Vegas, Baby!

I woke up the morning after Rhonda's book party and was overcome by the idea of going to Las Vegas to be with my family.  I got right out of bed and went about my Saturday morning routine, except with much more of a rushed feeling.  I called and texted everyone I could think of that would be in Vegas at the moment.  Aunt Joy, Brooke, Loretta...why isn't anyone answering the phone!...Nick, and then I'd try all over again.  I didn't think I had the correct phone number for Adrianne and I really wanted to be on the road to Vegas by 11:00 since it is almost a six hour drive.  I tried to get ahold of anyone for almost two hours with no success.  I had all but decided not to go when I decided to text Adrianne at the phone number I had for her.  "Adrianne, are you in Vegas? Is Aunt Joy with you?"  Within seconds she responded, "yes we are here!"  Immediately I began to pack.  Joy finally called and we arranged to meet in Vegas that evening. 

I really hate leaving Alan behind, but this was an especially stressful weekend for him since he was trying to catch up on and finish a lot of college projects.  He questioned my plans saying that it was an awful long ways to go, only to come back a day later.  But he supported me and understood the excitement I had to see my family.  We said our goodbyes and I ran out the door.

I needed to stop for fuel and to stop at the grocery store on the way out of town since my son eats like it's his last meal on every trip we take.  I hurriedly got the fuel and rushed over to the store.  I could feel myself getting frustrated because I just wasn't get out of town fast enough.  As I stood at the sandwich bar trying to choose a sandwich for Trey, I looked up and what I saw instantly relieved any anxiety I was having and I was immediately at peace. I was more than at peace, I was giddy!  Alan was strolling up the isle toward me.  I jumped into his arms and finished my shopping with him.  It was so good to see him so unexpectedly and to take a few moments to relax before embarking on my trip.

Trey and I arrived in Las Vegas several hours later.  He had been learning about Wendover Will (the ugly, neon-lit cowboy that stands in the middle of Wendover Blvd. and represents our city so proudly) and had informed Alan and I last week that Wendover Will has at least one twin in in the state of Nevada.  As we approached Las Vegas, Trey asked me if I knew where "Vegas Bill" was located.  I didn't give it a second thought and told him I didn't know where the hideous cowboy stood.

While we were driving to Vegas, our family decided they wanted to go with Uncle Mike to Supercross.  What the hell is Supercross!?  I knew it was motorcycle races and I didn't have any desire to go, but I said "Sure!  Count us in!"  We arrived at the hotel in the nick of time.  I had exactly 30 seconds to freshen up and get out the door so we could have dinner and head over to the races.  This didn't allow me to consider that I was wearing heels and I probably wouldn't want to be wearing them for the rest of the night.

The Supercross event was held at Sam Boyd Stadium where UNLV hold their football games.  The place was packed!  Turns out Supercross is the "NASCAR" of motorcycles and we were at the final event of the season.  So walking up to our seats in heels was not so bad until we reached the aluminum bleachers.  It was like walking a twelve inch plank while people pushed and nudged you from different directions.  Don't fall!  Was all I kept thinking while trying to get to the very last seat on the row (go figure!)  We hung out at Supercross and I was thrilled to learn that Bret Michaels was there to support it.  I didn't get to see him except for on the mega-screen, but it was still exciting to know he was there.  The races were confusing to watch since there were so many motorcycles on the track at the same time, but eventually I caught on and the races got more exciting as the night went on.  The champion was named and the stadium was lit up with fire works and a mass amount of confetti.  What a fun experience!  And Uncle Mike couldn't have been more happy to share this with the rest of us. 

We were back to our hotel in minutes - Vegas Metro really knows how to do traffic control!  Aunt Joy had this crazy idea to head down to Fremont Street to ride the zipline - um, it's 11:00 at night!  That is so Joy!  When she wants to have fun, she makes it happen and she has the energy to do it with style!  The clan decided against going that night and we made plans to get up early in the morning to go.  It was already early in the morning, we didn't get in to bed until 2:00. 

I gave her Rhonda's book before we crawled into bed and she seemed very appreciative.  She also mentioned that she has a lot of geneology and pictures of generations past.  She invited me to come to her house some time and look at them.  This is something I must do soon.  I can't wait to see what she has and to hear the stories I've longed to for.

Sunday morning was slow moving - surprise!  But I didn't care, I was with so many people I love and I just wanted to enjoy it.  We had breakfast at IHop and then went down to Fremont Street.  Some of the kids went down the zipline, it looked like fun and I kind of regret not going.  Adrianne, Trey, Loretta, Ray and I walked up and down Fremont Street while we waited for them to get off the ride.  As we were walking, I saw someone who looked very familiar sporting a white cowboy hat.  Holy crap!  Bret Michaels!  Nope, not quite.  But he looked close enough like him that after walking past him three times and after seeing the Real Bret Michaels at Supercross the night before, I couldn't pass up stopping to get a picture with him.  He was a good sport, but oh boy did he smell bad!  It wasn't til the second picture when I noticed it, and he was leaning that sweaty arm pit right onto my left shoulder.  Let me tell you, what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.  Every now and then for the rest of the day I would catch a whiff of good old Bret!  Oh well, it was fun and it was an adventure!

Walking Fremont Street as a seven (almost eight) year old, is not a worthwhile experience once you've been told there is no more money to spend at the cheap souvenier shops.  The only other things there were casinos and strip clubs, not even a little restaurant to sit at.  But all of a sudden I heard a sound of excitement coming from Trey.  "Look Mom!"  My eyes followed the point of his finger and there he was.  The second biggest, ugliest cowboy you've ever seen, Vegas Bill.  (Apparently his name is Vegas Vick, but in our home Vegas Bill just goes so much better with Wendover Will!)

We all decided to head down to the real Vegas strip and check out the lions at the MGM Grand and let the kids ride the roller coaster at New York New York.  Mike was nice enough to drive my car for me through the Vegas traffic and what should have been a 5 minute trip to the MGM took about 40 minutes.  I didn't mind at all and loved every minute of visiting with my Uncle Mike.  He is such a caring person and we talked a bit about how much he'd love to leave California but that he is so dedicated to his daughters that he can't leave them just yet.  He talked about how important it is for kids to have their parents in their lives and how he didn't want his kids to grow up the way he did without a father.  His love for his kids and his family just make me love him more.  I cherished this short drive and enjoyed every second of his company.


The rest of the day was more rushed than we had planned. There were no lions at the MGM and Mike took the kids to New York New York while the rest of us went to check out the M&M store. We said our goodbye's and I told Joy how much I appreciated that she let us come down. It really meant a lot to me that she would do this for us. I held back tears as we parted feeling such a great amount of love for everyone. Before I took this trip I wondered if Alan was right that it was such a long ways to go that it wouldn't be worth it. I knew right then that the 12 hour drive was completely worth it and I would do it again  every month if I got the chance.