Putting out Fires

True story!  My husband has a slot machine injury.  Why is it that they make the machines such that you have to reach up to play?  Wouldn’t it make more sense if they made you so comfortable that you’d never want to get up? 

Last Thursday Karl Denson was in town.  (I don’t expect you to know who that is, but if you do, you’re my new best friend)  As is becoming a bit more common, I was going to have to go see him solo because of Ryan’s schedule, but instead I enlisted my brother (who also had never heard of him, but he’s a good sport and I was paying) to go with me.

On the day of, Ryan was acting strange on the phone every time I talked to him.  I knew he was upset about having to miss the concert, so I chalked it up to that.  Boy was I surprised when I opened theh garage door at home after work and there was his car!  Sneaky man!  Then he sits me down on the couch with my eyes closed and when I open them there’s an empty suitcase.  He told me to pack as quickly as I could.  A surprise trip?!  Who are you and where is my husband?!

After I’d frantically thrown everything in the bag that I could imagine needing for any place we might go, we loaded up the dogs and drove over to my parents’ house.  I’m glad that the surprise still included the concert and the company of my bro that night.  Two rounds of saki bombers each and a few extra beers thrown in for fun, and three of us thoroughly enjoyed the hippy spectacle that is a Karl Denson concert. 

The next morning, after stumbling into the guest room at my parents’ trying not to wake the whole neighborhood at 1am, we woke up at 6am.  Then my dad drove us to teh AIRPORT.  A surprise trip involving a plane ride!?  I still had no idea what was going on, so when the guy at the check-in asked where we were flying today, I said, “I have no idea!”.  WHERE ARE WE GOING?!

VEGAS BABY!

To summarize our trip to Vegas, here’s our version of Best of Vegas:

1.  Best Hotel on the Strip:  NYNY, hands down.  I have never been treated with so much good service at a hotel.  From the time the bell boy took our bags from us at the taxi, to the time he brought them back down, then went out of their way for us.

(View from our killer room)

2.  Best Place to Get Drunk at Nickel Slots:  Excalibur.  There’s a series of 5 video poker machines right next to a bar, so the ladies in the short skirts carrying trays were coming by us about every 5 minutes.  Mmm, free beer tastes the best.

(Ryan won over $100 on a nickle machine!)

3.  Best Place to Spend $10/drink in a Bathing Suit with People Constantly Screaming Overhead:  NYNY pool.  The towel boy actually got our chairs for us!  Didn’t even have to move to get a drink.  And watching the rollercoaster scream overhead was constant entertainment.

4.  Best Place to Watch a Girl Get VERY INVOLVED Body Shots off her Bare Chest by Both Her Male and Female Friends:  The dueling piano bar at NYNY.  I kid you not, there was SUCKING involved!  Ryan and I stood with all the other old people outside the bar with our jaws at our feet.

5.  Best Place to Run Into People You Know:  MGM.  Both of us saw people we knew there!  Including my ex-boyfriend’s brother.  Awkward. 

(Haven’t these guys learned ANYTHING from poor Roy?)

6.  Worst Airline in the Whole World:  Southwest.  I don’t think we need any explanation on that one.

7.  Worst Day of the Year to Fly Anywhere:  September 11th.

So, in closing:  My husband is the best there is.  Not only does he surprise me occasionally, but he’s also the most fun person I know and I’m lucky to have him as a travel partner.  Even when dealing with crowds of drunk people, parents with totally out-of-control children, and the misplacement of about $300 that fell into slot machines, we always have a great time together.