August 24th, 2006 - Last Day in Vegas

We get up around 8:30 a.m. After we showered and dressed, made sure that our bags were properly packed. Headed down to the front desk and checked out. We had the hotel hold our bags because we still had a few hours to kill before our shuttle bus was coming to pick us up. So we went for breakfast in some restaurant off of the Kahuna Lounge. After that, we went back to the Venetian where I bought a couple of tank tops that I had taken a liking to. Then we went back to TI and Dawna and I played some slots. Not sure if it was because it was Dawna’s birthday that day or if it was just a chemistry thing, but Dawna found a nice slot machine that just wanted to keep paying her money.
She gets enough points on her player’s card [never mind how much money she won] to get a free t-shirt.
Finally, it’s time to go and catch the shuttle bus. Off to the airport.
When we get to the airport we have to wait in a long line to get our tickets. We talked with the other folks waiting in line. After that, it’s off to go through airport security. Not sure if it was because it was Dawna’s birthday that day or if it was just a chemistry thing, but Dawna was the lucky recipient of a random search. Which was probably a good thing, because it distracted her from getting too worked up when her carry-on luggage was also being flagged at that moment for a more thorough search too.
The airport security person went through everything until we finally came down to a small plastic bag in which Dawna had accidentally left a very small lip gloss. She was heart broken. A brand new lip gloss [MAC make-up]. The thought of it going in the garbage made her feel sick so she was asking the security person if she wanted it. She politely explained that she couldn’t [against regulations]. Then the security person went above and beyond the scope of her duties and gave us an option of Dawna being able to mail the lip gloss back to herself. She pointed us to a machine where we could buy stamps and address an envelope and then drop it in the mail box right there. She helped us get that all together and mailed off. She made an embarrassing and frustrating situation so much more bearable [dare I even say “almost pleasant”?]. I have to remember to write to her employers and tell them to give her a pat on the back.
We found the smoking room and sat down. We encountered a gentleman who had come in to Vegas at the same time as us. He told us that he had come to Vegas with $5,000 and that he had gambled all but $25 away. That morning, he figures he might as well finish it all off so he plays his last $25 on the slots and ends up winning over $4,000. While he was still down, at least it wasn’t as bad of a loss as it was shaping up to be.
On the way to our boarding gate we pass a police officer stationed in the hall. I ask him if he’d mind if we took pictures of ourselves with him. You know, a tourist thing. So I take a picture of Dawna with him. Then Dawna takes a picture of me with him. Next thing I know, an airport security guard is marching over to us quickly. I’m thinking “Oh, crap. We’re doing something wrong; we’re going to get in trouble.”
Security guard stops in front of us. Stands there for a minute, then says “Don’t you want a picture with both of you in it? I’ll take it for you.”
So we were able to get a photo of us both with the officer.



We board our plane. It takes off and we head home. I don’t actually get to my front door until around 1:00 a.m., where two oldest boys and my husband are there to greet me with great big hugs.

August 23rd, 2006 - Fourth Day in Vegas

Today we got up around 9:00 a.m. after having our first real good night’s sleep since arriving in Las Vegas. We had to be at Bally’s for the Price is Right show by 2:00 p.m. as the show started at 2:30. So we left TI around 11:00 a.m. and caught a cab over to Bally’s.
We found a nice little restaurant to grab something to eat. Met a very sweet server named Michelle who was in a lot of pain [passing kidney stones]. She showed us a picture of her husband who had recently graduated school to become a radiation technologist and that they’d both soon be moving to Phoenix. I hope she has a smooth transition to her new home [and free from pain]. Dawna and I joked around with her that she could moonlight as a tour guide in Vegas. Such a funny lady.
After lunch, we went and got our seats for the Price is Right show. It was an absolute riot. Laughed at the “I’ve got crabs” t-shirt. Was a bit creeped out by the cemetery worker. Cheered on the young man from Long Island who won a trip. By the time the show was over, my throat was sore and I had pretty much lost my voice from shouting such memorable lines as “higher” and/or “lower.” Out in the lobby, Dawna and I got our picture taken with the “cast.”



After that, we took a shuttle bus over to Rio. Neither of us cared much for that hotel. I did find the girl dancing on the slot machines to be quite humorous. Although, I felt bad that no one [except for Dawna and I] seemed to notice that she was there.
From Rio, we caught a cab over to the Palms hotel.



We signed up for a player’s card and then went over to the Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company in the hotel. I sign up to get a tattoo done. You can’t make an appointment; it’s done on a first come first serve basis. This is at around 7:00 p.m. and the wait looks like I won’t get in until around 11:00 p.m. Dawna and I buy some t-shirts. Dawna gets an autograph by Dizzle for her husband [he spells the name wrong]. We go and play some slots. Then we get something to eat. We wander through the Playboy store [not much there]. We play some more slots. Dawna sees someone wearing a t-shirt that she thinks her husband would love to have. Finds out that she can get the shirt at Mandalay Bay. I tell her that she should go to Mandalay Bay to get the shirt as the stores will all be closing by 11:00 p.m. and that I can just meet her back at the hotel room afterwards. She was reluctant to leave me on my own to get tattooed, but I assured her that I would be fine. Finally she agreed to go.
I get in shortly after 11:00 p.m. to get my tattoo from Joey. He’s pictured first below:



Even at that time of night, it was still pretty busy in there. I have to say that the shop is so much smaller in “real life” than it is on TV. I think the shop would run a whole bunch more smoothly if they had two counters: one dealing strictly with tattoos and the other dealing just with merchandise. Otherwise, that front counter gets impossibly crowded.
I recognized Dizzle and Twig there in the shop that night. I never spoke to Dizzle, but Twig commented on the fact that I looked so relaxed [I was falling asleep while the tattoo was being done].
Joey did a really nice job of my tattoo. It’s my husband’s name [stylized] in a “bracelet” around my arm.
Here are some pics of it:



It was shortly after midnight when they bandaged up my new tat and sent me on my way. I caught a cab back to TI. I’m not 100% sure, but I think the cab driver might have been hitting on me. The conversation went as follows:
Cabbie “You must have had lots of guys hitting on you while in Vegas.”
Me “Thankfully, no.”
Cabbie “Why do you say ‘thankfully’?”
Me “Because then I didn’t have to get mean.”
Cabbie “You’d get mean?”
Me “It depends. Depends on how well the person understood and took the word ‘no.’ If they accepted it the first time, no problems. If they got pushy and aggressive, I’d have to resort to violence and punch them in the face.”
Cabbie “What if a guy tactfully asked you to sleep with him?”
Me “Then I would tactfully have to tell him ‘no.’”
Cabbie “Oh.”
At this point we’re pulling into the front entrance of the hotel and I pay him the fare; the conversation ends. Judge for yourself.
I find Dawna in the hotel room. It’s 1:00 a.m. and I’m completely wired [running on an adrenaline high from just getting tattooed]. I know that we have to be up and checked out of the room by 11:00 a.m. the next morning [or later the same day], so I force myself to lie down and get to sleep. I actually fall asleep a lot faster than I thought I would.

August 22nd, 2006 - Third Day in Vegas

This day, we get up around 10:00 a.m. Go through our usual caffeine and shower/dress routine. Go grab something to eat and decide what we’re going to do that day. We know that we’re going to head over to Bally’s to pick up our tickets. We ordered tickets by phone the day before to go and see The Price is Right Wednesday afternoon.
We figure this will be a day that we explore some of the hotels on the strip.
We go to Bally’s and pick up our tickets for the show the next day. Both of us get the giggles as they are writing out our names on the price tag name tags.
We sign up for a player’s card at Bally’s and get a free t-shirt [the card also entitles us to a 10% discount at various shops in the co-operation of hotels].
We do some shopping and browsing at stores in Bally’s before we head over into the Paris hotel.



We spend a long time in there. Then we catch a cab over to the Luxor. We wanted to get a good look at all the Egyptian themed stuff there.



Dawna tries to get me excited about making a Las Vegas DVD at this booth that is there where it looks like you’re flying around Las Vegas on a magic carpet. We go and buy tickets to Tut’s museum and a simulation ride about finding some lost obelisk. We go on the ride and enjoyed the elevator part of it. The second part of the ride just made us both feel really ill and gave us headaches. We had to go and sit and eat/drink something to see if that would make us feel a bit better. It did, but only just a tiny bit better.
We go through the “museum,” which was so not worth the money we spent. Oh, well, live and learn.
We were both too queasy from the stupid ride to even entertain the possibility of getting on some spinning magic carpet to make a DVD, so that was a definite pass.



We walked over to the Excalibur hotel and did some shopping again. Dawna dared me to have my weight guessed. If they couldn’t guess within 3 pounds, we’d win a prize. I went up. They guessed wrong. Won a stuffed dragon. Then Dawna gave it a go. She also won a stuffed dragon.
From Excalibur, we took the walkway over to the New York New York hotel. I was able to get a nice picture of the MGM Grand hotel.



Dawna was thinking that she’d like to try the roller coaster at the NY NY, but we both agreed that today was not the day as we still felt really icky from the Luxor ride. Instead, we went shopping [spent a bit of time in the Harley Davidson shop there] and ate some pretzels [very yummy].



By this time, it was around 9:00 p.m. We went back to TI and hung out in the hotel room [ordered room service].
An expression had grown over the last few days that we used quite a bit. It started the first night when we were tired, giddy and slightly tipsy. We kept saying “F-awww-k.” We’d kind of squawk it out like a drawn out chicken cluck.
We used that word a lot to describe the simulation ride.
We made an early night of that night and got to bed around midnight.