What I Learned in Vegas (This Time Around)

Does Vegas ever get old? If you are like me, the answer is a resounding, "No!" Vegas seems to get better with every visit - once the initial electric shock wears off, you can relax and enjoy what the city has to offer at a less 'touristy' pace.

Or so it was with me last week when I went to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Conference of Teachers of English. Of course, I showed up in town with grand plans to drive up to Antelope Canyon, or Area 51, or even just go for a hike in Red Rock Canyon. I always show up with big travel plans.

Experience Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas

Some people hate wax museums - a few of my friends insist that they are creepy, dorky, or a bit of both. To these people I say, "Lighten up!" Wax museums are tons of fun - you just have to suspend reality for a moment and be willing to think up brilliant and hilarious scenarios for your dorky / creepy photographs! There's not a lot of instructions or helpful tips to be shared about visiting Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas, so this post will mostly be a 'photo-essay'.

Visit a Cactus Garden in a Chocolate Factory

There are some things every person pictures themselves doing while visiting the amazing light show that is Las Vegas: strolling the Strip, gambling in the casinos, drinking from a cup shaped like the Eiffel Tower, and enjoying a variety of performances, from Cirque du Soleil to Carrot Top. Maybe some people envision themselves visiting a cactus garden. (I never did, but cacti are pretty popular in this area of the world.)

Why I'll Probably Never Hike the Wave (a.k.a. #35)

When you have a travel bucket list as long as mine, you have to be an optimist! I am optimistic that somehow, someday I'll have unlimited funds and time to accomplish the items on my list. I am optimistic that I will have the health and fitness to explore with energy and enthusiasm. I am optimistic that my husband won't divorce me after I either a) drag him around the globe several times or b) ditch him repeatedly to globe-trot on my own.

But every now and then, I must also be a realist. This is why I am willing to admit that there might be one item on the list that might not get checked off. (Just one though... let's not get too crazy here.)

The Most Fun You'll Ever Have in a Vegas Restaurant

Today I am sitting here, enjoying the warm Canadian sun, which we don't get to enjoy all that often, and I am beginning to daydream. Ah, a nice cold drink would so fantastic right now... and now my mind is beginning to wander to all of the lovely, ice-cold drinks I could possibly have at this moment. Now I am reminiscing about one of the best ice-cold drinks I've EVER had, way back in March during my Spring Break trip to Vegas. You see, it all began like this (insert trippy 'Wayne's World' time travel effect here):

Ride the "Manhattan Express" Roller Coaster in Las Vegas

The only thing more fun than going on rides is going on rides with other people who hate going on rides. Call me twisted, but it delights me to hear their cries of fright and anguish - it makes me laugh and enjoy the ride all the more. (This must be genetic, because my mother is the exact same way, and... oh god, I’m turning into my mother!)

It’s not that I want others to be hurt or in pain... it’s just funny that they are scared and I am exhilarated. While I’m letting out little, “Woo!” sounds, they are either shrieking, swearing, or praying to their deity of choice. It is entertaining, to say the least.

Zip Lining in Bootleg Canyon - Or Not...

Clear Coke. A long lifespan for the Hindenburg. Kevin Costner’s British accent in “Prince of Thieves”... just a few examples of things that were not meant to be. Add to this list my trip to Bootleg Canyon in Las Vegas for a fine day of zip lining over the Nevada desert. It began with a stumble, and as the day progressed, turned into a full-out trip down a mountainside - literally!

Hoover Dam: A Must-Do Las Vegas Side Trip

In March of 2012, my cousin Marriann and I headed down to “Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” for a girlie weekend. We walked the Strip until our high-heeled feet could walk no more, overpaid for some glam dresses, and even ventured into a high-roller room and got a tutorial on how to play the high-roller slots from one of the casino workers. (There were two machines “on hold” in that particular room because the people who had been playing them the night before had invested over $400,000 in each machine, and were intent on winning the jackpot. My mind boggled - who has $400,000 to drop into a slot machine? How does that even work?)

Celebration Time - Vegas, Baby!

It's time to celebrate! The good news is in - I am cancer-free!

Got the news last week from my doctor - all my December tests came back negative. There's not a cancer cell left in my body (and believe me, they freaked me out when they literally gave me a full-body MRI scan). I am healthy as a horse, and ready to reproduce! Watch out, world, soon there will be a whole troupe of "Wrabbits" ready to explore the world!

Live Through the Rides at the Top of the Stratosphere Casino in Vegas

Life is full of ironies - unexpected contradictions and surprises. For example, I am such a chicken on my rollerblades that I roll to the nearest patch of grass and choose to walk whenever I encounter the slightest incline. I am terrified of going downhill on my rollerblades because I worry I won't be able to stop, and I'll either crash so hard I'll get hurt, or roll straight into a busy intersection and get flattened. (The former scenario I have actually done, and lost a front tooth in doing so, and the latter scenario I nearly did, but ran into a bush at the last minute, in front of a group of very attractive men at that...)

New Years Eve in Las Vegas

As a surprise for my husband, who works entirely too hard, I arranged for us to visit Las Vegas for New Years of 2008. I bought plane tickets last minute, which provided us with a really good deal, and booked us rooms off the strip, in a little condo unit just a block away from the Rio hotel. From the Rio, we were assured free shuttle rides down to the strip. (I am a really cheap traveler, and there are always ways to save money if you look hard enough!)

My husband actually had to work on December 31st until about noon, so the moment he got home, we jumped in the car, drove to the airport, caught our flight, and were in Vegas by 8 p.m. Just in the nick of time! We checked into our room, got dressed up, and grabbed a cab to get down to the strip quickly.