really didn't think we would be there very long but oops .. 3 hours later and 7 pairs of shoes later, we were done! And we were hungry, it was 9:30 and our bags were too heavy to carry so the checkout kid told us where we could find a good bbq place to eat across the parking lot and we could take our purchases with us in the cart. We walked for quite awhile in this huge outdoor mall looking for the place he mentioned. We looked like a couple of bag ladies pushing all our belongings. We passed Chuckie Cheese, a Mediterranean and a Japanese restaurant and couldn't find the place he was talking about.
Right in front of us was Joe's Crab Shack. They told us they would serve us even though it was 10 minutes to closing.
What a cool place! Not only was their food fantastic but we bought tee shirts, cards and a little stuffed crab that moved. Had a fishbowl drink (not sure of the name but it was great) with an extra test tube shot in it. Our waitress Cassie was a great lady, she was done for the night so she sat and chatted with us until it was time to leave. We asked about a cab and she told us that taxis generally dont come off the strip so it was going to be at least an hour before we could get one. She told us she would drive us home with our many packages and when we invited her in to have a cocktail and a swim, she declined as she had a puppy at home she had to feed.
Mom had locked us out of the condo because she thought that when she got home and the bedroom door was closed and all was quiet that we were already sleeping. We were just getting started. Ar and I did our usual midnight swim bribing the security guard for 15 more minutes and then went back in the condo to spend time with mom. It was 1:30am before we got to bed ... Ar won't let me sleep any earier.
Thursday is Strip Day
I was allowed to sleep in until 9:30 this morning, thank goodness, the up for the morning ritual of patio breakfast. Eunice, Fran, mom, Arlene and I took the shuttle down to the strip and asked to be dropped off at Mandalay Bay. I was going to do my tour guide job today and start from one end of the strip and work my way to the other.
With the mandatory "donation of nickles & quarters to each hotel, we made our way through Mandalay Bay, Luxor, New York New York, Excalibur to MGM Grand. We took "The Deuce" (the doubledecker bus that travels the strip) down to The Hilton. This was the slowest bus ride! It took almost and hour to travel 8 blocks. As Arlene said, "This is the slowest rollercoaster I have ever been on!" We had tickets to see the play Menopause The Musical and we ended up at the wrong Hilton. Took a taxi to the right hotel and Ar picked up our tickets. This was the funnies musical I have seen! Every woman in the room was in tears laughing but unfortunately the 6 guys in the audience just didn't get it.
http://www.menopausethemusical.com/main.php?page=about
After the show we took a cab to Circus Circus. I won a stuffed pink hippo playing the water shoot game after I lost more $$ than I wanted to in the ring toss .. I was never good at that game. We watched a performer In The Bigtop but the shows were only 5-8 minutes long so we didn't stick around for another show. Took a cab back to Bellagio then the shuttle to the condos.
Friday, Time To Go Home?
Check out was at noon but mom was able to talk the manager into letting us stay until 2 pm as our flight didn't leave until 5:30. We spent the day eating leftovers and resting at the pool. We were able to store our bags in a spare room until it was time to go.
Called a limo to take us to the airport and had time to eat at a Mexican place at the airport and shop. We were all able to sit together on the plane and once in Calgary said goodbye to Eunice who was taking another flight home to Regina. Home at last!
I received an email from mom in February this year to let me know Aunt Eunice is turning 70 and the Sisterhood Celebration would be held in Las Vegas this year. At first I was excited ... Las Vegas! Woo hoo! Here I come!! Then I remembered ... with my mom? And my aunts? Ohmigoodness, I didn't know what to expect. By June I had signed up and booked my flight with Arlene, my sister-in-law who is my age (4 months older actually) and had found out that I would be playing tour guide as neither Ar, my mom, nor my aunts had ever been to Vegas before.
Are We There Yet?
Skipping the summer months to November ... Ar called me at work on the Monday of our flight, "We are officially on holidays and I am calling to let you know Happy Hour is starting at 3 pm with or without you! So after a quick stop to visit my dad (with a strawberry sundae :) I went to Keith and Arlene's to start the Celebration! Keith our bartender made the most fabulous Long Island Ice teas (you have to ask him for the recipe if you want his secret)! We drove in rush hour traffic to the airport (bumper to bumper) and when we arrived found out that the plane was delayed .. as usual. Ar and I took a walk around the airport and landed at the Wings bar and had a few very expensive cocktails. I will leave out the part about the creepy guy who was hitting on Ar .. ewww. (Click on pictures to enlarge)
Once on the plane and after a struggle as to who was going to get the window seat we were settled for a very bumpy ride. We played 500 Gin Rummy (Ar's first time) and she was ahead of me the whole game up to the last hand where I had come back and was 12 points ahead of her. The game was not done though and would be continued on the way home.
Yep, We're There! Monday!
Well it was a horrible start to the holiday once we were at the baggage pick up and I realized I had left my sweater on the plane. Ar held my bags and I went back to the plane through security, taking my shoes off, getting scanned, the whole ordeal. No such luck, the doors had closed, I was too late.
Once we retrieved our bags we wandered out looking for a taxi and was directed to a taxi stand. So we made our way up to #1 (no one else was around) and the found out we were in the wrong spot. Oh brother. We finally got a cab and the driver, whose first language was not English didn't know where our condo was. He started to drive and got on his cell phone to a buddy of his and talking to him in a foreign language started to explain that he had 2 chicas in the back seat of his taxi, I was officially frightened. I cursed myself for not getting proper directions before I left Calgary but with a couple of wrong turns he found the condo (mucho dinero later).
Ar and I scrambled to get in the condo and were quite relieved and pleased to see such a nice lobby and resort. Jason at the front counter checked us in with no problem and we made our way to the beautiful condo which was poolside.
No sign of mom and Aunt Fran we checked out the place and found Mike's Hard Cranberry coolers in the fridge. This gesture had Fran (my fairy godmother!) written all over it as that is what Greg and I drank when we visited her and Gerry in Cranbrook in the summer. We poured ourselves a couple and before unpacking, changed into our swimsuits and called the front desk to pick up a couple of pool towels. The informed us the pool was open until midnight! Ran into mom and Fran in the lobby, they were visiting Aunt Eunice, Emily and Marlene in their condo and were surprised to see us in so early and to see that we didn't have a problem getting into the condo. We had a great swim (the pool set at 73 deg. F) and jacuzzi (103 deg. F) and the beginning of the holiday was looking up!
Tuesday is shopping day!
After a great sleep, Ar jump started my morning with a coffee and Baileys on the patio. I wasn't surprised to see mom and Fran out there already enjoying the sunshine and breakfast. Every Tuesday the condo shuttlebus makes a trip out to the fashion outlet mall for a drop off, ready set shop, and pick up. Mom, Fran, Eunice, Marlene, Emily, Arlene and I all took advantage of this condo perk. Once there we all split up and meet for a quick lunch in the food court by the carosel. Ar and I power shopped for an hour and a half buying purses, belts, dresses, shoes and even a few things for our husbands :) One of the sales ladies in our favorite shop had a sign which read "Your husband called, he said buy anything you want". Met everyone back at the food court and saw everyone's purchases, grabbed a quick bite to eat and mom and I had a carrousel ride before we set out for another hour or so of shopping.
The shuttle picked us up and took us back to the condos. Arlene and I did a fashion show for mom and Fran in our new Christmas dresses which they snapped pictures then switched dresses and more pictures were taken. Ok, this was enough and we made ourselves a snack and went to the pool for an hour or so. No afternoon naps for this holiday! We had booked the shuttle to take us to the strip. Wandered around Bellagio most of the night.
They still had their beautiful fall displays around the hotel. Ar fit in perfectly wearing her fall colors. On the second floor they had their chocolate and candy store, famous for its World's Largest Chocolate Fountain.
All 7 of us hiked to Caesars Palace where we had our Sisterhood Celebration dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was very busy there so it was a good thing Em made reservations and got us in right away. Mom did a little speech and presented Eunice with a Belagio chocolate. We were all pleased with our meals and I ordered a piece of strawberry cheesecake for the birthday girl with seven forks.
After the dinner we split up once more and Ar and I wandered around Caesars Palace. We went to FAO Schwartz (my favorite) and played for awhile, waiting for the Atlantis show to start. The hundreds of stuffed animals and toys were able to keep our attention for awhile as well as the large stepping piano!
Watched the Atlantis show and in the aquarium a man was feeding the large fish, it was quite a site to see. For those of you who have never been to Ceasers Palace, there are many statues located all through the hotel. Although I didn't get a picture, I did sneak away from my mother to see the statue of David :)
On our way back I taught Ar how to play Keno. Ordered a vodka cranberry and settled ourselves down for awhile. I lost ... she won, figures. It had been a long day so we waited for the shuttle to pick us up from the Bellagio and once back at the condos poured a Mike's, got changed and went right to the pool. The jacuzzi is just what my feet needed from being on them all day!
Wednesday, On Your Own Day
Although today was meant to be a "do what you want day", once again I was woken up early by a too cheerful in the morning Arlene. She did have the coffee and Baileys with her though and we were having breakfast with "The Sisters". Packed up the breakfast food and went to Eunice, Marlene & Em's condo and ate, chatted and looked at Emily's pictures from her trip to Greece and Rome. I presented all of the sisters with matching pajamas and we all changed and got in a line and took pictures. It was fun but out of respect for my family, (although tempted :), I won't post it on this blog.
Ar and I took the shuttle to Smiths (like Safeway but with alcohol) and did a quick shop for food and drink to last us the rest of the trip. Once at the condo, had a snack lunch (ie junk food) at the pool and lounged about. Mom and Fran went to the strip to see Rita Rudner and later Ar and I went to Target to shop. We really didn't think we would be there very long but oops .. 3 hours later and 7 pairs of shoes later, we were done! And we were hungry, it was 9:30 and our bags were too heavy to carry so the checkout kid told us where we could find a good bbq place to eat across the parking lot and we could take our purchases with us in the cart. We walked for quite awhile in this huge outdoor mall looking for the place he mentioned. We looked like a couple of bag ladies pushing all our belongings. We passed Chuckie Cheese, a Mediterranean and a Japanese restaurant and couldn't find the place he was talking about.
Right in front of us was Joe's Crab Shack. They told us they would serve us even though it was 10 minutes to closing.
What a cool place! Not only was their food fantastic but we bought tee shirts, cards and a little stuffed crab that moved. Had a fishbowl drink (not sure of the name but it was great) with an extra test tube shot in it. Our waitress Cassie was a great lady, she was done for the night so she sat and chatted with us until it was time to leave. We asked about a cab and she told us that taxis generally dont come off the strip so it was going to be at least an hour before we could get one. She told us she would drive us home with our many packages and when we invited her in to have a cocktail and a swim, she declined as she had a puppy at home she had to feed.
Mom had locked us out of the condo because she thought that when she got home and the bedroom door was closed and all was quiet that we were already sleeping. We were just getting started. Ar and I did our usual midnight swim bribing the security guard for 15 more minutes and then went back in the condo to spend time with mom. It was 1:30am before we got to bed ... Ar won't let me sleep any earier.
Thursday is Strip Day
I was allowed to sleep in until 9:30 this morning, thank goodness, the up for the morning ritual of patio breakfast. Eunice, Fran, mom, Arlene and I took the shuttle down to the strip and asked to be dropped off at Mandalay Bay. I was going to do my tour guide job today and start from one end of the strip and work my way to the other.
With the mandatory "donation of nickles & quarters to each hotel, we made our way through Mandalay Bay, Luxor, New York New York, Excalibur to MGM Grand. We took "The Deuce" (the doubledecker bus that travels the strip) down to The Hilton. This was the slowest bus ride! It took almost and hour to travel 8 blocks. As Arlene said, "This is the slowest rollercoaster I have ever been on!" We had tickets to see the play Menopause The Musical and we ended up at the wrong Hilton. Took a taxi to the right hotel and Ar picked up our tickets. This was the funnies musical I have seen! Every woman in the room was in tears laughing but unfortunately the 6 guys in the audience just didn't get it.
http://www.menopausethemusical.com/main.php?page=about
After the show we took a cab to Circus Circus. I won a stuffed pink hippo playing the water shoot game after I lost more $$ than I wanted to in the ring toss .. I was never good at that game. We watched a performer In The Bigtop but the shows were only 5-8 minutes long so we didn't stick around for another show. Took a cab back to Bellagio then the shuttle to the condos.
Friday, Time To Go Home?
Check out was at noon but mom was able to talk the manager into letting us stay until 2 pm as our flight didn't leave until 5:30. We spent the day eating leftovers and resting at the pool. We were able to store our bags in a spare room until it was time to go.
Called a limo to take us to the airport and had time to eat at a Mexican place at the airport and shop. We were all able to sit together on the plane and once in Calgary said goodbye to Eunice who was taking another flight home to Regina. Home at last!
posted by Terri Queen of Clubs | 1:19 PM
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