About a week ago, I went on a wonderful vacation with Chuck to Las Vegas. I met so many great people, especially who we stayed with at Treasure Island: Stacey & Cassidy.

We were there for a long time ...for Vegas at least. Seven days and six nights were more than enough, and it was sort of difficult to keep track of everything we did, but I managed to break it down by day...

DAY 1

Chuck and I arrived in Vegas mid-afternoon after a four-hour flight from Indy. We met his step-dad and sister, Stacey, at the airport and they took us to our hotel. Chuck had heard of a little trick you can do at the front desk to get free upgrades when you check in. He asked if any upgrades were available while handing the front desk clerk some cash and his ID. She put us on the second floor from the top with a view of the strip and sent a bottle of champagne up to our room. Also, she gave us four coupons for free buffet dinners and a variety of other coupons for entertainment around Vegas. In other words, the trick worked.

We met Stacey's friend, Cassidy, at the hotel and after we settled in and freshened up, we met Chuck's family at Tita Mercy's house in North Las Vegas. I met so many of Chuck's family members. I don't think I can name them all off the top of my head. We were mainly there to visit with Lola, Chuck's grandmother. We ate a Filipino dinner, watched Lola's favorite sports channels, and I spent time getting to know everyone. I had a really great time and felt honored to meet such important people in Chuck's life.


After dinner, Chuck, Stacey, Cassidy, and I went to Breeze Bar at TI with Chuck's cousins, Bea and Raymond. We had a couple drinks--thanks for the Jameson, Bea! Once Bea and Raymond went home, we took a cab over to Mandalay Bay and enjoyed some cocktails at Mix with Stacey's coworker Justin and his girlfriend, Kiersten. The view of the strip was amazing, and the company was even better.

When we got back to TI, we realized how hungry we were and ate at The Coffee Bar. After that, we called it a night.

DAY 2

On day two of our trip. the first thing we did was hit up Margarita Bar for some drinks--sad, but true. It's Vegas. After sipping some strawberry, we met Justin and his girlfriend at Mandalay Bay to go to the pool. They had a room there, and we needed a room key to get into the pool, so they let us be their guests.


I absolutely loved Mandalay Bay. The wave pool and the lazy river were a lot of fun. The only part that wasn't so much fun was the hot sand. The sun was so intense that it made the sand unbearable to stand on barefoot.

Stacey and I bought some inner tubes to float on the lazy river, and Chuck held on to the side to float with us. It was relaxing to just float in the water and sip a margarita. Later in the day, Chuck and I ventured into the wave pool and decided to make friends with a girl, Becca, who was all by herself while her younger cousins were upstairs. First random friend: made.

After some pool time, we hit up Kahunaville again for their 2-for-1 deal. Who could refuse that? We hung out for a little while then headed out to dinner.

Dinner was at Lotus of Siam, a Thai restaurant that took an hour to get a table at. The food was delicious! It might have been the best Pad Thai I've ever had.

Of course after dinner we had to gamble! The slots were calling our names! That went on for a while, but I don't think any of us won money that night. I know I didn't.

DAY 3

The third day was all about the pool--in the morning, at least. We woke up relatively early and trekked to the Treasure Island pool. The atmosphere was a little different than Mandalay Bay. The music was bumping and everyone was dancing drunk in the pool.


We were only at the pool for a limited amount of time because we had plans with Chuck's and Stacey's family to go to Road Kill Cafe and pick up some ribs. First, we picked up some mac and cheese from Costco--yum! We took the feast to Tita Mercy's and I met a few more of Chuck's relatives, Irene, Guia, Kris, Trisha and Kyle. The food was so good!

After dinner, we rode back to TI and gambled some more! Kahunaville was having a drink special, 2 for the price of 1, so we had some drinks, played slots, and lost more money. Mirage was pretty close by, so we walked over there and checked out the casino. More money--gone.

Late night cravings sent us over to the Coffee Shop at TI for some sandwiches and fries--their ranch was so good!

DAY 4

Saturday was sort of a hot mess, but it was by far my favorite day of the trip. The first thing we did when we woke up was get ready and go to the pool. This time it was just Chuck, Cassidy and me. Stacey went out to do some shopping.

We drank some daiquiris by and in the pool, then we met some really cool girls. Chrissie, Allison, Maggie, and Kjersten were celebrating Chrissie's bachelorette party when we got to talking. I really enjoyed the time I spent getting to know them. We took selfies--yes I used that word--and just hung out and drank together.


After that, I don't remember much of the next six hours. Apparently, we got pizza at Francesco's (thank you, foursquare, for reminding me), and  according to my friends, I was drunk enough that I had to be assisted to our room. I woke up with strawberry daiquiri drool on my pillow--gross. Chuck and Cassidy went to dinner and Stacey did her own thing while I was resting up.

Then, the tables turned. Chuck came back from dinner drunk and passed out. Cassidy, Stacey, and I? We played Heads Up and had some more drinks. It had to have been the funniest game I've ever played. I'm pretty sure we played all the categories at least once because we stayed awake for three or more hours. It wasn't until about five o'clock that we finally couldn't stay awake anymore and had to go to sleep.

DAY 5

The fifth day was sort of a rough one for me. I felt pretty sick. We bid Cassidy adieu right before lunch time--sad. I'm really glad she was able to come with us to Vegas last minute. I loved getting to know her and the trip wouldn't have been the same without her.

A good chuck of our morning was spent shopping. We went to the outlet mall, and there were so many designer clothes I wanted to buy! I restrained myself because I had already lost enough money playing slots. Next time I go, I'm going to have a budget just for shopping.

Even though I felt sick, Stacey, Chuck, and I met Trisha, Kris, and Kyle at Gilley's to hang out and eat lunch. Can you say "nachos?" Yum.

Next stop ...the Forum Shops. The scale of this shopping center was crazy. The curved escalators, ornate decorations and faux sky added to the experience. I didn't buy anything, but I helped Chuck pick out some clothes for his nephew. I had a good time just walking around and taking a break from the gambling scene.

Dinner was on a whole 'nother level that night. We went to Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, & Stone Crab for Chuck's birthday celebration. The Stone Crab wasn't my cup of tea, but the herb-roasted chicken was delicious. The server brought out a brownie and ice cream with a candle on it for dessert. That was my favorite part, of course. Sweets get me every time.


Stacey, Chuck, and I met up with Trisha and Kris later in the night to go to check out a couple clubs. We checked out Tao, but Snoop-Dogg-Lion-whatever-his-name-is-now was there and tickets were too expensive. Trisha knew someone who could get us on the guest list at Pure, so we went there to dance the night away. We ended up only staying for a little while because Chuck wasn't feeling well. I'm glad we left when we did, though, because we went directly to IN-N-OUT Burger. I had a cheeseburger and fries animal style with a Neapolitan milkshake--yum!! It was my first IN-N-OUT experience, and I'm craving it now as I think about it.

We got back to the hotel pretty late, but with just enough time for Stacey to pack up her things. Chuck wanted to make sure she got to the airport okay, so he went with her. I decided to stay at the hotel. The busy day we had exhausted me. I would have gone if I had the energy. Stacey was so much fun! I can't wait to see her again and play Heads Up!

DAY 6

The last day was pretty uneventful. Chuck wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go to Zumanity. We hung out in the room and slept for a while until Guia and Rob missed their flight, so we met them down by the pool until closing time. It was still 100 degrees at 7:30 in the evening!

We still had our free buffet passes, so Chuck and I hit up The Buffet at TI. The food was pretty good, but I don't think I would pay $25 for it.

DAY 7

We flew out of Vegas around one o'clock. I was sad to leave, but relieved at the same time to go home.

I had a fantastic time in Vegas, and I can't wait to go back!