Las Vegas 2007

I returned from my "Girl's Weekend" in Las Vegas at 12:35am this morning. I've managed to stay awake today thanks to two giant cups of coffee. How was the trip? Awesome, of course!

Some background - Jenna & I have been best friends since we were 9 years old, when we were bunkmates at summer camp. We were also roommates through college, and now she lives in LA. Rachel (now in San Diego) & I have known each other since we were 11, through camp and youth groups. And Annie (now in Birmingham) was my first new friend at U.T., and Jenna, Annie & I were somewhat inseparable in college. The four of us get together every year, and this year (as there were no weddings), we chose Las Vegas.

Since I had worked almost 50 hours by Thursday evening, I took the day off on Friday so that I could catch up with my life before I left. This somewhat worked out (of course I ended up working some, and during the entire plane ride, but that was fine.) I started the day with a great run with Leslie & Michelle, followed by breakfast, followed by the gym with Phil, packet pickup with Tim, laundry, etc... By the time I got on the plane, I was already pretty tired! But you can't help but get riled up on a plane to Vegas- everyone was starting to party early.

Luckily, Jenna & Annie were waiting for me in the airport when I arrived, so we taxied over to our hotel together. After checking in at the Mirage, we went to a sushi lounge to have dinner and wait for Rachel. We ended up spending the night there, catching up and resting for Saturday.

With added help from a 2 hour time difference, I woke up Saturday morning ready to take on the day. Jenna, Annie & Rachel on the other hand... well, not so much. So, I went for a 45 minute run behind the strip and down the strip. It was hot out, but obviously not humid like Austin. I really enjoyed the run, and managed to orient myself to the strip, which was helpful later. I could have kept going for at least 45 minutes, but instead opted to go back to the room and get ready. I managed to shower and dress before everyone else got up, then waited for them to get ready. (I should have kept running!)

Once dressed, we decided to find a place to eat and explore the casinos. We ended up eating at the Bellagio buffet, and it was insanely delicious. I love love love breakfast buffets, and this one was complete with fresh fruit, pancakes, waffles, french toast, potatoes, deserts... well, everything. We were so stuffed that no one wanted to go to New York New York to ride the rollercoaster. :( I convinced everyone to keep exploring the casinos, and luckily Annie felt good enough to ride the coaster with me. It was great, and I was a total dork - keeping my "hook 'em horns" signs up the whole time for the cameras.

After playing around in the arcade, we took a taxi back to the hotel. Thanks to my morning run, I helped the taxi driver take a back way to the hotel and avoided a ton of traffic. It was about 3:00 now, so we changed and headed down to the pool. It was so nice to hang out in the pool, Mai Tai in hand, and not worry about swimming laps. :) We stayed until the pool closed and then got ready for dinner.

Originally we were going to head to PURE, but we decided instead to meet up with people we met at the pool. So, the four of us went to a fabulous dinner at Wolfgang Puck's in the Venetian, then headed to Tryst at the Wynn. Jenna managed to get us to the front of the line, and once in the club Jenna & I hooked up with a group who had a table near the dance floor. I'll skip the details, but I will say that the next morning - our damage was: 1 half eaten box of better cheddars, bought at some store called "Impulse;" empty martini glasses from a bar called "Revolution," about 20 towels from room service, lots of cuts and blisters on our feet, and a big bruise on my elbow from Rachel grabbing me and saying, "Erin - we are leaving. NOW!" Good stuff. :)

Anyway, since Sunday was Annie's birthday - I bought her a nice hangover breakfast downstairs and then we sent her on her way. Jenna, Rachel & I headed down to the pool again until Jenna had to go. Then Rachel & I went to the Paris for buffet #2 of the trip. By 5:00pm, I was ready to leave Vegas. There is only so much of it one can take, I think.

I had a fabulous time seeing my girlfriends. I'm pleased to say that I none of us gambled at all - the trip was actually pretty cheap, to be honest. We will definitely be doing a girl's trip each year... it was so nice to get away and relax with them. I must admit that we were somewhat struggling with the idea that we are nearing our 30's! We've known each other for almost 2/3 of our lives.

Overall - fabulous weekend. I feel so lucky to remain so close to these girls.