First Day in Vegas!

LAS VEGAS! Mike and I were absolutely giddy as we drove our Ford Fusion down the highway to the Strip. Catching a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, the Sphinx, and the Eiffel Tower, it occurred to me that Vegas might be a better way to see the world than Epcot!

We left our house at 6am with the help of the lovely Sarah Badders. I am so thankful to have a wonderful friend like her. Our drive to the airport was so lively with catching up! The words that came to mind for our flights were happy and peaceful. Even going through the security was easy, and  we made it fun! I was carrying my wedding dress in a big white bag with "David's Bridal" blazoned on the front; a cheerful business woman helped me with my security bins and then congratulated us. She ended up sitting next to us on the plane! The David's Bridal bag was such a conversation piece! Faces lighted up on sight as strangers offered their best wishes. The flight attendant taking our tickets in Atlanta grinned, showing big white teeth through her brown lips, swayed her voluptuous hips, and sang us down the walkway to the plane: "Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married!"

Any fatigue that we felt on getting to our hotel completely melted away when we met up with William Mabery. His free-spirited energy is so contagious. We giggled and joked our way through the most fabulous meal at Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill. Sure, Mike and I hadn't had a meal since 7am that morning, but the Truffled Potato Chips with Maytag Blue Cheese Sauce, Wood Oven Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Broccolini, Leeks, Thyme, Taleggio, and the Spicy Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Pickled Ginger, Cucumber, and Crisp Sesame Wontons - absolutely heavenly!

We ended the night with an amazing Cirque du Soleil show, Ka. Mom and my brothers joined us, and we sat in the third row! The theater was stacked with steampunk-esque columns, ladders, and catwalks. Fireballs erupted from the abyss where the should have been a stage. Every scene in this show was amazing with the rotating and tilting stage platforms. One of our favorites was the beach scene. A huge dune of sand appeared before our eyes, crabs and cute sea creatures wiggled out of the sand, and the transition to the next scene included an avalanche of grain as the entire stage tilted 90 degrees towards the audience.