Las Vegas Recap

Rick and I got home last night from a 4-night stay in Las Vegas.  I am exhausted, but so grateful to be back home!!  If you want to see all of the pictures, you can click on the bottom image on the Facebook Badge to your right.

I was reading back through my Facebook status updates and laughing at how they started out so positive and gradually declined into my strong desire to be back home!  At the beginning of the trip I couldn't say enough about how luxurious our hotel room was and how pampered I was feeling.  But it didn't take long for me to realize that true luxury is my home in good ol' Oklahoma!

Let me explain ...

I will start by saying that The Venetian in Las Vegas is the most spectacular place!  We had an amazing suite on the 32nd floor .. and it was the cheap room!  We had a full spa bathroom, a luxurious and beautiful king-sized bed, and a sunk-in living room equipped with a large sectional couch.  Each room had it's own flat-screened t.v. ~ even the bathroom!  It was awesome!  I could have just stayed in the room the whole time!

We arrived late on Wednesday night and went straight to bed because Rick had to be up early on Thursday for his class.  Because of the time difference, I was FULLY awake at 4:15 a.m.  So that day I got up and went with him to get breakfast.  Then I just came back to the room and chilled until lunch.  We decided that we would rather each cheap, if any, breakfast, and Subway for lunch so we could eat a nice dinner.  So that's what we did on Thursday and Friday.  I laid around the hotel room (loving every second of it), and met Rick for lunch, then laid around the hotel room some more (loving every second of it), then got ready for dinner out.

On Thursday night we stayed at The Venetian and had dinner at Caneletto, which was so nice and yummy!  The restaurants at The Venetian are all set on an Italian street, next to the canal where they give gondola rides and have city entertainers .. really cool!

On Friday, when we were coming home from lunch, we came across some "commotion".  Come to find out, Heidi Klum from Project Runway was to be arriving shortly for a taping for the show.  And sure enough, out she walked.  It was awesome!  She got on a gondola with a gentleman, that I am guessing was a designer, and rode it to the end.  I followed and at the end were more camera crews and all of the models, with hair in curlers and all.  I don't know what it was all for, but it was so fun to see her!  She is beautiful!

Friday night Rick and I boarded "The Deuce" ~ double-decker bus, to head to Fremont Street in old Las Vegas.  The last time I came to Vegas, almost 10 years ago, we stayed at The Golden Nugget at Fremont.  It's really cool down there .. very glitzy and cheesy .. but fun!  All of the casinos face Fremont Street and a huge canopy is overhead that has music and light shows. It is just a walking street and kindof reminds me of a state fair or something, but it's loud and exciting and people are just having a good time!  We decided to just eat at Tony Roma's while we were there, not knowing anything about the casino restaurants.  Afterward we climbed back on The Deuce and headed back to the hotel.

Then things took a turn ...

Let's just say the freaks come out on Saturday .. first thing!  

Rick and I got up Saturday morning with an agenda of taking in as much of the strip as we could cram into one day.  We walked The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace (can anyone say excess??), then walked through The Bellagio (beautiful lobby and gardens!!).  We continued on down the strip to New York, New York.  This is where I actually had the most fun.  It's neat inside .. really looks like New York City streets.  We had lunch at a "roadside" cafe called Gonzalez y Gonzalez and just people-watched.  It was nice.  Then we went over to MGM Grand and rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, Las Vegas.  So far so good, other than the blatant disregard for all things God.  We even went into the 4-story M&M store .. who knew???

But the walk back to The Venetian had me wanting to just punch somebody .. maybe even the mayor.  Seriously, it's okay for disgusting street people, lined up in lines of 15+, to constantly be getting in your face flicking sex solicitation cards at you??  I mean, that's seriously okay?? The whole sex-oriented environment really had me bothered.  Everywhere you turn in Vegas you are inundated with solicitation for sex.  The billboard trucks driving by with naked women on them, the disgusting street solicitators, the disgusting old rich man walking down the street with two girls resembling my 14 year old daughter (and that preppy in their abercrombie), groping them, taking them to do who-knows-what .. it was really more than I could wrap my mind around!  I was disgusted and wanted, at that moment, to go home!  God cannot be pleased with what's going on there!!  And I wanted to get gone before He decided to do something about it!

As part of our vacation package we received free entrance into some swanky nightclub and $50 in free drinks (that would get us each 2 drinks).  We went in, because it was free, had one of our two free drinks, and split.  We obviously just did not belong there!  We also had $50 in free slot play.  We did sit down and use our $50 (hey, it was free) and walked out with $50 (lost $50, won $100 .. all in about 6 minutes!)  We cashed out and ran back to the safety of our hotel room.

On our last night we had another nice dinner at Postrio, a restaurant designed by Wolfgang Puck.  It was yummy!  Then we headed back to our room for a "good night's sleep" before our super-early a.m. flight yesterday.  However, sleep was not something we got much of.  The partiers were out and doors were slamming all night, people were laughing and yelling, and I even think puking a couple of times.  It was one of the worst nights' sleep I have ever gotten.

So, when we turned the corner to our house yesterday at 4:30 p.m., I saw nothing but luxury.  I saw people, albeit small, who loved me and missed me, who weren't doing anything naughty or displeasing to God.  I was home.

Yes, Vegas really is someplace every person should experience once in their life (just not my kids!!!)  But, we never plan to go back there again.  Yuck!

But on a high note, it re-confirmed in Rick and I that we love each other, are extremely compatible, and are just destined to be together forever!  I am thankful God chose this man to help save me from a life of sin and lack of purpose and to travel with me through a journey toward righteous living (it's a journey, folks, not saying I'm there yet).  I am so eternally grateful that the things of Vegas do not appeal to us as a couple, as a family, but that we are totally content in our boring little world in Oklahoma, with our children and our home. I love you Rick!!  Thanks for letting me come along!  (Now, let's shoot for the beach next time !!! )