Las Vegas Was Waiting!

So, let me tell you what happened to me this time last year. This time last year I was in a consistent habit of water aerobics 3 times a week, I had already been on a business trip to Toronto (Yeah...in the dead of winter!) and was on my way to Las Vegas to celebrate my sister's birthday. One day before leaving Las Vegas, as I was getting dressed for work, "something" slipped in my back. The pain was excruciating and I couldn't move. As one with a history of lumber disk herniations, I thought it was just another "episode". Ice pack and flat on the back...that's the normal routine when that happens. After all, I HAD to get back on my feet, Las Vegas was waiting!

The very day, I was to leave for Las Vegas I had a second episode...same as the first. This time with no hubby to assist me to the bed, I crawled to the bed chanting, "I think I can! I think I can!", popped enough Lortab to knock an elephant out and layed very still for about 30 mins. I couldn't just LAY there right? Las Vegas was waiting!!

My sister (who's birthday we were celebrating) had NO clue what I was going through, and I didn't want her to know. She'd never been to Las Vegas and we were going, come heck or high water... or muscle spasms...herniated disks...drug induced coma...etc. Moving ever so slowly, I managed to get ready. The Lortab was beginning to kick in.

Some how we managed to book a flight out to Las Vegas right after a MAJOR snow dump on the city. Didn't matter! We were going! Las Vegas was waiting!! We pulled into the airport parking lot, shoved our heavy winter coats and gear in the trunk of the car and scrambled to the nearest shuttle shelter. Jumped on the shuttle, got through security, ran to the gate AND...the flight was late.

My sister had NO idea what was going to happen in Las Vegas. It was a total surprise. I had booked tickets to see her most favorite artist in the world, "Gino Vanelli", (Okay, so no one has seen or heard him since the early 80's.) made reservations at a posh Japanese restaurant (Japonais) and planned for another of her favorite things to do...shopping!

We finally boarded the plane and when we were almost to Vegas, I gave her a colorful envelope with an agenda of our weekend (except for the Gino Vanelli part), a copy of the restaurant menu and a map of the strip. She was so excited. She knew we were going to a venue but she didn't know who. I started to get worried because we were going to arrive late and I didn't want to lose our tickets. When the plane touched down, I immediately called the Flamingo Hotel to make sure our tickets were still secure. Unfortunately, my sister overheard me say, "Gino Vanelli". I guess shoving my face in the window of the plane, while cupping my hand over my mouth didn't deter her from hearing me on the cellphone. When I got off the phone, I looked at her and said, "Did you just hear what I said?", she said, "Yes!" and did this weird "wiggle giggle combo move" in her seat.

Since I've been to Las Vegas several times, as we unboarded the plane I looked at her and simple said, "Follow me 'cause I'm movin' fast!" Even if she was behind me, she would see me because she's darn near 6 ft tall. My brain was moving fast, trying to figure out how we could get to the venue the fastest because our shuttle tix would take us to our hotel, not the hotel where the venue was. Suddenly, my inner "hustler" came out. I went to go get the shuttle tickets and the rep at the ticket counter asked me, "Where do you need to go?". Hmmmm...she didn't ask me where was I staying, right? So, I said, "We need to go to the Flamingo Hotel." She gave us our shuttle tix and off we went!

We jump off the shuttle, roll our bags into the Flamingo, up to the counter we go to get our tix, across the gaming floor, hit the door of the venue and the person at the door says, "You can't take your luggage in there." I gave them a "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?" kind of look and said, "We're not booked at this hotel, so what do you suggest we do?" Eureka! How would I know by having our luggage that we would get a very cool Vegas kind of seat? (Ok, so what if we were in the very back.) We were in one of those huge half moon booths, drinking something fruity and waving the lights from our cellphones in the air, rockin' out with "Gino Vanelli"!

What an awesome trip! We popped pain meds the entire trip but it was SO worth it. It was only when we got home that we begin to realize the condition of our bodies. My sister had just gotten a walking cast removed the week prior to our trip and was still suffering from some pain and the DAY after we got back, I ended up in the Dr's office with a severe pinched nerve that knocked me out for WEEKS. ALL for VEGAS, BABY! ALL for VEGAS!!!!