What happens in Vegas...gets posted on my blog

And I'm back! (As of Monday night, it has just been a long week.) Vegas was
wonderful - big, loud, exhausting, hot, and shiny - but wonderful.

My first impression of the city, seen from the van of my airport shuttle, was simply, "Too much!" Lights, buildings, trees, people, cars, random monuments, etc. Too much, too much. But as the days went on it became more like, "Too much? Not enough!" I never saw myself as a Vegas-type girl, whatever that is, and I'm not saying it's even cracking my top five cities list, but it was a good time and I'd certainly go back. All in all, I return a little more tired, a little more poor, a little more worldly, a little more happy, and a little more sad than when I left.

A little more tired because I don't do well with time changes. And also because, for the most part, our days started early and ended late. (The early part largely due to mine and Brandie's inability to stop thinking like East Coasters. And also a desire to get a spot by the pool.)

A little more poor because I lost a teensy bit of money on the slot machines. (Seriously, only about $20, I'm just not a gambler.) My favorite machine was definitely Star Wars - both the one featuring R2-D2 and the one with the Death Star. I'm a geek, what can I say, and I like looking at Harrison Ford as my winnings are depleted. I also had an amazingly good, amazingly expensive (for me) meal that I'll remember for awhile.

A little more worldly because I was in a new city in a new state. It's the furthest west I have been, and I went from flying over the manicured lawns of suburban Virginia, to the vast green of the Midwest, to the red earth of the West, to the neon lights of Vegas. While in one city I managed to swing by Venice, Paris, Athens, Rome, and saw Egypt and New York in the distance. I finally saw Phantom of the Opera - which I only mildly enjoyed, but at least I've seen it now.

A little more happy because I got to experience all this with two of my closest friends. There were hours of laughing, talking, joking, and walking. Oh, the walking. I'm happy because I drank a bellini in the Venetian, gazed at umbrellas suspended from the ceiling in the Palazzo, and lost my breath at the sight of the Bellagio fountains -- which as of right now this fountain freak is ranking #1.

A little more sad because at the end it meant leaving my friend, Jan, and it meant missing my other friend, Karey, a bit more. I love them all individually for various reasons but I also really appreciate our group dynamic. We all bring something different to the table and while it still works when one or two aren't there, there's always a noticeable gap.

(Yes, I really did take this picture, of myself, with my friends standing right there. This is why I shouldn't drink, be out in the sun all day, and then ride a freaky uphill escalator. It messes with the mind.)

And that's Vegas, in a nutshell. I have 350ish pictures to upload to my Flickr, plus whatever ones I steal from my friends, so they'll be up eventually.