Livin' La Vida Lavish - Dec 2018 - Jan 2019
Houston skyline at Saint Arnold Brewing Company
I flew back to Texas on Dec 30th. On New Year's day, my cousin and I tore up Houston. A group of her friends and I started with bottomless mimosas and ended at Saint Arnolds. Don't ask what was in between. I don't remember. Pretty sure I kissed a guy though.... Happy New Year! All I knew was that I had a 7 a.m. flight the next morning. My drunken stupor set alarms for my flight time, not my time to get TO the airport. By the grace of God, my phone did not transition time zones from Michigan and I still woke up on time to get to the plane. Vegas, here I come!
I flew over mountains for the first time. The airports were HUGE and had mini shopping centers in them. I one point I looked out my window and saw Hoover Dam. I was in awe. Upon landing, I figured out how to get to the Luxor, where we were staying. Travel 101: learning transportation. Goody. Once I met up with my buddy M, we hit the road running. Vegas is SO busy! People everywhere. Building of all shapes and sizes. Stores with anything you can imagine. Public transportation offering access to just about anywhere. It was overwhelming. Our Cirque tickets were for that first night so we made a quick game plan for the day. Our focus was to see THE Las Vegas sign. We walked for a mile, hyped up and excited...
What a disappointment! All the pictures you see on the internet are so glamorous. When we got there, we saw the line of people just waiting to get the iconic photo in front of the sign and were dismayed. Wait for 3 hours just to get a photo? No thanks! It was that day I discovered that "Instagram tourism" is not my style. We snapped a selfie from the side of the road with the sign in the background and carried on. We discovered Maverick Helicopter tours, which we booked for the next day, and the Las Vegas Harley Davidson store. Fun fact. You can get a photo SITTING on a Harley that is staged in front of a replica of the Las Vegas sign. Way. Cooler.
One of my favorite photos of me
Day 3 in Vegas was my FAVORITE. As M had a car, we hit the road early and headed towards Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. After some coloring and hot chocolate at breakfast, we made it to Hoover Dam. M was stoked and I enjoyed the history but also not my style. The random sketchy gas station we stopped at on the way that offered rides in World's Longest Monster Truck... that was my kinda stuff. The weird. The unusual. The "non-Instagram" stuff one doesn't see every day. That is what I'm drawn to.
After a few roadside stops for beautiful nature photos, we make it to the Grand Canyon. Check number 2 on the bucket list. Nature calls to me. The Earth is incredible with all it's shapes and colors. Pictures just don't do justice. We quickly discovered that late afternoon in January is not a good time to see Grand Canyon as the shadows cause skewed photos. The things one learns... Crazy. We do all 3 stops provided by the transit and settle in to the cattle town restaurant for a surprisingly delicious dinner. I was honestly shocked that the food was actually that good.
We get back to the Luxor and decide to nap before exploring for the rest of the evening. On our adventures, we stop and watch the Bellagio Fountain before hitching a ride to Freemont Street (aka Old Vegas). Once back at the hotel, we see the show "Fantasy" advertised and when in Vegas... It was worth it. M and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Pre-show drinks helped.
Relaxing was the only agenda for Vegas Day 4; our last day. We woke up late and then headed to the Luxor Spa. I scheduled myself my first ever professional deep tissue massage in a true spa. Lavish, I was. Worth. Every. Penny. Check 3 for the bucket list. After our treatments, M had found that KÀ did a Behind-The-Scenes tour. Not one to miss out on completing an experience, we go and get the opportunity to engage with some of the equipment. Fun fact. I am not graceful and will not be dancing/performing any time soon. It was still a fun and engaging way to end our Las Vegas adventure.
When I started with my new company, they trained me in the corporate offices first. Between the Turnaround (TA) fund I had built and the extra income, I was living 8 ways of large. Weekends were spent at Renaissance Festivals and NASA Museums. Christmas parties and Elton John Farewell tour concerts. Bars, bikes, and my best friends. Somewhere in there I applied for my passport, too. Travel and living life to the absolute fullest was my new drive. No offer for fun or adventure was turned down.
Once the TA started, I was back to my 7/12 (7 days a week, 12 hour days) schedule. They brought us in for 2 weeks to prep and then gave us 2 weeks off for the holidays. I was scrolling Facebook when I saw an ad for Cirque du Soleil. The offer was 40% off tickets in Las Vegas. Growing up, my family watched Cirque on PBS. It was literally a bucket list life goal to see them perform live in Vegas. Well, why not? I started planning my first trip. Having never travelled alone yet, I was hesitant to do Vegas solo. Sin City and all... I threw a post up on Facebook and an old college friend replied. Four days, 3 nights in Vegas. No holds barred. I was STOKED. Planned it all out, and now we wait....
This is what lead me to visit my family in Michigan over Christmas, lack of patience. I had been chatting with a guy from back home and he wanted me to come visit. After a little thought and price searching, I decided to spring the trip. I had the time off work. I hadn't been home for the holidays in years. Why not? Carpe diem! (Side note: Don't do this. Men will come to you if they are on your level.) I didn't really want the trip to Michigan as I prefer summer months. I was discussing the details with friends only to discover that everyone had plans with their families and I was flying mostly solo save for a few family visits of my own. Christmas in Michigan means snow and cold temps. That guy ended up ghosting me. Determined to make the most of it, I met my family and started to just putz around like a tourist. A few people I hadn't seen since high school or college hit me up for spontaneous nights of fun. Met some new friends and partied like rock stars with old ones. What a time...
Las Vegas Harley-Davidson on S Las Vegas Blvd
On our stroll back to the Luxor, we hit up various shops. Fat Tuesday was my favorite as it is legal to drink while walking around the Strip. Hello strawberry daiquiri sips. Trying on a 40 THOUSAND dollar wedding ring was fun too, though. Why they let me, I just don't know. After dinner at Wolfgang Puck in MGM Grand, to the delight of M, we went to the Cirque show KÀ. They were performing a massive string instrument set up in the entirety of the entry way. Absolutely incredible. We check out the props and decorations before taking our seats. Now mind you, I bought the tickets. I KNEW we had good seats. I just didn't understand how good. Four rows back on the outside aisle was THE place to sit. The stage was close and the performers actually came to the aisle right behind us. At the end, I was in tears. A life dream had been fulfilled. This was just the beginning.
Day 2 in Vegas was unimpressive. We did a Hard Rock Café breakfast and continued to travel the Strip. Here, I learned that I'm not one for cities. Buildings and shops do not impress or entertain me. I found some joy in dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly and was far more excited about our upcoming helicopter tour. Most expensive 15 minutes of my life, but it was worth it. Vegas at night is a wonder to behold.
She is beauty. She is grace. She fell flat on her face...
I flew back to Texas that evening and spent the rest of the weekend with my friends at Crystal Beach. Monday at work was BRUTAL but the travels made it all worth it. I decided that morning that this was my new life style. This is how I wanted to spend my free time. Hard work would fund my travels. I will do whatever it takes to continue to check off my bucket list. I. Will. Thrive.