Las Vegas

We are back from our short foray into the wilds and wiles of Las Vegas. We survived. Barely.

Because Michael’s mom Mary lives there, we have been many times but it was such a surprise to see it so empty. Every casino. Every restaurant.

Fighting the 100+ degree heat is always a challenge but somehow it is less noticeable while walking from casino to casino. The thrill of the hunt, I guess. My brother Chip and his wife Betty flew in and join us playing all the slot machines. Every one. Several casinos.

We headed to the MGM Grand from our New York, New York hotel. We loved their great rooms and people, by the way. I did really well there, mom walked out with more than $400.00 ahead but my brother was not happy. Michael, on the other hand, spent the entire trip having a cocktail or resting in the room. He enjoyed the quiet and watched a ton of sports. He was happy.

Mom and I were ready to play and play hard. The second night, we all hit Excalibur and everyone did well. We climbed into bed around 11:30PM each night. Normally, I am snoring by 8:00!

Throughout the gambling excursions, I tried to keep an eye on mom. I worried about her back. I worried that she was doing too much. I worried that she would wander away and I would never see her again! It turned out that in the end, I was just trying to keep up with her! I had to drag her out of the casino so I could go to bed! Mom turned out to the big winner of the trip but we all really had a great time.

Wednesday morning, Mary met us at a bar in the casino so we could talk for a while before our noon lunch with everyone. She looked fantastic. So good to see her in person! As a people watcher, it was also so much fun to watch the parade walking by. People really do come in all sized and shapes.

All six of us enjoyed an excellent 2-1/2 hour lunch together. Mary had knitted adorable hats with matching scarves for mom, Betty and me, which we all immediately modeled. So sweet.

I do have to say that I am extremely exhausted. I was able to take several naps during the drive home but it is going to take many days to recover from all the fun. Unfortunately, we have a house guest so no rest for the wicked! We are also expecting William and Kimberly for a few days next week.

So, I partied in Vegas but I couldn’t keep up with my 82-year old mom!