the sociology of kate: wrapping up vegas

i am finally getting around to finishing my blog about this trip. (jody just pointed out that we've been home for a week, but it already seems like we were in vegas a long time ago. figure that one out?!)

we woke up late and got ready for breakfast at New York, New York. by the time we got to America (the restaurant...i know Vegas is in America smart-asses) it was 11:30 so we got the modified "you're too late for real breakfast and should be eating lunch" menu, but we still made out pretty well. if memory serves, we did some gambling after this in ny ny and jody got the longest and most amazing bonus game at a monopoly penny slot that i've ever seen. we also kicked off the early afternoon with some vodka cranberries that did not taste like ass (unlike sahara.) i even had a cigar while wasting my pennies away.

eventually, jody and i decided not to waste the beautiful 107 degree temperatures by staying inside (that was sarcasm, people!) so we got ready to go to the pool at the MGM. we got there around 4 which is peak v

egas hot-time. needless to say though, it was really relaxing out there, for the most part. towards the end of the first hour there was a flock of drunk loud girls chatting up some dude who was really, really sunburned (we called him sunburned guy) very obnoxiously and non-stop, but it's hard to stay mad when you're enjoying some sun, reading a magazine, and mocking people with an old friend. :)

speaking of mocking people, we saw the tannest white guy ever. he was so tan that i ended up taking a picture of him just to prove to you that he exists. we called him tan man....'cuz damn.

jody left me out there for a while so she could get ready for our evening and i just wasn't ready to leave the pool yet, so i hung out for another hour hoping i could get a little tan (not like the saddlebag over there -------------> ).
mostly i get more freckles in the sun, but whatever, that has to be a step up from pasty white, right? i also was freakin' thirsty out there (107 degrees?! hello!) so i ordered bud lime and got carded. so apparently, even in las vegas i look under 21. thanks mom! :)

eventually i ventured back up to the room and got ready myself. our plan for the night was to go to the MGM buffet and then hit NYNY again for the dueling piano bar. we even got a little dressed up! the buffet was pretty good, though it was not as good as Mandalay Bay (which is the only other good one in Vegas i've been too.) we were on a quest to eat our body weight in crab legs and they had them, but on ice. still good, but not the same. regardless, i managed to eat WAY too much.

after all these desserts we made our way over to the dueling piano bar. i have to say, i'm a BIG dueling piano fan and the times square bar in nyny doesn't disappoint. we had some beers (eventually...i was so full that i had to give it a bit), sang along to a bunch of songs, and even danced a bit. it's even possible that some boys hit on us. always good to have an ego boost! we closed down the bar and then headed back to MGM to get some sleep. i think by the time we were finished chatting (just like high school days) and packing, it was close to 3 a.m. the next morning, we got up, got ready, and packed up the rest of our stuff. jody was my hero and went for a quest for coffee for us. once we were checked out, all that was left to do was wait for our shuttle back to the airport. unfortunately we were in different terminals so jody and i had to say adios at security, but we still mocked people via text. :) then after a very long travel day (which included a 4 hour stop over in denver and a ride back to Dubuque from Madison in a nasty thunderstorm) i made it back home in one piece, having had a really awesome vacation. i'm thinking this is something jody and i should make an annual thing. not vegas necessarily, but somewhere fun. :D

we're freakin' adorable!!!

here are some random shots:

random, tiny closet in my bathroom stall at sahara (of course)

rod stewart.

okay we didn't really see him. that was on a giant screen while we were waiting to check-in to MGM but it sure looks like he was right there.