Hate Vegas? Who me?

We got back from Las Vegas yesterday after a three-day vacation without baby Doodle. It was awesome! I highly recommend traveling without a baby. It is SO much easier. It was amazing how quickly we fell back into our pre-baby lifestyle. We ate at nice restaurants without interruption, we drank adult beverages and were able to sleep off any hangover we may have gotten, I wore jewelry including my engagement ring without anyone tugging at them or putting their yogurt-covered hands all over them. Yes, it was a fine weekend.

We arrived ten minutes late for a surprise 40th birthday party at the Bellagio which was incredibly stressful, but once we were there we drank and ate and were merry. We checked into our hotel after midnight and went straight to bed (it was 3:00 a.m. our time). I woke up late and ran on the treadmill, which might not seem very vacationy, but it was great for me to run in peace and on a treadmill which I don't have free access to here. I took my time getting ready for the day even blow drying my hair, which I never do. I sat out by the pool for a bit and had lunch. Then I hooked up with Mr. Doodlebug to tour around the enormous hotels on the strip. That day, Saturday, we went to Luxor, Paris, -- where I bought a giant plastic Eiffel Tower filled with strawberry daquiri -- Bellagio and Casino Royal where I made my first attempt at gambling. I played black jack and turned my whopping $20 into $33 (an odd number because I had black jack three times and you're paid $6 for your $5 -- yes, I was at a $5 table).

That night we went out to a steakhouse and I had Dover Sole for the first time. It was delicious. I also had the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had -- and I've had a lot of mac and cheese in my life. We went out on the strip and I played a little more black jack and lost. I watched our friends play craps, we drank a bit and then went to the hotel to sleep.

We slept in again Sunday. We checked out the most incredible hotel I've ever seen -- the Wynn (the same guy who built the Bellagio). There was a tall, but more impressively, wide waterfall at the far end of a shallow infinity pool with statues of the backs of a nude man and two nude women. They looked as if they were wading in deeper water. There was a patio with tables and umbrellas where people were enjoying Sunday brunch. Rather than explain every little thing, I'll post a few pictures. We also went to the Venetian which was massive and very cool. We got a brownie sundae from Ghiradelli after lunch. Unexpectedly, the birthday boy offered me a ticket to the Cirque du Soleil show for which there was an extra ticket (his brother-in-law didn't make the trip to Vegas). I offered to pay for my ticket, of course, but he didn't take any money. So at 7:00 p.m. I saw The Beatles Love at the Mirage. It was incredible. Really, just undescribable. I won't even attempt it.

After the show I met up with Mr. D and we walked back to our hotel. We ate some tapas at an awesome Spanish restuarant next door to our hotel. We went to bed around 10:30 p.m. because we had a 6:00 a.m. flight. Luckily, the airport is practically on the Strip so our cab ride was about seven minutes.

Great, great, great weekend. I'm so glad we went. Thank you, H, for turning 40! And thank you Grammy and Grandad for watching baby Doodle. What a treat.

An autumn display inside the Bellagio.

Fresh flower balls hanging from trees inside the Wynn.

The waterfall and pool outside the Wynn. Obviously the picture doesn't do it justice.



Hanging chandeliers inside the Wynn.

Part of the Wynn's grounds.