High Rollers we are not. But we do know how to have fun.

Alright, so, I owe you a Vegas post.

Firstly, if you want to see the pictures, I'll send you to the album. Click here for that.

And now, on with the program.

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Last year, we went to a tiny little place in the Caribbean called Turks & Caicos for our vacation. It was gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, relaxing... and small. Which meant there wasn't a whole lot to do once we did a day of scuba diving and a day of driving around the island except for lay on the beach and eat. This was perfectly fine by me, but Bryan was itching for activity. We had a great time, but I think the man got it in his head that he was going to make up for lost excursion time on our next vacation. And we definitely did. We stayed so busy during our trip to Vegas that between the two of us we gambled for MAYBE two hours. Maybe. But that was fine, because 1) we're close enough to Atlantic City that we can go gamble any time and 2) we found plenty of other ways to blow our money. ;-) I could spend hours telling you all about every day of our trip, but how about I just touch on a few highlights?

1. Penn & Teller: We stayed at Paris the first two nights partially because I love all things Paris, partially because we got two-for-one tickets to Penn & Teller. I knew of these guys (they're magicians, if you don't know), but had never seen their act. It was PHENOMENAL! We loved it. And they even came out afterwards and we got pictures and autographs like total dorks!



2. World Series of Poker: They had the WSOP going on in the same hotel as Penn & Teller, and, being poker fans and players, we went and stalked our favorite poker pros. We were total tools about it. And it was so much fun. We even got a halfway decent picture of our best friend Daniel Negreanu. (Okay, he's not our best friend... but we watch him on TV and think he would make a good one... :) )


3. Red Rock Canyon: Awesome. The rocks are red because they oxidized, or rusted, basically. Cool, huh? I found it amusing that they called the hike we went on "moderate," yet I thought I might die, it was so hard and so hot. Later we read the hiking guide a little better and it said their ratings were based on the perception of an AVID hiker. Which we are not.



4. Joy!!!: I got to hang out with my college roomie, Joy, who I haven't seen in like five years, one day while Bryan was at his conference. It was sooooooooooo nice to catch up with her and meet her son, who's 14 months old. I wish she lived closer!!!! She took me to a park she often takes her son to, where there was ACTUAL GREEN GRASS!! Ah, how refreshing. I never realized how much I love green. They also had a play area for the kids featuring a giant snake and a giant lizard they can crawl on. Yes, this is what kids play with in the desert.


5. Pool & Massage: The second day of conference, that's how I spent my day. Can anyone say HEAVEN? Oh, and I also had an ice mocha, chocolate croissant and fruit cup for breakfast. Again, they call that utopia in my world.


6. Helicopter Ride: We did a nighttime tour of The Strip. We got to wear giant headphones. Helicopters are not as scary as I thought they'd be. The Strip is bright no matter which way you look at it. :)


7. DUNE BUGGIES!!!: We spent a morning riding a dune buggy through the Valley of Fire. No pictures of this yet because they were on a disposable camera and I haven't uploaded them yet. It was quite a rush, and I don't know that I have ever been that dirty in my life. Which rocked.

8. O: This is a Cirque du Soleil show whose stage is basically a giant aquarium. There's a floor that moves up and down depending on what the act is. Phenomenal. I was breathless numerous times. I have no idea how they do some of the things they do... like high diving from the roof of the auditorium into that pool like 80 feet below? Wow.


9. North Rim of the Grand Canyon: I've been to the South Rim a couple times, but had always heard the North Rim is a different experience because it's less tourist-y and also greener. And it was. I am in love with the Grand Canyon and would be happy if my job was to sit and stare at it all day every day. Not hike it--been there, done that (2/3 of the way down, anyway), no need to do all that again. But it is so amazingly huge and beautiful and mesmerizing... There is only one lodge at the North Rim, and we got a cabin for our last night out west. No phone, no tv, no AC... it was the perfect way to wind down from the insane hustle of Vegas! We even managed to drag ourselves out of bed by 5am for sunrise... which was absolutely gorgeous. Of course. :)


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