With so much happening with the boys, Steve and I were very fortunate to get away. He has always wanted to take me to Vegas since I have never been. We are able to drive there (approx. 4 hours) so it appeared to be the ideal location all while thinking about our options. Steve’s parents will begin traveling soon and home sporadically over the next couple of months so this past week really seemed like the most feasible option if our goal was to leave sooner rather than later. A special thank you to Steve's parents for taking such good care of our love bugs while we were away while the uncertaintity of their health; we know they did not mind.
Steve booked us at the Wynn, and it was absolutely beautiful. We did not get into town until later than expected as there were two traffic accidents, one involving a death, so we were stalled for about an hour. Since we got into town later than we wanted, we decided to walk around and for me see some of the different hotels. It was a late evening for us and unfortunately did not sleep very well for most of the trip. We of course made the most of our trip and really just focused on R&R and reconnecting with life rather having to live by a schedule or having to cram 10 activities in 2 hours like other vacationers.
In all the times Steve visited Vegas he never viewed the water show at the Bellagio, so we saw the show. It was okay. Certainly interesting how they get everything to work to produce something that attracts hundreds, thousands of people. Classic story is on the way to the light show we decided to cab it vs walk. I was wearing new shoes and so yes, I was getting a small blister on my heel. Pain is beauty...HA. Steve noted he forgot to hit the ATM back home so he just used one of the ATMs in Treasure Island. I was not sure I understood his next move because of course we get 2 $100 bills. He noted to put one bill in the slot and cash out when he had about $85 remainding so he would have change. Okay..still did not believe him. All of a sudden I hear ding ding ding ding ding ding ding…it keeps going. $600 later and in our pocket---all for a cab. Pretty funny. This happened a couple of other times but the most we ever reached thereafter was $200---not bad as we don't gamble.
Throughout our trip we continued to explore much of what Vegas had to offer and enjoyed some fabulous dining. The food was excellent that is for sure. I was expecting to feel differently about the food but was left pleasantly surprised each night. We were also excited to step foot inside one of the sports bars at the Wynn and catch the Blackhawks playing AND the White Sox. We were thrilled. It was also exciting to learn that everyone else sitting next to us were also from the Chicagoland area. Who knew. It was nice to have fellow fans to help cheer on our teams.
Some of the stops during our stay…a visit at the Palms, Mandalay Bay (shark reef), Bellagio, and Cosmopolitan. It certainly was interesting to people watch, and often looked at Steve thinking WOW. I guess anything goes in Vegas. We always enjoy going to exhibits like aquariums. We take the boys as much as we can, and we did visit the Shark Reef. It was a reminder of how much the boys would love it and look forward to taking them real soon. Although cannot imagine taking them to Vegas because smoking is allowed in all of the hotels...except most of the bedrooms. Yuck.
We ended our trip with a morning at the spa for massages and sitting poolside for most of the day. It was great to do that and felt good to get a little sun; not that we don't get plenty in California. We even got ideal seating since everyone is focused on getting seats that hug the perimeter of the pool, which stretches for miles. Our last dinner was at Sinatra, located in Encore (part of the Wynn establishment). Oh my…food was out of this world. I recommend it--pricey but delicious.
Steve and I were able to reconnect with life, get our minds off what we have been going through as well as mentally taking a break from our jobs. We love what we do but we both also have very busy jobs where people are demanding of our time. There are moments when things don’t go as planned. I noted earler that Steve and I do not gamble, but if we did I have to say we were rewarded nicely for our efforts. We have also been blessed with two awesome boys. As I was taking in the scenery in Vegas, and talking to some of the staff, we learned there are those that will just fly in for the weekend to gamble away what they have with the hopes of striking gold. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to take a breather from life and refocus on me, my family, children, and professional life as I don’t get a lot of time to do that. As we were leaving Vegas reminicing about our journey, no we didn’t strike gold in terms of cash but I can say that we struck gold on the world around us --- simply lucky in life!
Julie
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